The 15 Best Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides Tours in the USA

1.Charleston’s Old South Carriage Historic Horse & Carriage Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10,023 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $50Our pick

Spend about an hour touring 30 blocks of historic Charleston from a covered carriage pulled by a Belgian or Percheron draft horse. A certified Palmetto Guild guide, such as Wendy, Carol, Ro, or Carrie, shares stories of mansions, churches, gardens, and Charleston’s Civil War past. Routes are assigned by the city, so the sights vary.

“You would truly enjoy the experience, and everyone was so nice and professional. The tour guides are very friendly and informative. Great overall experience 😊”

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2.Haunted Evening Horse and Carriage Tour of Charleston

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 3,678 reviews · 40 minutes (approx.) · from $50

Ride through Charleston’s old walled city after dark as a certified guide shares ghost stories near the Mills House, Provost Dungeon, graveyards, churches, and former pirate waters. The covered carriage seats up to 16, uses an inclined loading ramp, and returns to 14 Anson Street after 40 minutes.

“Loved traveling with Holly and Wayne. Holly was excellent. And Wayne was alert and attentive. A lot of fun. Interesting facts”

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3.Charleston Horse-Drawn Carriage Tour: Explore Historic Charleston

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,561 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $49

Begin at Palmetto Carriage Works’ Big Red Barn near City Market, meet a certified guide, and ride about an hour through roughly 30 blocks of historic Charleston. Your route is chosen by a city lottery, so sights vary. Guides such as Jim, Jenny, Luke, and Jason mix architecture, local stories, and horse care into a family-friendly tour for up to 16 people.

“Exceptional guide. Extremely knowledgeable. Knew quite a bit of the history of Charleston after an hour. Driver was also phenomenal. His relationship with our horse “Admiral “ was gentle and kind— spot on.”

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4.Official NYC Horse Carriage Rides in Central Park since 1979 ™

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,365 reviews · 55 minutes (approx.)

Take a private carriage ride through Central Park for about 55 minutes, seeing Bethesda Fountain, Bow Bridge, Strawberry Fields, the Dakota, and more. Your driver provides live commentary and may stop for photos. Guides have included Josh, Leo, Pedro, Christina, and Troy. Blankets and horse treats are included, with rides returning to the starting point.

“Our horse carriage ride around Central Park was fantastic! Our driver gave us lots of information about the park, and gave us time to stop several times for pictures.”

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5.New Orleans Small-Group Haunted History Carriage Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,289 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $65

Board a covered mule-drawn carriage at 700 Decatur Street for a one-hour evening ride through the French Quarter. Your licensed guide may be Charles, Matt, Trish, Leman, or another local storyteller, sharing tales of fires, floods, epidemics, murders, and the LaLaurie Mansion. Groups are limited to eight people.

“We LOVED our tour guide. He told great stories and made sure we were all having fun. It was just a great way to spend an evening. The highlight of our trip for sure.”

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6.Historical Downtown Tour by Horse-drawn Carriage

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,009 reviews · 1 hour · from $50

Ride through Charleston’s historic downtown in a custom-built carriage with a licensed English-speaking guide. You may hear guides such as Carol, Mike, Donald, or Christina explain the city’s 350-year story while your horse carries you past Rainbow Row, King Street, White Point Gardens, the Battery, and more. Routes vary by city assignment.

“our driver Mike and our horse BUDDY the best !!!! the least was the parking was $$”

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7.Beaufort’s #1 Horse & Carriage History Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 913 reviews · from $35Best value

Meet Sea Island Carriage Company at 1010 Bay St. for a 50 to 55 minute ride through Beaufort’s historic district. Your guide, perhaps Laura or Nicole, shares stories of the Antebellum South, Civil War sites, churches, homes, and movie locations while your horse carries up to 16 people through town. The ride ends where it begins.

“This trip is very informative and provides a lot of history about Beaufort and America in General. This was a real history lesson in 2 hours”

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8.Gettysburg: Horse-Drawn Carriage Battlefield Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 896 reviews · 2 hours · from $74

Spend two hours touring Gettysburg Battlefield in an open-top horse-drawn carriage with a licensed English-speaking guide. Guides such as Jim, Dale, Truman, and Chris bring the battle to life with detailed stories and time for questions. The small group holds up to 10 people. Bring weather-ready clothing and a cushion if desired.

