As a kid, one of my favorite books was From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. In it, 11-year-old Claudia Kincaid and her little brother, Jamie, run away from home and hide out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For most of my life, visits to museums ended around 4:30 p.m. as hushed security guards began to shut down galleries and herd visitors like cattle toward the exits. There was something so enticing and magical about the idea of staying in the museum past dark, like Claudia and Jamie. But alas, I continued to be herded out of the museums and into the light of the afternoon sun.

That’s all changed, however, now that I live in Columbia, where I regularly get to spend a “night at the museum.”

Columbia Art Museum’s magnificent collection of art and astounding rotating exhibits are great by day, but at night, the museum becomes a bubbling hot spot of social activity with a full calendar of events and performances.

For instance, on Jan. 24, March 20 and April 24, the museum will host Craft Bar Happy Hour. From 6 to 9 p.m. you are invited to bring your crafts project to the museum (or pick up a kit when you get there). While you work alongside your fellow crafters you can enjoy snacks and an adult beverage as well as hear a featured craftsperson discuss their work. Tickets are $12 and advanced registration is required. Click here for more details.

The critically acclaimed Wadsworth Chamber Music Series also continues at the Columbia Museum in 2012. These concerts feature artistic director, world-renowned cellist Edward Arron, and take place in the museum’s intimate DuBose Poston Reception Hall. Concerts will take place on Feb. 16, March 22 and May 1. Tickets are $35 or a mere $5 for students on the day of the concert. Tickets can be purchased here.

On Jan. 27, the Columbia Design League will host an evening devoted to South Carolina World War II hero and advertising pioneer Elliot White Springs and his controversial use of sex to sell products. The evening, dubbed “Sex Sells,” will include a screening of ETV’s Carolina Stories: Miss Springmaid, followed by a panel discussion with advertising scholars and historians. There also will be a temporary exhibit of Springmaid ads and original artwork as well as a reception. The cost of attending is $10.

Other upcoming events include a performance by the South Carolina Philharmonic inspired by the current Hudson River School art exhibit, another installment of the art and beer-fueled block party, Arts and Draughts, a performance of French plays in their native tongue and more.

Click here for a complete listing of events at the museum.