Experience Columbia S.C. (ECSC) has announced the relaunch of the beloved Sally Salamander Walking Tour with a new design, interactive printed collateral, and user-friendly digital experience.
The Sally Salamander
Walking Tour was first created by the Leadership Columbia class of 2009 before students at Heathwood
Hall expanded the free, walkable scavenger hunt, doubling the number of locations to 20 in late 2018. The tour guides visitors to some of Columbia’s downtown historic landmarks, notable businesses, public art installations, and more. Sally is a spotted salamander, the state amphibian of South Carolina, and this year marks the 25th anniversary of the spotted salamander earning that designation.
Experience Columbia S.C. worked with local artist Cait Maloney on the redesign to include logos and icons in line with ECSC’s existing brand color wheel that were used to create stickers, buttons, an interactive booklet, a refreshed website, and the new digital pass experience.
“Experience Columbia S.C. works with Bandwango, a platform specifically designed to showcase passes and trails within a destination. With the success of our Pimento Cheese Passport, Reconstruction Trail, and COOL and CULTURE Passes, we thought it would be a great time to share the Sally Salamander Walking Tour with visitors to our community through this platform,” said Kelly Barbrey, vice president of marketing and communications for Experience Columbia S.C. “We learned through our visitors center that many of the people interested in the Sally Salamander tour are families with young children, so we gave Sally a new fun and friendly look and added some additional components to the tour, like a booklet with stickers so children can check off the different locations as they go. The tour starts at the Columbia S.C. Visitors Center, so guests can pick up the booklet there and be on their way to find all the salamanders.”
The remaining 19 locations along the tour are the South Carolina State House, the Arcade Mall, the Palmetto Building, Never Bust by Blue Sky, Columbia Museum of Art, Richland Library, The Big Apple, Blue Marlin, Adluh Flour Mill, The Gong, Lincoln Street Tunnel, USC Horseshoe, Trinity Cathedral, Halls Chophouse, Hanging Drums, Mast General Store, The Nick, Sweet Cream Co., and Villa Tronco.
Several locations were also identified—the South Carolina State House (located at Bourbon on Main Street), Adluh, and Trinity Cathedral— whose bronze salamanders were either never installed or missing due to construction or general wear and tear over the years. Those statues have been reordered and will be reinstalled later.
“I get to see Columbia residents and visitors every day as they embark on this trail from the visitors center, and it is always so rewarding to see the anticipation and energy as they set off to ‘Find Sally,’” said Larkin Newberry, visitor services manager for Experience Columbia S.C. “Whether you are a long-time Columbia resident or a first-time visitor to the region, finding Sally provides moments to pause, stand back and enjoy the landmarks, architecture, and history of Columbia in detail. The staff at the visitors center is so excited for this relaunch, and we feel privileged to be the first stop along the tour.”
To begin your own Sally Salamander adventure, please visit www.columbiasalamander.com, pick up a booklet from the Columbia S.C. Visitors Center, or download a digital pass at www.experiencecolumbiasc.com/things-to-do/toursexperiences/sally-salamander/? guid=1f5548ef-3037-4541-9394-c525c09615dd&preview=true.
For more information, visit www.experiencecolumbiasc.com.
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