Carriage rides with kids

Child rates and babies on laps

Children pay less on the two biggest companies' day rides. On Viator, both Old South's hour, from ~$50 per adult, and Palmetto's hour, from ~$50 per adult, list discounted child rates, so enter your children's ages when you price the trip. Babies are the cheapest riders of all. Children under 2 ride free on a parent's lap on Palmetto's private carriage and at Charleston Carriage Works, and if you would rather not hold a wriggling toddler for an hour, you can buy them a seat of their own.

For a family of four, the arithmetic between four public seats and a private carriage is closer than you might think. Private carriage rides in Charleston works it through, and our price guide covers tips and the parking garages.

Strollers and wheelchairs, barn by barn

Each barn handles wheels differently, so check before you set out.

• Old South Carriage Co. Both listings call the day tour wheelchair accessible, and Viator also marks it stroller accessible. The lobby at 14 Anson Street offers restrooms and seating while you wait;
• Palmetto Carriage Works. Strollers cannot ride, but the barn keeps strollers and other wheels, scooters included, while you are out. A boarding platform sits almost level with the carriage, and a ramp and staff help are on hand. Even so, Viator calls the tour not wheelchair accessible, so ask the barn about your chair before booking;
• Carolina Polo & Carriage Co. Stroller accessible but not wheelchair accessible on Viator, and the listing advises against it for riders with serious heart problems or other serious medical conditions;
• Charleston Carriage Works. Not suitable for wheelchair users or for anyone with animal allergies.

How long children last on the bench

An hour suits most children over about four. The carriage moves at walking pace with the horse always in view, and every block brings a new house or church for the guide to explain. Toddlers may get restless toward the end, which is one reason some families pick a private carriage where nobody minds a squirm. The route is set by the city's lottery, so you cannot pick the streets that would interest your kids most; carriage routes and the city lottery explains how the zones work.

The haunted evening rides last 40–45 minutes and lean on storytelling rather than frights, with old tales of prisoners and pirates and nobody leaping out of the dark. Many children love them, though you know better than any listing whether yours will sleep afterwards. Haunted and evening carriage rides describes the tone of each.

Snacks, seats and the heat

Palmetto lets you bring your own snacks aboard and sells drinks and snacks at its Barn Shop, though alcohol is not allowed under the city's open container law. A full public carriage can feel tight on a hot day, one reviewer noted, and Palmetto suggests buying an extra seat if your family wants elbow room.

Heat is the bigger issue. Summer middays in Charleston are hard on small children, and the city halts tour carriages when the afternoon temperature climbs too high, so a midday booking can be cancelled at short notice. From June to September, book a morning ride or an early evening one with water and hats in the bag, and leave the hottest hours for the hotel pool. For the year as a whole, see when to ride.

Meeting the horses

For many children the horse is the main event. Arrive a little early, since you need to check in 15 minutes before the start anyway, and the barns let you see the herd while you wait. Reviewers come home remembering horses with names like Clint and Moose, and children tend to do the same. Ask before touching any horse, and keep small hands away from the harness. The big Belgians and Percherons pulling these carriages are calm working breeds, and how the carriage horses are cared for answers the questions children tend to ask about them.

Which ride suits which family

• A wheelchair or a stroller that must come along. Old South, whose day tour both booking sites list as wheelchair accessible, with stroller access on Viator;
• Toddlers who need snacks and space. Palmetto, where your own snacks are welcome and the stroller waits in the barn. You can also buy an extra seat for elbow room;
• A tight budget. Carolina Polo's hour, from ~$45, the cheapest day ride we compare. It takes strollers but not wheelchairs, and it sells on Viator only;
• Older children who like a spooky tale. One of the haunted evening rides, which also fit around a day at the beach;
• A family that wants the carriage alone. Palmetto's private hour, priced per group of up to four, with babies under 2 free on a lap.

Whichever you choose, the route comes from the city's lottery, so promise the children a horse rather than a particular house. If they fall for a street on the way, walk back to it afterwards with an ice cream.

Other ways to see the city with children

On a scorching day, the Old Town Trolley loop, from ~$41, offers air conditioning on a fixed loop that runs from the Battery up to Hampton Park, passing Rainbow Row on the way. Its catch is plain enough. You spend about 40 minutes on a minibus, not behind a horse, and the stops pass more quickly. Older children who like walking might enjoy the Walks of Charleston history tour, from ~$30, which is wheelchair and stroller accessible. The catch there is two hours on foot, long for small legs and longer in summer. Carriage, walking tour or trolley? compares all three, and where the carriage tours start helps you find the barn with the shortest walk from your parking spot.