Local Routes
The carriage tour industry is regulated by the City of Charleston, so all carriages are assigned specific routes (zones) at random upon departure. Charleston’s Historic District is immense, and it is not possible to tour all of it with a single carriage ride. There are four zones within the Historic District, and the carriage tour system is designed to present an informative cross-section while minimizing our impact on motorized traffic. To this end, and for the purpose of carriage tours, there is no zone that is any better than any other, UNLESS there are specific historic Charleston sites you want to see, as they may be in one zone or across zones. If there are specific buildings or specific areas that you feel you must see, a Charleston horse carriage tour unfortunately will not meet those goals. Due to the city-mandated lottery system that determines routes for carriage rides, there is about a 25 percent chance that you will see any specific site.
No matter what route you take, our Charleston carriage tours are designed to give you insight into the history of our great City and to help you explore what makes Charleston unique through a mode of travel older than the City itself. The pace is perfect for going into just the right amount of detail!
