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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

Tue 24 Sep

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $49.95

Make a reservation

Tue 24 Sep

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)

GlobeTrotting584831

Jan 2020

Billy and Deblasio were great. We really enjoyed the tour and learned a lot about Charleston. Thank you!

Response from Host

Jan 2020

Thank you for the review of your carriage tour with Palmetto. Billy and Deblasio make a great team and they enjoy sharing Charleston with our guests. We appreciate you touring with us and we would love to see y'all again. Deb PCW Guest Services

tracypK6934CJ

Jan 2020

Our family really enjoyed our carriage tour! The guide was very knowledgeable and welcomed questions along the way. I definitely recommend it!

Response from Host

Jan 2020

Thank you for the review of your carriage tour with Palmetto. We appreciate the recommendation and would love to see y'all again. Deb PCW Guest Services

BostonGirl02118

Dec 2019

First off, I have no issues with this company itself. They were on-time and organized and seemed to treat the horses well. But I do have an issue with the way Charleston does ALL the carriage tours and frankly in hindsight I think they should do away with them all together and I regret giving money to it. How it works: To avoid congestion they divide the city up into 5 zones and the carriages get assigned a zone by random colored balls from a machine (why they don't just divide them up in order as they show up at the city overseer is beyond me). We got a zone that frankly wasn't that nice. It was in a part of the city with not that much to see other than the old run-down jail. The tour guide tried to tell us a bit about Charleston history, but when he really got talking he stopped the horses and we sat. So I felt like we didn't go far or see anything. I could have walked those 4 blocks faster. Why I feel ALL the carriage company tours should be stopped: 1. I learned they do the tours as long as it's 95 degrees or less. Now our day was very cool but I can't imagine working these horses on a 95 degree day! I know they take their temperature after every ride but still that seems too high. A Charleston trolley tour would be better. 2. The carriages hold up traffic and it's very hard for cars to go around them. They move so slowly. 3. The tour guide is the same person steering the horses. I find this dangerous. We can't hear the tour guide unless he/she turns around so they have their backs to the horses and traffic in front of them most of the time. Boston learned this the hard way with their duck boat tours when a tour guide who was also the driver got into a horrible accident and killed a woman. Now they require the driver to only drive and they have a different tour guide on board. I feel the carriage companies should do the same. Just my two cents on the matter. If you still want to do a carriage ride, then this company was fine.