[bryarx]

I like to take my family to Pigeon Forge, TN. It's about 3 1/2 hours from Columbia. We stay in some cabins up there that are top notch (Hidden Mountain Resort) I hear, but have not personally been to the Oak Haven cabins as well.

Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg have plenty of cheesey stuff, as someone else said, but the restaurants are really good (I always eat one meal at the Apple Barn (usually breakfast) and one meal at Calhoun's (good ribs or pulled pork). Plenty of family stuff, go carts, mini golf, old timey photos, hikes you can go on, helicopter rides, outlet malls, golf, dinner shows, Wonderworks (I'd take the 7 year old here). Read up on Wonderworks if you have never been to one, they are a great science/learning/fun place. Also there is the Ripley's Aquarium - pretty nice way to kill a few hours. Ober Gatlinburg you can take a tram up the mountain to a little mall that has ice skating year round inside (You can just drive up the mountain and go there also, saving the cost of the tram ride, but the tram ride is pretty cool once every so many years.)

Edit: I typically do a 2 day minimum here. If I'm really going to just do 1 night, I'd probably hit up Charleston. Plenty of history and stuff to do, with good eats.