Rainbow Row is the name for a series of colorful historic houses in Charleston. The houses are located north of Tradd St. and south of Elliot St. on East Bay Street. It is referred to as Rainbow Row for the pastel colors used to paint all of the houses. It is a common tourist attraction and is one of the most photographed parts of Charleston. Common myths concerning Charleston include variants on the reasons for the paint colors. According to some tales, the houses were painted in the various colors such that the intoxicated sailors coming in from port could remember which houses they were to bunk in. In other versions, the colors of the buildings date from their use as stores; the colors were used so that owners could tell illiterate slaves which building to go to for shopping.

Charleston County Courthouse is a very interesting historic building and the center of legal activity of the state. It was first built in 1753 and was, later, restored and renovated. Today it is a beautiful neo-classical structure. Judge William Drayton was the last architect of the building.

Governor's House Inn was built in 1760 and was once the house of Edward Rutledge, the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Governor of South Carolina. Today it is a very pleasant inn and a National Landmark.

Hibernian Hall in Charleston is located at 105 Meeting Street, just north of the intersection of Meeting and Broad Street, more commonly referred to as the "Four Corners of the Law". The building was constructed in 1840 by Thomas U. Walter of Philadelphia in the Greek Revival style, with six giant-order Ionic columns supporting the pediment. The building is home to the Hibernian Society, an Irish benevolent society. The first floor was used as a meeting space, and the second floor as living quarters for the delegates, who slept on hundreds of cots set up for the occasion.

Dock Street Theatre is a theater in the historic French Quarter neighborhood of downtown Charleston. It was the first building in America designed for use as a theater. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. The theater is currently in the final stages of a $20 million renovation that includes major improvements in resistance to dangerous seismic activity and hurricane wind events, the addition of elevators to make the facility fully wheelchair accessible, and greatly improved amenities for the audience. Dock Street Theatre is currently scheduled to reopen in May 2010.

St. Philip's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church in the French Quarter neighborhood of Charleston. Its National Historic Landmark description states: "Built in 1836 (spire completed in 1850), this stuccoed brick church features an imposing tower designed in the Wren-Gibbs tradition. Three Tuscan pedimented porticoes contribute to this design to make a building of the highest quality and sophistication." On November 7, 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark. St. Philip's is still an active parish in the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. Established in 1681, St. Philip's is the oldest religious congregation in South Carolina. The first St. Philip's Church, a wooden building, was built between 1680 and 1681 at the corner of Broad and Meeting streets on the present day site of St. Michael's Episcopal Church.

Trotts Cottage is an amazing structure of the pre-revolutionary era. At present, the house is a bookshop with a collection of about 5000 volumes of historic and contemporary southern fiction and historic memorabilia that are for sale. The Cottage is famous for its architecture and design, with original and reproduced furniture after the style of the early 1700s and an amazing large central chimney.

Circular Congregational Church and Parish House is a church in Charleston. The church was a Pantheon-type building 88 feet in diameter with seven great doors and 26 windows. On its main floor and in the gallery it was said to accommodate 2,000 worshipers! On December 11, 1861, a great fire started near the Cooper River. During the night, a “ hurricane of fire ” swept all the way across the city, leaving in its wake the ruins of Old Circular. Once again Circular Church raised the eyebrows of the establishment. Its Romanesque style, quite modern in 1890, was inspired by Henry Hobart Richardson and designed by Stephenson and Greene of New York City. The building combines two powerful forms: the circle (the exterior plan), reminiscent of the former church and universal symbol of eternity and wholeness, and the Greek Cross (the interior plan), the Christian symbol of death and resurrection.

The Old City Market is also one of the most visited spots in Charleston. It has a history stretching back to over 200 years, and, besides being a very popular shopping place for tourists and locals alike, it is also a very interesting architectural structure. The main building was established in 1841 and it resembles a Greek temple. Also there are four open-air buildings that house the market.