The Most Instagrammable Places and Streets in Charleston

The Most Instagrammable Places & Streets in Charleston

Talking about the Southern charm in the US, Charleston is probably one of the most popular names. With over 350 years of history, Charleston, a city in South Carolina, is one of the oldest cities in the US. Having gone through many major historical events, Charleston is now a beautiful city with many colorful houses and cobblestone streets and alleyways. The city has huge romantic and elegant vibes with horse-drawn carriages on the streets, palm trees, flowers, and pastel buildings. With all of these, it’s easy to say that Charleston is such a picturesque, or instagrammable, place!

After spending 4 days wandering and getting lost alone in Charleston, I fell in love with the Southern charm in this city. Because I spent most of the time exploring the city on foot, I was able to come across so many beautiful places. This is why I’m putting together a list of the most instagrammable places and streets in Charleston that I wandered through to share with you. These places are also the most beautiful streets in Charleston.

Rainbow Row

Coming to Charleston and not visiting Rainbow Row would be a huge miss! It’s probably one of the most famous and beautiful streets in Charleston. With a series of 13 beautiful historical houses in pretty pastel colors, it’s no surprise why Rainbow Row is one of the most photographed places in Charleston.

E Battery Street

One of my most favorite streets in Charleston is E Battery st. On one side of your walkway, you have a part of the calm river. On another side, you have a flower row and charming Southern antebellum houses. The street is also known for a historical landmark, called The Battery.

From Rainbow Row, walk down a little bit and you will get to this beautiful street. Come in the early morning if you’re seeking for some peaceful morning. If you’re looking for some beautiful sunset view, E Battery is a perfect place for it.

Joe Wiley Waterfront Park

A romantic park by Cooper River overlooking Charleston Harbor. The Pineapple water fountain is probably the most instagrammable thing at this park! However, the whole park, in general, is very beautiful and you might also see some wedding proposals there as I did!

Elliott Street

I can easily say that Elliott Street is one of my most favorite streets in Charleston. It’s a short and narrow street but it’s so charming and picturesque with elegant houses. Sometimes I even wondered if I was in France or in the US. No wonder why it’s one of the most beautiful streets in Charleston.

Tradd Street

Another top favorite street of mine is Tradd Street. Both Elliott and Tradd streets are easy to access from Rainbow Row. The street is quite narrow but is longer than Elliott. There are so many pretty colorful houses along this street with flowered window sills.

Bedons Alley

Another scenic alleyway that is filled with bricks, vines, and pretty houses. Bedons Alley will lead you to one of my most favorite houses in Charleston, the house in mint green color which is at the end of the alleyway, on Tradd street.

Church Street

This street is parallel with Meeting street and the popular King Street and runs through many different beautiful neighborhoods. I love Church Street because it is quieter and definitely more photogenic than King Street. You will be able to see many pretty corners and quaint houses along the street. There are two historical churches that are very instagrammable on this street that will be talked below.

St. Philip’s Church

St. Philip’s Church is a historical church in Charleston which is on the beautiful Church Street. Around the church, there are old cemeteries. However, if you go to the intersection of Queen Street and Church Street, the view of the church is absolutely beautiful, especially during the golden hour or sunset. This backdrop will give you some of the most dreamy pictures.

French Huguenot Church

This pink church definitely will catch your eyes if you come to the intersection of Queen and Church Street. It’s one of the cutest churches I have ever seen. This church, just like St. Philip’s Church, is also a historical church with an old cemetery inside the courtyard.

The Pink House

The Pink House, also known as Pink House Gallery, is one of the oldest residence in Charleston. This tiny historical house is probably my most favorite houses in the city. The house was built with pink Bermuda stones and I would say it’s one of the most photogenic buildings in Charleston. It’s located on one of the few remaining cobblestone streets in the city which makes it more special and quaint.

Chalmer Street

Another small scenic street of Charleston, Chalmer Street, where The Pink House is located on. This street is also filled with pretty houses but a little more special because it’s filled with a cobblestone road.

Philadelphia Alley

This narrow alleyway was built in 1776 as a secret passage. This interesting alleyway gives me a mysterious and kind of a creepy feeling when walking through it. It’s probably because it’s quiet, filled with mix of plants, and lots of shades. But don’t get me wrong! It’s a beautiful quaint walkway that is very photogenic as well. It’s also a popular alleyway so it feels totally safe.

Queen Street

This long street stretching throughout many neighborhoods is where you can find many instagrammable spots. Queen Street is very fun to explore as it has many cute houses and pretty flowers on the street. You will find many buildings with different pastel colors that are perfect for pictures.

The Mills House Wyndham Grand Hotel

Ok, I have to put this spot in a separate section because I love the wall of this hotel so much. Sitting on the beautiful Queen Street, this hotel is so photogenic for its pastel pink wall, white windows, and palm trees. I passed by the hotel and had to immediately pull out my tripod to snap some cute pictures there. This is definitely one of the most instagrammable places in Charleston.

American Theater

Who doesn’t love a vintage theater and especially if it appeared in one of your favorite movies? Located on the popular and busy King Street, American theater is known for a filming location of The Notebook. Yes, any fans of The Notebook here?

Plantations

Charleston’s history is strongly connected with plantations and American slavery. Today, there are several persevered plantations around Charleston that are open to the public to visit. I think coming to Charleston without visiting at least one plantation is a miss not only because you will get to learn more about the history but also because these plantations are beautiful and very photogenic.

Some of the most popular and beautiful plantations in Charleston are Middleton Place, Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, and Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens. Middleton Place and Magnolia Plantations have more gardens with lots of trees and flowers. However, Boone Hall Plantation is known for its scenic driveway with oak trees along the sides by the entrance which is known as “Avenue of Oaks”.

I chose Middleton Place to visit this time and it was also my first time visiting an American plantation. Middleton Place has beautiful gardens with animal farms including sheep, ducks, pigs and horses. It also still has plantation stableyards with many old things for visitors to tour around. The stableyards, however, were rebuilt after it was burned at the end of the Civil War, just like what happened to many other plantations at that time. I enjoyed wandering around Middleton Place a lot and it was a great getaway from the city. I will definitely visit the other two plantations when I come to Charleston again.

Charleston is such a dreamy city with many charming corners. The best way to explore the city and find more cute spots is on foot. I still feel like haven’t explored enough all the hidden places so I’m already dreaming of going back there! After my first visit to this city, I had to agree that Charleston is one of the most photogenic cities in the US.