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W. Gordon Belser Arboretum, Columbia, SC

Photo: Plantmatic, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & Outdoors

W. Gordon Belser Arboretum

A 10-acre nature preserve in Columbia with ten biomes, a waterfall, and a botanical garden, run by the University of South Carolina.

4080 Bloomwood Road, Columbia, SC 29205 · Columbia, SC

About W. Gordon Belser Arboretum

Tucked into metro Columbia, this 10-acre preserve stands apart from the flat, pine-filled Midlands landscape. It holds ten distinct habitat types, a waterfall, a small botanical garden, and a range of themed exhibits. The site doubles as an outdoor field lab for University of South Carolina students and as a conservation outreach center for visitors. The public can attend a monthly open house, and regular weekly openings are also offered on set mornings and evenings.

  • #nature preserve
  • #botanical garden
  • #waterfall
  • #field laboratory
  • #university

What's around here?

The closest stops to W. Gordon Belser Arboretum, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums

    South Carolina Military Museum

    No admission fee

    A Columbia museum focused on the military history of South Carolina, organized around three main galleries.

    2.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    South Carolina State House

    No admission fee

    Tour the granite capitol of South Carolina, where bronze stars mark the spots Sherman's cannons hit during the Civil War.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    2.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums

    Columbia Museum of Art

    Under $25

    An art museum in downtown Columbia, South Carolina, with rotating exhibitions, a permanent collection, and programs for visitors of all ages.

    3.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Sesquicentennial State Park

    Under $25

    A large state park in the Sandhills region just outside Columbia, offering camping, a lake, trails, a dog park, and picnic shelters.

    8.0 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Outdoor Adventure

    Congaree National Park

    No admission fee

    Walk the Boardwalk Trail or paddle Cedar Creek through an old-growth bottomland forest of towering trees.

    19 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Swan Lake Iris Gardens

    No admission fee

    A 150-acre public garden in Sumter known for its iris beds, swans, and free admission.

    36 mi awayMore like this