“Guide told very detailed and interesting stories of the events and leaders on both sides of the battle.”

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9.Private Central Park Horse Carriage Ride with Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 790 reviews · 40 minutes - 1 hour

Settle into a private horse carriage for 40 minutes to an hour with an English-speaking driver-guide. See Central Park sights such as Bethesda Fountain, Tavern on the Green, and the carousel, or choose a city ride past Fifth Avenue, Saks, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Drivers including Fred, Rony, Emre, and Kadir are praised for photos, local stories, and friendly service.

“The guide’s knowledge of the area. Appreciated the information shared. Great insight. The only thing could be improved is weather. Next we will thing about the summer carriage”

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10.Charleston’s Historic Residential Horse and Carriage Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 668 reviews · from $50

Meet the horses at 20 Anson Street, then ride about two to three miles through Charleston’s residential Historic District. A city-licensed guide narrates the hour-long trip, with departures every 30 minutes and groups limited to 10. Guides such as Luke and Al have earned praise for their humor and storytelling, though the route varies by lottery.

“awesome tour. interesting we discovered your chosen path is by lottery. Made it a surprise which was fun. Yogi and Boo Boo were great and our guides knowledgeable and entertaining as well. Will do again next time too!”

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11.French Quarter Sightseeing Carriage Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 644 reviews · 1 hour · from $65

Spend one hour riding a covered mule-drawn carriage through New Orleans with a licensed local guide. You will pass St. Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square, Napoleon House, the French Market, and Bourbon Street, then explore Faubourg Marigny. Guides such as Mike, Amy, Tony, and Lucy mix local history with humor, though traffic can make narration hard to hear.

“Emily was great. she was able to make the tour what we wanted. it started off as a historic tour and then we shifted to the more voodoo kind of tour and she immediately made the change.”

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12.Charleston Horse & Carriage Historic Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 460 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $45

Start at Charleston City Market for a one-hour carriage ride through the historic district. Your guide may be Caroline, Daniel, or Ricky, and your horse could be Amigo, Grayman, Chico, or Ironsides. Expect beautiful homes, churches, gardens, and sites such as The Battery and Rainbow Row, with routes assigned by the city.

“It was an amazing experience on the carriage. The history of Charleston was great and everything we hoped it would be.”

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13.Downtown Horse-Drawn Carriage Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 459 reviews · from $50

Meet at Palmetto Carriage Works’ big red barn for a one-hour ride through downtown Charleston. Licensed English-speaking guides such as Jeremy, Sims, Scott, and Blake share stories about homes, churches, gardens, parks, and local culture. The route varies, so Rainbow Row is not guaranteed.

“Tour was great and tour guide was amazing! Was only disappointed that the tour we drew didn’t take us down Rainbow Row. Had to go see it on our own. Would have loved to hear the insight of a tour guide.”

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14.#1 Historical Horse Drawn Carriage Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 454 reviews · 55 minutes (approx.)

Settle into a blue horse-drawn carriage for a 55-minute tour through Beaufort’s Old Point and historic district. Your guide covers colonial settlement, the Civil War, movie tales, churches, and notable homes while gentle horses such as Link, Wyatt, or Bandit do the pulling. Groups are capped at 16, with tours led by guides including Anastasia, Charlotte, Tyler, Annie, and Kristin.

“We totally enjoyed the experience. Our driver was funny and very knowledgeable about the area. Our horse Bandit was very knowledgeable about the direction we were going, and we very happy about how well he was treated as we are animal lovers. We will definitely recommend it to others”

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15.Haunted Carriage Evening Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 427 reviews · 40 min · from $50

Settle into a horse-drawn carriage at Old South Carriage Company for a 40-minute tour through Charleston’s historic core. Your Palmetto Guild guide, such as Holly, Noelle, or Jeff, shares stories of prisoners, pirates, rogues, cemeteries, and local hauntings while you pass the Old Exchange, City Market, and St. Michael’s Church.

“Christine and Henry were the best. Christine is so funny and kept us laughing but engaged the whole tour. Henry is the cutest horse I’ve ever seen. Christine told us some amazing stories that made me fall in love with Charleston. 10/10 recommend.”

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