A cute must see in the downtown area. This stop will only take a few minutes and could easily be combined with a stop at the city market or king street! read more

How can you not love the famous Rainbow Row? This is a great spot to take some photos- especially of the homes that have beautiful window boxes full of flowers! I wish I could have knocked on doors and asked people to move their cars so I could get a car-free picture of all houses but c'est la vie! read more

Rainbow Row - Local Flavor Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

See all

Rainbow Row is a must-see in Charleston, simply because it's "famous," but the row itself definitely isn't the most jaw-dropping of homes in the town. The Battery neighborhood is something to behold--gorgeous, well-kept mansions on cobblestone streets, complete with manicured lawns, trees and shrubs, right along the bay. Totally different architecture and vibe, but reminiscent of The Painted Ladies in San Francisco. read more

A block of houses all in different colors. We didn't take a tour so can't tell you too much about the history of it but we learned interesting tidbits from some of the other Yelp reviews. This is an icon of Charleston so it is a must see from that sense but not terribly interesting otherwise. read more

Rainbow Row - Colorful homes - Local Flavor Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

A dozen historic houses near the waterfront all in full pastel colors. One of the most popular parts of downtown. Takes up a couple of city blocks. Built almost 300 years ago and originally used by merchants. At one time, this was a near slum area, but is now ultra expensive. Reminds me of the colourful homes in Notting Hill, London. read more

We planned on visiting rainbow row after seeing so many people rave about this tourist sight. However when we got there we were a little disappointed that there were only one line of maybe six homes that were apart of this rainbow row. I would suggest making the trip but also to plan on walking the southern tip as well. The houses in the area are all beautiful, the rainbow row itself was a little bit of a let down. read more

Rainbow Row - Local Flavor Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

An infamous spot in Charleston, so it was a must-see for me on my first visit to the city. It's a beautiful row of houses lining a waterfront street. The crepe myrtles were in bloom, too... just lovely. And there were palmettos, too, of course. We learned a lot about the architecture and structural integrity of the houses on our carriage tour. Each house has earthquake bolts, as do most of the historic buildings in the city. My favorite house on Rainbow Row was the green one with star-shaped earthquake bolts and stars on the gate. ^_^ read more

A pretty walk after stopping by the Waterfront Park or Market Place or Fort Sumter. Just walk up a few blocks to see the interesting buildings. read more

Rainbow Row - Local Flavor Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Soooo gorgeous. Need a new instagram picture? Want to learn about history? Desire to be jealous of all of the rich old people living here? Then check out rainbow row. read more

Rainbow Row - Local Flavor Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Such a picturesque and much photographed row of homes! Definitely stop by and take some pictures of your own - especially it's your first trip to Charleston! I'd start in White Point Garden and walk along Battery until it turns into Bay Street - where Rainbow Row is! You'll see so many beautiful, beautiful homes! read more

Rainbow Row - Local Flavor Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Even in the rain, the beauty is in evident. Metered parking and bike rental in small lot at Vanderhost and Tradd streets. read more

See all

This was a lovely place to see these colorful homes. You feel like you're back in time. The kids thought they were nice as well.

Pretty street with a row of colorful homes! Great place to snap a few pictures for Instagram. In general, this area of Charleston has tons of cute little houses. Parking is on the street. read more

Rainbow Row - Local Flavor Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

This is one of those "HAVE-TO" visit spots in Charleston and one of the 10 most photographed places in the city. Located just South of Broad Street, along the Battery on East Bay Street, it's right in the middle of all the best tourist walking spots. My suggestion is to start at the City Market, walk through Waterfront Park, back out to East Bay Street, then down to White Point Garden. On the way back to the Market, make sure you check out some of the houses on Tradd Street - they're some of my favorites, too. read more

Rainbow Row - Rainbow Row getting ready for Christmas - Local Flavor Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

See all

The houses are beautiful! A must see if in the Charleston area. Take a carriage ride and listen to the history of the area. (We always use Old South as they care for their Horses the best). We worth the trip to see. read more

