Southport, North Carolina

Would you care to take a little tour of one of my favorite towns in the world?  Let's go for a walk in Southport, North Carolina, and let me show you some of the charming houses there.  These pictures were taken this past weekend, and the weather was gorgeous.  Before we see the houses though, here's a little information about the town itself.

Southport was founded in 1792 as Smithville.  It was originally named after Benjamin Smith, who was a colonel in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and later became a governor of North Carolina.  The name was changed to Southport in 1887 in an effort to promote the town as a major shipping port.  Southport sits on the bank of the Cape Fear River just a few miles inland of the Atlantic Ocean, so it is rich in maritime history.  Fort Johnston, also located within Southport, was built by the British in 1748 to protect the Cape Fear River Region from pirates and privateers. 

Here's the first little charmer on our tour -- a cute, storybook cottage.  I love the gingerbread trim on the porch and the hanging ferns.

This is the house next door, another cute cottage.  The turquoise bench adds a nice pop of color against the yellow siding.  See the black plaque next to the door?  These historic plaques are on almost every house in the downtown district of Southport.

This house was across the street from the first two.  I love these brick steps, the black porch furniture, and the Bermuda shutters on the end of the porch.

This is yet another house in the same little block.

All these pretty rockers make me want to paint our porch rockers black.

Another house on the same block...

At the end of the block and diagonally across the street sits this beautiful old bed and breakfast.

More pretty black rockers.

The last house for today is this cozy cottage.  Fall is such a great time to take pictures; that special quality of sunlight throws beautiful shadows over the houses and lawns in these photos.

Here's a closeup shot of the house -- nice color on the front door.

This picture was taken in Southport one night at dinner, looking out across the water at the marina.  Another great thing about October (and fall in general) is the sunsets; they can be pretty spectacular.  By the way, Southport, particularly this area around the marina, is where the Nicholas Sparks movie "Safe Haven" was filmed.  I haven't seen the movie, but thought I'd throw that out there for those of you who have seen it.  :)  The town of Southport can also be seen in the television series Dawson's Creek, Under the Dome, and Matlock. 

I'll show you the rest of the houses we photographed tomorrow -- which house was your favorite in this group?  Thanks so much for reading my blog, and have a great day!

Denise

**All pictures taken by me and Mr. Forest Manor**