Colonial Life Arena — Attraction in Columbia

I went to see the last game for the regular season for South Carolina women's basketball. First it was a Pre-Birthday gift and it was my first time seeing the basketball stars and coach Dawn Stanley, so let's just start off by saying how excited and thrilled I was to be there! I wasn't sure what the stadium look like as far as seating, but I ended up getting tickets for row 9 sec 104 and paid a total of $380 for them and when we got there, we were impressed with the seating. We were so close to the court and the players. I was also thrilled because SC was playing UGA and #23 and #3 from UGA gave us entertainment as well, both teams were beasting on the court. When we went to the concession stand the lines weren't too bad we went right before half time, we ordered 2 loaded tots for $6 each which consisted of 6 tots in a tiny tray. I was shocked and disappointed, so I told the person that they could have my 6 tots and now they could have 12 tots and I would order a sausage dog with onions and green peppers for $8 which consisted of dry stale bread. I was so disappointed with the food and I hope next time it is worth the money. The stadium was beautiful inside they displayed all of the trophies that had been won. Parking wasn't too bad we paid $10 but you had to have a credit card, although they didn't keep track of the number of vehicles and parking spaces, so some people paid and there were no parking spaces left and this one guy got so upset he started yelling at the parking ladies because he paid. Overall I enjoyed my pre-birthday gift. I just hope that they work on the food...

So parking is a breeze. The Columbia police do a great job directing traffic, both vehicle and pedestrian.

Local area food options...get there early and make a reservation for anything remotely close. Everything was packed and we were there 1.5 hours early.

They have a decent amount of food options inside the Arena. Keep walking around and the lines get shorter as you go. Souvenir cups are outrageously priced-same everywhere.

The ushers were very helpful in pointing us in the right direction and overall it was clean.

The worst part is the seating. I've sat in some pretty uncomfortable venues but I think this was the worst- worse than bleacher seats at Fenway. Maybe I'm just older now, but the uncomfortable seating became a focus for me rather than the entertainment. We were in section 110. I'm 5'10", so slightly taller than the average American. I had very little leg room and had to readjust my position frequently. Luckily I had an empty seat next to me to stretch into but that only did so much and after about 2 hours I was ready to go- I just could not get comfortable and it retracted from my enjoyment of the show. The arm rests do go up so that's nice of you like the person next to you :D No cup holders, so had to put my cup on the floor- eww! Might go back for a basketball game where I can stand most of the time but probably not...

My partner & I are both handicapped, & it was quite a chore getting into the arena. There was a very long ramp from the sidewalk up to the arena. Once we got into the arena, we requested wheelchairs, & were eventually wheeled to our seats. I have Lou Gherig's Disease, & my partner has MS. We were there to see Elton John's final tour, which was magnificent!!! When it was time to leave, the usher came to collect me in the wheelchair. There was only 1 elevator, so there was a very long line. While waiting, I talked with the usher, and found out that there were only 2 ushers on duty that night, to deal with a sell out crowd. Once out of the arena, the usher pushed me all the way down the ramp to the street. The whole time the usher was helping me, he was being called on the radio to help other people. I felt so bad for both ushers, & I was extremely grateful for their assistance. If they had not helped my partner & I, we wouldn't have been able to attend the show. I just hope the arena knows what valuable employees they have as ushers. The arena was very nice, but we had difficulty seeing the stage & screen, as we were up high, & there was equipment between us & the stage. The ushers & the audience...