SO beautiful! I think it's a must see when visiting Charleston SC Just love looking at this row of beautiful homes, right on the water front! read more

Often dubbed a "must see" but it's more of a "yeah, sure, glance at it, if you're walking on East Bay." One of the most photographed and depicted places in Charleston just kind of falls flat in person. The homes themselves are from the mid-1700's, and that's cool, but the paint job that's made it famous is from the last century, which just kind of makes its overwhelming popularity kind of weird. There's plenty of other historic, architecturally stunning homes just right around the corner. It's an interesting juxtaposition, of course, to see such grandiose homes painted in beachy hues, but it's certainly doesn't render it a destination in and of itself. It feels like a Thomas Kincaid barfed on this whole part of the street. read more

Fun to see the architecture and fun house colors. Very fun to wander around the battery and rainbow row. read more

Rainbow Row is the name for series of very colorful historic houses in Charleston, referred to the pastel colors that are used to paint houses. A wonderful little walk along the street. According to some locals the houses were painted in these colors so that drunken sailors coming in from the port could remember which houses they were to bunk in. Other people say the colors of the buildings date from the use of stores and the colors were used to the owners could tell illiterate workers which building to go to for shopping read more

Rainbow Row - Local Flavor Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Great street to walk and see the beautiful homes. Great place to start at once getting to SC. Plus by the end of the street you'll get to check out a park that's just so pleasant and great to be end at ! read more

Rainbow Row is the biggest hype in Charleston y'all! Don't believe the hype! Don't misunderstand me. It IS one of the oldest stretches of revolutionary-era buildings in the USA, and they are pretty cool. But not as impressive as the antebellum mansions down on East or South Battery Streets. Rainbow Row was painted those different colors in the '40's, by the way. The 1940's! It was done during the rehabilitation of the historic area following the second world war. They were just plain brownish/gray stucco color back inthe 1700's. Sorry. Go check Rainbow Row out while you're here just so you can say you saw it. But do yourself a favor and buy your souveniers with something ELSE printed on them. Stay real y'all... read more

This isn't a large time investment, as it's near plenty of other sights, and it's very much worth a stop. Ultimately all that this site entails is a row of homes painted in a series of different pastel colors. There's really not much history in this to learn about, mostly just a great photo opportunity and a bit of the local culture to soak in. Really quite fun, and worth a quick stop. read more

It's really pretty. Not just the houses but everything around it also. it definitely was a nice pit stop to get out of the car and walk around and take some pictures. read more

See all

Rainbow Row was a fairly pretty place. There wasn't really much to do here besides look at the quaint scene of the buildings. I wouldn't say it's a must see but I would recommend it to those who aren't sure what to do in Charleston. Good thing it's right by the battery and harbor. read more

Rainbow Row - Local Flavor Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Beautiful historic architecture that you don't necessary get to see up close and free! Normally there's a price tag on everything with history and beauty. So this is very accessible, not hard to find and pretty much you can take as many pictures as you want. Worth seeing! read more

I agree with some of the below comments that advise taking a carriage tour that would provide some insight into the history of these homes. I knew about Rainbow Row, but accidentally stumbled upon it while walking from Waterfront Park to The Battery. Even without the tour and background history, it's still really fun and cool to see and check out. You could probably do some research of your own before you visit to have some info beforehand. read more

Hey I'm not gonna write a multi-tiered review about a row of some colorful private residences. Basically, if you've never been to Charleston you gotta make your way past here at some point and check it out. It's neat how the houses are painted all different colors and squished together. Would I ever want to live in one of these sardined domiciles? Nope. And frankly I am more of a fan of the surrounding neighborhoods than these houses specifically. Charleston in general is a beautiful city to take a long walk through and around. Yes you need to see Rainbow Row too but don't burn a lot of time here. It's overrated and there's plenty else to see that I think is far better. read more

