Carolina Coliseum

The Carolina Coliseum is a 12,401 seat multi-purpose arena (for hockey, 6,231 seats as end seats are not used and seats are removed for the hockey surface) in Columbia, South Carolina. It was the home of the University of South Carolina men's and women's basketball teams and Columbia's main events venue until 2002, when the Colonial Center, now Colonial Life Arena, opened. It was home to the Columbia Inferno of the ECHL until poor ticket sales caused the Inferno to leave the Coliseum.

The arena, opened in 1968, was not designed for hockey, but as a result, the small rink (about 175 feet by 75 feet, 25 feet shorter and 10 feet narrower than regulation) has created an atmosphere which many ECHL coaches have called the toughest rink in the ECHL.

With the exit of Inferno hockey the Coliseum now returns to serve the community and hosts various events. Recently (2009-2010) the Coliseum has been used as a tour rehearsal space for acts such as Elton John, John Mayer and Billy Joel. Because of the buildings many positive technical attributes it has become a desirable venue for tour rehearsals.