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Daytime Horse-Drawn Carriage Sightseeing Tour of Historic Charleston

Daytime Horse-Drawn Carriage Sightseeing Tour of Historic Charleston

Overview

Experience 25-30 blocks of Charleston’s historic downtown district on this 1-Hour Daytime Palmetto Carriage Horse-Drawn Carriage Tour. See houses, gardens, mansions, churches & parks, learn about buildings, history, architecture, flora & the people that make up the “Holy City."

Palmetto Carriage Works is the oldest carriage tour company in Charleston and has developed the greatest carriage experience in the city! A Palmetto Carriage tour offers a blend of knowledge, wit, humor, and history and is exciting and ever-changing; a seamless fusion of 19th-century conveyance in a 21st-century city.

City: Charleston

Fri 11 Oct

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $49.95

Make a reservation

Fri 11 Oct

Starting at $49.95

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Learn about buildings, history, architecture, flora, and the people that make up the “Holy City”

See a mixture of houses, gardens, mansions, churches, and parks

Professional Guide

1-hour Horse Drawn Carriage Ride of Historic Charleston

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately

What To Expect

Charleston City Market

Our Barn is located just off of the Charleston City Market. You will meet your certified tour guide here and then you will depart on your hour long horse or mule drawn carriage tour. The carriage will go through the City gate at the market where the tour guide is assigned a tour route. You will see about 30 blocks of the historic district which will include beautiful architecture, churches, buildings, gardens and more. The tour returns to the Big Red Barn.

Palmetto Carriage Works

This is where you will meet your tour guide and your horse or mule drawn carriage.

Joe Riley Waterfront Park

Bright green public space overlooking the Charleston coast.

Battery & White Point Gardens

Public Garden and outdoor space located in the Battery

Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon

Completed in 1771 as the New Exchange and Customs House, and recognized today as South Carolina's most historic building.

Rainbow Row

The longest cluster of Georgian row houses in the United States.

Show 3 more stops

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (1000)

Cate_G

Jan 2021

We really enjoyed the tour.. The guide was knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor. We were late and they waited for us.

Response from Host

Jan 2021

I'm glad you made it! Thank you for the nice review.

A8010NLsaraz

Jan 2021

I probably should have known better, but I had heard that at least some of Charleston’s carriage tours have improved in recent years since the establishment of the Palmetto Guild, a voluntary certification for local tour guides who pass a city test and, according to their website, represent “professionals who are committed to historical accuracy, continuing education, and providing an engaging experience for all visitors.” I decided to give Palmetto Carriage Works a chance and left deeply disappointed and frustrated by the borderline impressive level of selective and whitewashed “history” shared on my tour. The word “slavery” was uttered a total of zero times, Black history and contribution was erased, and what was left was the encouragement to ogle at the unexplained wealth of countless white mansion owners. Similarly, Indigenous people were mentioned all of once, highlighting the Kiawah people as a particularly “friendly” tribe to Europeans, conveniently bypassing any honoring of them prior to the settler’s invasion. There were also numerous references to “Charlestonians” of the era as a homogenous group of Confederate-supporting white elites, ignoring that Charleston’s population was majority Black from the early 1700s to the 1850s. I appreciate that a one-hour tour is inherently limited and it would be impossible to do full justice to the complex history of this city in this context; however, considering the undeniable significance of slavery to Charleston’s story, I feel it is inexcusable to simply entirely leave it out - especially for a tour company that claims to “pride [themselves] on providing authentic and historically rich carriage tours of Charleston,” according to their website. I also appreciate that some of their tour guides may get much closer to the mark of an honest history lesson; however, if this cannot be guaranteed, then Palmetto Carriage Works is not living up to their advertised experience. In fact, after the tour, I asked to leave a comment and was directed to a manager. She expressed understanding of my feedback, but told me they ultimately “don’t police” their tour guides. She assured me all their tour guides are Palmetto Guild certified, though added they allow them to effectively pick-and-choose at their discretion what they share (or don’t) of the materials associated with the test to become a guild member. The manager acknowledged that while some have communicated similar criticisms and concerns as I had, that other customers have been “offended” by the mention of slavery. I don’t doubt that this is tragically true; however, such a response by her tells me clearly the choice that Palmetto Carriage Works has made: To value appeasing those “offended” rather than committing to an accurate telling of history. I hope Palmetto Carriage Works will re-consider their current “hands-off” approach and recognize the incredible opportunity, and I would add responsibility, they have to authentically educate the likely hundreds of tourists they interface with daily (and the likely tens of thousands annually) by setting a basic and minimum standard of historical inclusion for their tours. I believe this can be accomplished without “scripting” their tours (another justification the manager cited). Beyond it simply being the right thing to do, they should know that for every one patron they might lose, I can assure them there are many others of us interested in learning a more genuine history of Charleston. In the meantime, I (obviously) would not recommend Palmetto Carriage Works given the quality of your tour is not currently ensured. I do highly recommend Alphonso Brown’s Gullah Tours. In a similarly short time, he manages to both entertain and, more critically, introduce you to the true history of Charleston.

Response from Host

Jan 2021

We are sorry that you had that experience. Charleston's history is complicated and messy. Our guides do their best to provide as much historical information as they can within the time constraints of our tours while ensuring that each guest has a positive touring experience. Although we do not script their tours, we encourage guides to find the balance between sharing the charming aspects of Charleston's history and acknowledging our city's uglier past. Given that it was MLK Day, our tour should have been more well-rounded in the topics it covered and recognized the diverse group of people that created the Charleston we know today. We are continuously working to improve our storytelling and the way we share our city’s history with visitors. Your feedback is welcomed and will be put towards our continued effort to provide tours that fully encompass our city’s rich history. Thank you for your review.

Lester_P

Jan 2021

Very Enjoyable and Josh was very knowledgeable. We would recommend to anyone visiting. The history of the city was well told.

Response from Host

Jan 2021

Thank you, we appreciate the recommendation, Lester!