Rainbow Row-Charleston, SC

My daughter, Hannah, and I visited Rainbow Row in Charleston, South Carolina. Fourteen, mid-18th century homes towered over East Bay Street. The pastel colors created the quintessential essence of a charming city in the south. With the palms waving in the sea breeze, I felt like I was in a southern novel. What a gorgeous scene.

According to Free Tours by Foot, the homes were originally built in the 1740s. Merchants constructed them with a shop on the first floor and living quarters above. After the Civil War, the area was neglected and became run-down. Dorothy Porcher Legge, a pioneer of historic preservation in Charleston, with her husband purchased some of the homes in the 1930s, restored them, and painted them pink. Other buyers and restoration followed, resulting in a colorful array of homes.

I loved the pink and periwinkle. Wouldn't it be fun to have a street like Rainbow Row in every town and city? The beautiful homes brightened the street and my day.