You can’t visit Charleston without strolling the French Quarter’s Rainbow Row.
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Rainbow Row represents the longest cluster of intact Georgian row houses in the United States. The earliest structures on this portion of East Bay Street, between Tradd and Elliott Street, were built by-1680. The buildings were constructed on lots 7 to 10 of the Grand Modell, a city plan developed between 1670-1680. Over the years, the buildings served as the shops and residences of notable merchants and planters, and fronted a cluster of wharves on the Cooper River waterfront. The buildings also fronted a segment of the eastern boundary of the fortification wall constructed circa 1704 to surround the city. Some of the houses were damaged or destroyed by fire, and the present structures date from circa 1720 to circa 1790. The homes suffered slight damage by Union artillery bombardment during the War between the States. After the war and decades of neglect, the buildings deteriorated into slums. Susan Pringle Frost, founder of the Society for the Preservation of Old Dwellings, now the Preservation Society of Charleston, began her important preservation and rehabilitation efforts by purchasing some of these properties in the 1920s in order to prevent their demolition. The name Rainbow Row was coined after the pastel colors they were painted as they were restored in the 1930s and 1940s. The rear facades and gardens of 93-101 East Bay were also used as a model for the original 1935 stage setting of George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward’s opera, Porgy and Bess. .
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In a word? Fabulous.
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The colors, the wrought iron, the charm…
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It’s selfie heaven even if your arms are too short to capture much background.
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Space is at a premium but all the homeowners take pride of place.
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History?
It’s got that too.
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It’s hard to imagine this lovely neighborhood ever being a slum.
Day 5 of our 40th anniversary trip dawned sunny and warmer.
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Which was such a welcome change I actually got the husband to participate in … and (half) smile … for a morning balcony selfie.
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On the itinerary that day? Charleston.
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By way of Toogoodoo.
At first I thought the nav system in the overpriced Lincoln was drunk…
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But no, the road exists.
Toogoodoo: The name given to the creek and the area by the Bantu (African) slaves who worked the sea island plantations surrounding it. The word translates loosely as “I have plenty/ My life is bountiful”.
A sentiment that resonated with me all day.
Charleston is a southern city I’ve always wanted to visit and in a little over an hour, we were there.
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We skirted the harbor…
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And drove down one of the most famous neighborhoods.
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Filled with lovely homes…
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All facing the water.
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Unfortunately right after we started driving we ran into a detour due to storm damage from the night before. So we zigged and we zagged in our giant monster rental and elected to ditch the traffic for a walk.
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This is the most popular park in town and thankfully pretty deserted off season.
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It sits right at the mouth of the busy deep water harbor…
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And don’t you dare let Fido off his leash.
$1087 seems like an arbitrary sum, but whatever.
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We hopped over puddles and made our way to the park’s most popular tourist attraction.
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The pineapple fountain.
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Pineapples are a symbol of hospitality and you’ll find them everywhere in this friendly city.
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This is probably a beautiful shot in summer when the sun is high…
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But I couldn’t quite capture the canopy angle properly this time of year.
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Done with the park, we strolled.
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Charleston is an old city with beaucoup traffic and very little parking. Take my advice, put on a pair of comfortable shoes and walk…
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It’s the only way you’ll get a real feel for the place.
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We were headed for the French Quarter and the magnificent Rainbow Row so beloved by Instagrammers.
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I couldn’t wait to explore, so of course my husband had to strike up a half hour conversation with this nice gentleman who had a strange car.
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In case you’re wondering, it’s a Figaro built by Nissan in the early ‘90’s. Only 20,000 were made and he said his wife had to have one. It’s a tiny little thing but after battling the in town traffic with our luxury behemoth rental, I’m sure it’s perfectly suited to life in Charleston.
Not wanting to waste any precious time on our week long vacation, day four threw a monkey wrench in my carefully planned trip.
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We woke to overcast skies, an egret in the pond and a forecast of what turned out to be a mini hurricane. Heavy rain, high winds and dangerous surf are not prime beach resort conditions.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, I burned breakfast. Again…. due to the stupid flat surface stove that had two burners in one.
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High level heat if you turned right, high level heat if you turned left. This proved too much for my under caffeinated morning brain to handle and henceforth, the husband was on his own when it came to eggs.
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But at least the dish sponge was happy.
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Not having walked the beach since we got there, I forced my spouse onto the sand before the storm arrived. That’s his arm to the right of the photo, pointing out which unit was ours. I’m not sure why as we had just exited it and I was unlikely to forget that quickly.
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My husband is not a beach guy, not an idle walker. He needs a destination and purpose…
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I told him pleasing his wife of 40 years should be motivation enough.
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We had the beach to ourselves, but it was cool, dark, damp and hellaciously windy.
We’d heard quite a few locals mention Hunting Island lighthouse (which is the only lighthouse in South Carolina open to the public) and since we were in the area, we decided to check it out.
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Paying the unexpected entry fee at the gate, we drove down the twisting, turning road.
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It felt a bit like the forest primeval with dense vegetation and palms lining both sides.
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At the end there was a parking lot and our first glimpse of the lighthouse.
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The views of the Sea Islands were supposed to be great from the top and I was anxious to climb.
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We approached…
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Entered the gated area….
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Took the required wind blown selfie…
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And after climbing the entry steps to the door… read the sign saying it was closed.
Of course it was.
Thank you Mr. Gatekeeper for taking our money but not sharing that fact. Grr. 😡
Was it worth the $20? Sure.
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See there? That used to be the light keeper’s house.
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And my husband found a fascinating rail contraption used to move the lamp oil.
The Angus drawn carriage tour of Beaufort continued…
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Past Spanish moss and charming antebellum homes.
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You might recognize this tree if you’re a movie buff.
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It’s the live oak Robert Duvall sat under during The Great Santini. They filmed it in Beaufort as the author Pat Conroy is a native son.
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Beautiful homes, beautiful gardens…
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And some of the most amazing Angel Oaks I’ve ever seen.
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The Angel is the variety of live oak that droops it’s branches to the ground….
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And in Beaufort?
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The town is so enamored of their spreading glory it’s illegal to cut one down or even trim.
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Thank you Beaufort.
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I wholeheartedly agree.
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Our guided tour was a little over an hour of immersive history and I loved every cold, wrapped in a blanket, minute of it.
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There’s a strict building code near The Point that says new construction must blend with the old. I’m not sure lime green was a popular Civil War era color, but they’re charming all the same.
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I wish we’d had time to explore this museum.
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But when we disembarked the carriage a certain someone had to strike up a conversation with the guide.
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Hint- it wasn’t me.
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Though I did enjoy a little quality time with Angus.
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He was a wonderful chauffeur.
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And deserved his treat.
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