From Books in Bloom, to BikeAround Downtown Columbia, to a concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion, to sushi at the lakefront: there’s always something to clear your calendar for.
Events
April 13
Howard County Greenfest
April 21
Discover Downtown Columbia 5/10k
April 28
Spring Culinary Walking Tour
May 4-5
Spring BikeAround
May 11
Books In Bloom Festival
May 13-17
Bike to Work Week
June 19th
Juneteenth at the Lake
September 21-22
Fall BikeAround
Live Music
Merriweather Post Pavilion is a nationally recognized outdoor amphitheater, site for concerts, festivals and other activities
The Collective’s Encore Collective’s Encore is Downtown Columbia’s lakefront music hall.
18th & 21st speakeasy with live music 6 nights a week
Music at Lake Kittamaqundi – Columbia Lakefront Summer Festival
Movies and Theater
AMC Theatre featuring 14 screens
Merriweather Post Pavilion movie nights
Downtown Columbia’s New Cultural Center – Howard County’s new home for the visual and performing arts –- Coming Soon!
Pathways
Downtown Columbia Trail for walking, running, and biking connects Downtown Columbia to Howard Community College, Howard County General Hospital, and surrounding villages
Lake Kittamaqundi pathway (built and maintained by the Columbia Association) is a one-mile loop through nature areas and Kennedy GardensMerriweather District Trail – multi-use pathway for walking, running, and biking, connecting the Downtown Columbia Trail through the Merriweather District!
Lakes
Lake Kittamaqundi, an 11-acre, scenic amenity for paddle boating, kayaking, and canoeing
Lakefront Activities include dining, festivals, music, summer outdoor movie nights and other entertainment (provided by the Columbia Association)
Wilde Lake
Parks
Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods featuring the Chrysalis amphitheater, woodlands, and picnic areas
Metropolitan Promenade – A kid-friendly open space with interactive art and water features adjacent to dining, services, and retail at The Metropolitan
Color Burst Park – Located in the Merriweather District next to the Juniper building, this outdoor amenity is the site of seasonal events, like the outdoor ice ring from November through January, and other popular gatherings.
Lakefront Plaza – on the side of Lake Kittamaqundi, on any given day Columbia’s Lakefront is the place to go for a walk, a bike ride, or an out door lunch. The Lakefront is also the place to be for summer evening live events put on by the Columbia Association, for Lakefest, a weekend-long part of each year’s Columbia Festival of the Arts, and for the fireworks on the Fourth.
Biking
Whether you are in for a quick spin around Lake Kittamaqundi, or a more adventurous jaunt across town, two wheels will get you there. Downtown Columbia centers the nearly 100 miles of bike paths that network throughout the city, connecting neighborhoods through this ‘garden for growing people’s’ green spaces.
Within Downtown Columbia, the popular multi-use pathway runs from the hospital and college to and through the Merriweather District, by The Mall and the Lakefront, and safely crossing over Rt. 29 at the pedestrian bridge and into the village of Oakland Mills. Another section of multi-use pathway joins downtown with the village of Wilde Lake.
Facilities
Historic Oakland for meetings, receptions, and cultural programs
Horowitz Visual and Performing Art Center at Howard Community College for plays, concerts, exhibits, and other events
Retail
The Mall in Columbia
Five department stores and more than 200 shops (including Apple Store, Anthropologie, Athleta, and more), eateries, and restaurants including Cheesecake Factory, Seasons 52, Maggiano’s, PF Chang’s, ShakeShack, Chipotle, Uncle Julio’s, The Main Event, Barnes & Noble, and The Walrus Oyster & Ale House
Whole Foods Market
45,000-square-foot specialty grocery store and café located in the iconic Frank Gehry-designed building on the shores of Lake Kittamaqundi
The Metropolitan Downtown Columbia
Ground floor shops, personal services and eateries—
MOD Pizza, European Wax Center, Floyd’s Barbershop, Village Nail Bar
TEN.M and m.flats
More than 30,000-square-feet of new shops, services, and eateries – Bonchon, Kung Fu Tea, The Halal Guys, Urban Hot Pot, and more to come
Clove & Cardamom, The Charmery, Busboys and Poets, Dok Khao, Peter Chang’s, Toastique, and more
Restaurants
Cured and 18th & 21st in One Merriweather (10980 Granchester Way)
Lakeside Deli at 70 Corporate Center (11000 Broken Land Parkway
Merriweather Deli at One Merriweather (10980 Granchester Way)
Hotels
Merriweather Lakehouse Hotel
10207 Wincopin Ci.
Columbia, MD 21044
410 730 3900
PLACEMAKR
6200 Valenica Lane
Columbia, MD 21044
Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Columbia
5485 Twin Knolls Rd.
Columbia, MD 21045
410 997 1060
Courtyard by Marriott Columbia
8910 Stanford Blvd.
Columbia, MD 21045
410 290 0002
Hilton Garden Inn Columbia
8241 Snowden River Pkwy.
Columbia, MD 21044
410 750 3700