Breakfast at The Devine Cinnamon Roll Deli
Start your morning bright and early at The Devine Cinnamon Roll Deli. You’ll want to get there as early as you can to avoid a long line. This small cafe offers some of the tastiest cinnamon rolls you’ll ever have – we tried the original (you can’t go wrong with the classic!) as well as the flavor of the week, which was chocolate strawberry – and we’d drive to Columbia over and over again just for these treats. The breakfast sandwiches and the grit bowls are also fantastic, and a great way to stave off a sugar crash.

There are about ten tables inside – you order at the counter and then find a seat. The line to get a table and to place a to go order are the same line, so even if you’re getting food to go, you may wait a while just to place your order. When we left around 9:45 am, the wait to place an order was an hour and the line wrapped around the parking lot. If you want to order your food to go, try using Doordash. Sometimes if it gets too crazy, they’ll turn off the option to order on Doordash, so make sure to get your order in early.

Once you’re full of grits, and eggs, and cinnamon rolls, start your 30 minute drive to Congaree.

**Make sure you have some sandwiches packed for lunch – try Jersey Mike’s or Publix!

Kayak on Cedar Creek 
The Cedar Creek Canoe trail goes 15 miles through the Congaree Wilderness. It’s a calming and peaceful experience navigating the waterways and winding through sunken trees, like Loblolly pines and Cypresses. You also might notice tree “knees” sticking out of the water. The trees in this area are thought to grow “knees” to help keep the trees rooted and supported. We’d never seen these before! In most seasons (except winter), you will most likely see snakes on this route. There’s one tree in particular that you’ll pass that snakes love to sit on and sun themselves. You also may see the resident alligator on the Cedar Creek Canoe trail. 

You have two options here – you can either rent a kayak or canoe and paddle on your own, or you can take a guided tour with a local company. The river is totally navigable on your own. It’s very easy to follow the path without a map or directions. The perk of using a tour provider is that you don’t need to worry about picking up your equipment and the guides will explain the various wildlife, flora and fauna, and give some park history.

Renting a Kayak or Canoe
If you’d like to rent a kayak or canoe and explore on your own, River Runner Outdoors is a great option. Prices range between $55 and $75 and you can rent a single kayak, a tandem kayak or canoe, or a paddleboard.
– You can pick up and drop off your equipment between 10 am and 5 pm on the day of your rental. They will also help you tie the kayak to your car and make sure it’s nice and secure.
– River Runners can drop off your kayak or canoe at the Cedar Creek launch site for $150.

Guided Paddles
There are a couple different tour providers that the official Congaree National Park site recommends – JK Outdoor Guides, Carolina Outdoor Adventures, and Palmetto Outdoors. Based on online reviews the tour companies seemed pretty similar. They all have offerings for the main route in the park (Cedar Creek), as well as some additional options on the Congaree River. Palmetto was slightly more expensive when we researched in 2024. We chose JK Outdoor Guides based on the times they had available and enjoyed our experience.

When we visited, waters were pretty high due to flooding in the surrounding areas. Waters were 6 – 10 ft deep! The current gave us a nice push on the way out so we barely had to paddle and basically just floated down the waterway. On the way back, we did have to exert more effort to get to our starting point, but it was very manageable and well worth it. 

Head to the Visitor Center
After you’re done with your paddle, it’s about a ten minute drive to the park’s visitor center. We love the videos at the National Park visitor centers. We find them to be really informative and a great way to understand the history of the park. The video here is about 15 minutes long and worth a watch. If you collect National Park stamps, you can get your stamp here. Near the bathrooms you’ll see a bug-o-meter, that lets you know how the bug levels are at the park. We were lucky to visit on a virtually bug-less day.

Walk the Boardwalk Loop Trail
Distance: 2.3 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Starting and Ending Elevation: 100 ft (minimal changes)
Time: 45 minutes

We loved this boardwalk trail. It’s a nice and easy 2 mile trip along elevated boardwalks. The trail was flooded at shin height for about five minutes of our walk, so we decided to take off our shoes and walk through the water. If it had been any more flooded, we probably wouldn’t have been able to do this and would have had to turn around.

Evening – Dinner in Columbia
Head to Columbia and put your name down at Bourbon. This Cajun Creole restaurant is a favorite among locals and tourists and they don’t take reservations. We put our name down around 6:45 and it was an hour wait for two people. We visited during tiki week and the whole restaurant had tiki decorations and a special menu and cocktail list. They’re known for their namesake Bourbon, but we had some non-bourbon cocktails that we really liked.

While you’re waiting, walk around downtown. It’s a fun and lively little city with restaurants, shops, and bars. You’ll also have a nice view of the Capitol Building. We heard good things about Motor Supply Company Bistro, Mr. Friendly’s New Southern Cafe, and Boca Grande Burritos, so we’ll need to go back!

Parking can be tough – especially if you visit while there’s a Gamecocks basketball game happening – the arena is right in the downtown. We ended up finding free parking driving up, away from the area, but there are also a few garages.