Charleston Horse Carriage Tour

Charleston is South Carolina's oldest city and is famous for both its southern hospitality and elegant colonial architecture. The ride takes place in a carriage drawn by a Percheron horse, a large, muscular breed with an intelligent yet sensitive nature.

The activity lasts about an hour and includes explanations from a local guide. You will pass through the Old Town which is bounded by the Ashley and Cooper Rivers and is home to historic churches, gardens, squares and buildings of great beauty.

The best known area is the French Quarter, Charleston's most romantic area. The name comes from the high concentration of French Huguenots who moved here in the 17th century to escape religious persecution. One of its landmarks is the Charleston City Market, a covered market that occupies four city blocks. The main building dates from 1841 and was inspired by the Temple of Athena in the Greek capital.

Another must-see attraction is the Huguenot Protestant Church, the city's first neo-Gothic building. This place of worship survived both a great fire and the devastations of the Civil War. Not alone, Charleston's skyline is dotted with steeples, so much so that it has earned the nickname 'Holy City'. Other noteworthy places of worship include St. Philip's Episcopal Church and the Circular Congregational Church,

The carriage will also skirt the Waterfront Park, a 5-hectare green space that follows the course of the Cooper River. It is best known for two attractions, the long pier and the pineapple-shaped fountain. Just a few minutes' jog away is the cultural institution that keeps alive the sad memory of slavery: the Old Slave Mart Museum.

Before the defeat of the Confederate States in the Civil War, Charleston and South Carolina were very active in this terrible trade. African labour was used for the hard work in the cotton fields.