Where the carriage tours start
No carriage company picks you up at your hotel, so you walk to the barn. The four we compare all stand within a block or two of City Market, close enough that you could walk between any two of them in a few minutes. This guide takes them barn by barn, then covers parking and how to spend the time around your ride.
Four barns around the Market
Every carriage ride we compare starts at the company's own barn, and none offers hotel pickup. The barns cluster around the City Market, the long run of old market sheds at the heart of downtown. Two stand on Anson Street. The others are on Guignard Street and Pinckney Street. All of them ask you to check in about 15 minutes before departure. Walk in with time to spare, because finding the right door on a busy morning takes longer than the map suggests.
Old South Carriage Co., 14 Anson Street
Old South's barn sits one block north of City Market. You check in at the lobby desk, and the lobby has restrooms and seats, with water on hand, which matters on a hot day. The stable gives shelter, so you stay under cover rather than out on the pavement. Both of the company's rides start here, the historic day tour from ~$50 and the haunted evening tour from ~$45. Both listings for the day tour call it wheelchair accessible, while the evening ride's Viator page says it is not, so ask before you book if a wheelchair is involved.
Be strict with the clock here. Old South's Viator listing warns that riders who are not checked in 15 minutes before departure may lose the booking with no refund. The GetYourGuide listing is gentler and moves latecomers to the next carriage. At busy hours the lobby fills quickly.
A lobby, then an hour on the streets
Old South's historic tour leaves from 14 Anson Street, one block from the Market, with restrooms and water in the lobby while you wait, from ~$50. Check in 15 minutes early, and cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.
Palmetto Carriage Works, 8 Guignard Street
Palmetto's Big Red Barn stands one block from City Market and is hard to miss. Its boarding platform sits almost level with the carriage floor, with a ramp and staff to help, which makes climbing in easier than at most barns. Strollers and wheelchairs stay at the barn while you ride, and so can scooters. The Barn Shop sells drinks and snacks, and the barn has restrooms. Palmetto's GetYourGuide listing points drivers to paid parking at 22 Anson Street.
All of Palmetto's rides on our home page start and finish here, including the downtown hour from ~$50 and the haunted evening ride from ~$50. Its Viator listing says the day ride is not wheelchair accessible despite the ramp, so call ahead if you need help boarding.
Charleston Carriage Works, 20 Anson Street
On the same street as Old South, Charleston Carriage Works runs from a stable opposite Market Street. Carriages leave every 30 minutes, and you check in 15 minutes before yours. Guests may look around the stable before or after the ride, which suits anyone curious about the horses. Its residential hour, from ~$50, covers 2–3 miles (3.2–4.8 km). Its catch is how few reviews it has so far, only a handful on GetYourGuide. The listing also says it does not suit wheelchair users or people with animal allergies.
Carolina Polo & Carriage Co., 45 Pinckney Street
Carolina Polo's barn also lies a block or two from the Market. An attendant inside the barn checks you in and puts you on whichever carriage leaves next. Departures run about every 20–30 minutes from 9:30 am to 5 pm during daylight saving time, and in winter the last carriage leaves at 4 pm. The historic hour from ~$45 is the cheapest day ride we compare. The listing says it is not wheelchair accessible.
The same barn runs a private carriage. Carolina Polo's private hour, from ~$300 per group of one to four, books on Viator only, and you still check in and take the next carriage at your chosen time. Its catch, besides the single booking site, is that the city sets the route as it does for everyone. Private carriage rides in Charleston compares it with Palmetto's private hour.
Which barn suits which rider
If boarding is the worry, Palmetto's level platform and ramp make the step into the carriage smallest. Old South's lobby, with seats and water, suits anyone who dreads standing in the sun before the ride. Carolina Polo's frequent departures help when your plans are loose and you want to walk up and take the next carriage. For a close look at the horses, Charleston Carriage Works opens its stable to riders. Carriage rides with kids adds the stroller and child-seat rules for each.
Parking and the DASH shuttle
City garages and lots surround City Market, and any of them puts you within a few minutes' walk of all four barns. Downtown parking fills at busy times, so leave extra minutes for the check-in rule. Another option is to park at the Visitor Center on Meeting Street and ride the free DASH shuttle downtown. Cruise passengers will find the barns a short walk from the waterfront, roughly, though it pays to check the walking time from your berth before the day. Parking is one of the costs that sit outside the ticket, listed with tips in what a Charleston carriage tour costs.
Before and after the ride
With the barns this close to the Market, the sheds make an easy place to pass spare minutes. Stalls sell food and crafts, and you will often see sweetgrass baskets woven by Gullah artisans, a well-known Lowcountry tradition. Arriving early also lets you meet the horses at the barn, covered in how the carriage horses are cared for.
After the ride, the streets your carriage did not reach are a short walk away. The city assigns each carriage its zone, as carriage routes and the city lottery explains, and what you pass on a carriage tour lists the sights worth seeking out on foot.