I’m not one to overlook an adventure in my own backyard. In fact, I recommend it when you’re in need of a creativity refresh. Last week on Instagram, I posted a photo of a super cute butterfly room with a somewhat ominous caption asking you all to guess where I was adventuring. I even left a couple clues in my stories… Ringing any bells?

Alas, there were no correct guesses, but no worries – I won’t hold it against ya!

I was visiting Graduate Columbia, formally the Inn at USC, an out-of-this-world aesthetic hotel hiding out on Pendleton Street. Before we dive in, let’s get the formalities out of the way – I’m not getting paid to write this review. My goal was simply to explore the space with my camera so that I could share my little adventure with you guys and encourage you to check it out for yourselves! My lovely friend and Graduate’s Marketing Coordinator, Alex, met me at the hotel to give me a grand tour. Let me tell you, I was NOT disappointed.

We started with Poindexter…

…the hotel’s Gatsby-esque bar area, which used to be the old front desk for the Inn at USC. More than just a bar, Pointdexter serves breakfast all day (which is all the convincing I need to go anywhere) as well as lunch and dinner from 11 AM to 10 PM. If you’re a USC student, bring your ID and you’ll receive 15% off the menu! Then you can cozy up on one of the lounge’s super comfy couches for some R&R between classes. If the afternoon is too busy for you, pop in on Tuesday evening for some fun trivia (I may or may not have dropped a hint to Alex that Harry Potter should be a trivia topic in the near future}. *grin*

Next Was The Bridal Suite…

…which is one in the collection of three suites offered to guests who are feeling a bit fancy. The suites are the only original bedrooms that were part of the home built in 1910, thriving for years before being transformed into the Inn. Each suite is beautiful, but it’s no surprise that the largest (AKA The Bridal Suite) is the most breathtaking. The room truly has a style of it’s own with a blend of chic, southern prep, and boho decor. I would have never thought to combine these patterns and colors in my own home, but they made this not just work, but werk. This space is so lovely to photograph, it’s perfect for a bride and her gals to have some shots made while getting ready! There’s even a mini bar ready for a pre-wedding toast!

Then I Explored The Lounge…

…while Alex was in a quick meeting. There are four rooms, each with their own aesthetic, that more or less circle Poindexter. You have the traditional “living room” setup when you first walk in, with a more retro (think bright 80’s vibes) sitting room to the right. If you head towards the staircase, you’ll see a super cozy room with an earthy, boho aesthetic. This room makes me think of an old study and is honestly my favorite (aside from the dreamy bridal suite) with the warm lighting that comes through the old windows that were also part of the original home’s design. It makes me wish for rain, some coffee (from Poindexter, of course), and a good book. *sigh* The last lounge room is one you may be familiar with – Yes, it’s the butterfly room you saw on my Instagram last week! Cute and quirky is how I would describe this room that just had to have been made for sipping tea.

Don’t be surprised if you see a pup or two also lounging around! Graduate is super pup friendly, even offering a complementary Bark Box to some guests so don’t hesitate to bring your fur-babe with you when you visit!

Last Were The Regular Rooms…

…but there was nothing regular about them! The 119 guest rooms are what truly integrates Gamecock culture into the hotel. Each have pictures of Hootie and The Blowfish lead singer, Darius Rucker, who attended USC with his fellow bandmates. There’s a picture of a sandstorm (Need I explain?) and an astronaut, commemorating 2001: Space Odyssey and nodding to the walk-out song of the Gamecock’s football team. To complete the picture perfect package (lol, puns), Mr. Bill Golding is also hanging up on the wall who is famous for yelling “OOT OOT” during USC games, which is also represented by the baseball themed table lamps. Speaking of lamps, there’s a mini cockaboose lamp on every desk! These rooms definitely aren’t for the cats… If you know what I mean. *wink*

As the Graduate’s slogan goes, “We are all students”, but you don’t have to be enrolled in USC to enjoy a visit here. You can be looking for a trivia date night, a place to slip into your white dress, or just a delicious cup of coffee. The best part? You don’t even have to be a Columbia native. There are 20 (soon to be 29) additional Graduates around the US! Don’t worry, not all of them are Gamecock themed. We’re not taking over the world… yet.

For more information, to reserve a room, and to snoop around for more photos (because who doesn’t love doing that?), check out them out on the web! Next time Chris and I travel within the US, I know where we’re looking first!

Welcome to Cola City, Graduate!