After having had moved here, I noticed that there are more than plenty Rainbow Row souvenirs to go around-- from magnets to postcards to t-shirts. I decided to go there after getting myself settled in and have got to say, it was pretty disappointing. Not to say it was lame, but... it was lame. I thought, like plenty of other reviewers, that the other homes by the battery were much more impressive. It's not really worth taking a picture of, since there are tons of cars blocking the view anyway, and after all... it's just different colored homes, and not in an Argentine/La Boca kind of way. If you happen to be strolling past this neighborhood, by all means, visit it... But it's honestly not really worth going out of your way for. read more

Rainbow Row is a series of 13 historic Georgian row houses. Famous for their different colored pastel hues, they represent the longest cluster of Georgian homes in America. There are multiple stories that explain why the homes are painted in the colors that they are, ranging from easy identifiers for drunken sailors to know which home is theirs to being color coded for illiterates to know which shops carried what without having to know how to read. read more

See all

It is an interesting site and an enjoyable view, if you're already walking near it. But, we only went because it was a "must see." The are nicer, prettier homes in Charleston. And, there are better views of Rainbow Rows in other coastal towns. Nice view, excellent walk, but not the highlight of Charleston. read more

Beautiful. Nothing to do here except take a really great instagram photo, but it's worth seeing. Incredibly old, yet kept in excellent condition. In a beautiful location near the cobblestone and the water. A must see when visiting this lovely city. read more

This scenic row of houses shows off the historic and colorful side of Charleston. Each house is a different pastel color, comprising a rainbow of house colors as you go down the street. It also connects the market area with the lower battery and waterfront so makes a great stopping point for a walking tour of the city. read more

It is such a pretty little strip to walk/drive by. The houses are beautiful and very unique to Charleston. It certainly would be considered a tourist attraction, but I am a tourist. I agree with others that it isn't a "must see" but it is something to do while in Charleston. read more

Adorable! Such a fun place to walk. We walked from Rainbow Row to the beautiful Battery houses and through two different parks. It's not a far walk, and most of it is along the beautiful coastline. read more

They're just bright colored houses. Nice houses though. You can see bright colored houses if you go to Mexico. They're everywhere down there! read more

Rainbow Row - Local Flavor Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

See all

Yes, Rainbow Row is the most photographed cluster of homes in Charleston but what really makes these homes a landmark are their history. I'd recommend a walking tour or carriage tour of the area to really get a feel of the significance of Rainbow Row and what these antebellum homes have endured over the centuries ! Walking past each pastel colored home is like stepping back in time....a must see for sure. For you photographers and painters - the best time to take a photo of or paint Rainbow Row is late fall when the leaves have fallen from the trees. read more

Don't know what people are expecting when they come here. It's abunch of different colored houses that are connected. Don't go expecting fan fare and super excitement. Don't try to make it more than what it is. Just go and enjoy the view. read more

Loved it. Just a few minutes walk from Battery park, this is a row of iconic houses that reminds one of the famous view in SF. This row has more history. I don't see how anyone can find anything to criticize other than it can be crowded and best seen on foot, not car. Other than that, the history and culture are intoxicating and only the simple minded or intellectually challenged (a la Homer Simpson) cannot be impressed. Yes, it's a row of houses, but if you take a few minutes to read and learn about the history you will appreciate it. I suppose the White House is only a house and the Lincoln Memorial is only a statute. For those who criticize, did you find out why the houses are different colors? Do you know why some houses have rope molding around the front doors? Do you know what a "single" house is? Probably not. So before you diss history try finding something out, you might even enrich your life. read more

I was on a mission to find these rainbow houses, and actually drove by them once, parked, and walked by them a second time before I realized I had found them. It is cool once you see them, pretty colors and nice architecture. I think I was most excited that I was finally seeing in person the spot where so many lovely Instagram & Pinterest pictures had been captured. It isn't anything jaw dropping, and cars will likely be parked in your way preventing you from getting a really nice picture. Worth a look though, among all of the other interesting things downtown read more

Cute painted row of homes which apparently was the start of the restoration projects in the area. Definitely reminded me of Burano, Italy. Only four of the homes are required to maintain the same colors. read more