Rainbow Row & the Historic District: Tour of the Colorful Houses in Charleston

09

Apr

I LOVE how colorful Charleston is! Last week I posted about the best places to shop and eat in Charleston, and I love that even the stores and markets are colorful. Charleston is the closest thing I’ve seen to Burano Island in the U.S. so far. So if you want to see some beautiful pastel-colored houses without paying for a flight to Italy, you should take a tour of the colorful houses in Charleston! πŸ™‚

Rainbow Row & the Historic District: Tour of the Colorful Houses in Charleston

If you’ve seen my posts on houses in New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, you’ll know how much I love historical houses. I’ve been to Charleston a few times, and seeing all the pretty homes is probably my favorite thing to do there! Charleston is known for its colorful houses, and you’ve probably heard of Rainbow Row– the row of colorful Georgian houses on East Bay Street. If you like taking tons of photos like me, I think you’ll like Rainbow Row.

You can take a tour of the area if you want, or you can just take a leisurely walk by the houses like my friends and I did. For a little history on the homes, they were built around the 1740s by merchants who would use the ground floors for their stores and lived in the floors above. During the Civil War, the houses were neglected until a woman namedΒ Dorothy Porcher Legge bought some of the houses and painted them pink. People started buying the homes and painted them other colors, but no one seems to know exactly why they were all painted rainbow colors.

Purple house in Charleston

Colorful houses in Charleston

Green house in Charleston

Historic houses in Charleston

Blue house in Charleston

Colorful houses in Charleston

Rainbow Row is actually only 14 houses, but there are tons of other colorful historical houses in Charleston! We walked along the water and into the historic district to see some more houses.

Colorful houses in Charleston

Colorful houses in Charleston

These houses along the water were built “sideways” to help with airflow in the house before air conditioning was invented. The “front door” actually leads onto the porch before you go into the actual front door!

Colorful houses in Charleston

Colorful houses in Charleston

Rainbow Row Charleston

Rainbow Row Charleston

Historic houses in Charleston

Historic houses in Charleston

Rainbow Row Charleston

Colorful houses in Charleston

Colorful houses in Charleston

Colorful houses in Charleston

Alley in Charleston

Colorful houses in Charleston

Rainbow Row Charleston

Garden in Charleston

Colorful houses in Charleston

Colorful houses in Charleston

Colorful houses in Charleston

Colorful houses in Charleston

Pink house in Charleston

Colorful houses in Charleston

Recognize this building from the post where I announced my upcoming trip? πŸ™‚

Colorful houses in Charleston

Colorful houses in Charleston

Restaurant in Charleston

Anyone else wish they could afford any of these gorgeous homes? Even if you can’t afford them, if you love beautiful historic houses as much as I do, I definitely recommend taking a tour of the colorful houses in Charleston! πŸ™‚ It’s one of the best places to take photos in the city!

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Blog, North & South Carolina, North America, Photography, Travel, USA

  1. Wow! The style of the buildings are so cute, but the colours just make them – wonderful!

  2. Kate says:

    These buildings are stunning! Need to add Charleston to my bucket list now! πŸ˜€

    http://www.violetdaffodils.com
    xx

  3. Sam says:

    Oh wow, they are such pretty houses! My Mother In Law has visited Charleston a few times and always said how beautiful it is, but this is the first time I’ve seen some pictures. Now I want a colourful house with a big wrap around porch! πŸ™‚

    • Julia says:

      Charleston definitely has some great home inspiration! πŸ™‚ I hope you’ll be able to visit, it’s even prettier in person!

  4. Tyas says:

    I am a huge fan of historical houses and the colorful colors in Charleston make me love them even more! You captured them prettily, Julia ????

  5. Char says:

    I’d never heard of Charlestown before this post but it reminds me so much of the Caribbean! I am definitely adding this gem to my forever growing travel list now!

  6. Nana says:

    Lovely pictures! Looks like such a pretty place! would love to visit one day.

  7. Mateja says:

    It’s so interesting to read how one lady’s actions consequently transformed whole street! That’s so fascinating. Hope to visit Charleston one day and enjoy this unique place. Beautiful images! ????

  8. Maggie says:

    I LOVE Charleston! My brother went to college there so I’ve spent a lot of time there (lucky me ????) You captured some beautiful pictures!

  9. Jayne says:

    OMG these heritage homes are gorgeous. I had no idea there was so much colour in Charleston. I’d love to visit one day.

  10. Wow! Your pictures are stunning! I’d love to live in the little pink house with the black shutters! Or any of these actually… πŸ™‚

  11. Shannon says:

    Your pictures are absolutely stunning! I may have to add Charleston to my travel list. And living in one of those houses would be amazing!

  12. My mom and I did a horse and buggy tour when we were there a few years back and the houses were just incredible, especially the ones along the water. I’m hoping to take a road trip through the Carolinas soon and see Charleston again! Such a pretty and historic city.

  13. This makes me so nostalgic! I lived just outside of Charleston for a few years and I really love how the colors contributed to its charm, you captured it so well!

  14. Rosie says:

    Imagine if all the London instagrammers had just an afternoon here!! Insta would be transformed!! This is such a pretty Street I would absolutely love to visit!!

  15. Chrystina says:

    I’ve never been to Charleston, but I had no idea it was so colorful. I’ll need to add it to my list of places to visit!

  16. tonya says:

    I loved Charleston and hope that I am able to go back and visit again. Rainbow Row and the water district are beautiful.

  17. Julia says:

    Wooow, I had never seen pictures of Charleston but it looks so beautiful! A heaven for photographers. Rainbow Row looks awesome, and I like the unique way in which the houses were built sideways. What a dream it must be to own one of those! Thanks for sharing beautiful pictures of your travels as usual πŸ™‚

    Julia x
    http://www.juliaspeaksbeauty.blogspot.co.uk

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