Palmetto Carriage Works

Spotlight: Carriage Tour Guide David Collins

Palmetto Carriage Works may be the oldest and largest carriage company in Charleston, SC, but we’re also the most fun. To prove it, we’ll be highlighting our employees from time to time. First up is our driver and guide, David Collins, a local Charlestonian who loves his job as a Charleston carriage tour guide.

 

  1. From where do you hail?

Charleston!

  1. Describe Charleston in five words or less.

Seductively Southern

  1. How long have you worked at Palmetto Carriage?

One year

  1. What’s your favorite thing to do on a Saturday?

Watch Gamecock football

  1. What’s your favorite historic site to talk about on tour?

Calhoun Mansion

  1. If you had to choose a favorite animal, who would it be?

Carlos  (he’s our 2009lb 9 yr old Percheron Gelding)

  1. Where is your favorite place to have lunch Downtown?

The first of every month at Palmetto Carriage Works when we have team lunches!

  1. What’s your favorite memory with a guest?

I gave a tour to a guest who was dying of cancer.  It was a very emotional experience.

  1. How do you feel about the growth and popularity of Charleston?

Charleston has grown so much since my childhood, from a navy town to a mecca of tourism. The influx of people from “off” has created a melting pot of diversity making my hometown a better place to live.

Want to learn more about our carriage tour guide, David? Book a tour of Charleston with him!

Fun Facts You Didn’t Know about Charleston Tourism

On average, Charleston has 230 sunny days a year, which is 63%. The yearly average temperature is a perfect 65 degrees, making us a temperate tropical climate.

Over 6 million people visit Charleston each year, which is 60x its year-round population of 100,000. (Note: the entire tri-county area is about 550,000 people.)

Visitors typically spend 4 nights and spend an average of $217 per adult per day.

Our Passenger Terminal for cruise ships has between 80-90 scheduled round-trip cruise departures each year. The average capacity of these large cruise ships is 3,000, which means nearly 250,000 people come through!

In 2015, the Charleston Port handled nearly $76 billion dollars of goods. Yep, we said billion with a ‘B’!

15,000 people pass through the gates at the Charleston International Airport every day.

The majority of our tourists hail from North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio and New York.

Charleston has been a film town for awhile now. Scenes from Cold Mountain, The Notebook, and most recently Halloween (2018) were filmed here. Additionally, television series like HBO’s Vice Principals and Stephen King’s Mr. Mercedes are also filming here this year.

In 2016, Charleston was voted the #1 City in the World by Travel + Leisure readers. Though we’d been the #1 city in the United States and Canada for four years running, we were shocked and excited to win the World’s #1 coveted spot! Though we were 10th on the 2018 list, we were the only U.S. city to be included in the top 15, a distinctive honor. This award has been a large component to the increase in Charleston tourism in recent years.

Ready to visit us? There’s no better way to see Charleston than a horse-drawn carriage ride with Palmetto Carriage Works. Our tour guides are the most knowledgeable, experienced and horse-loving individuals you’ll find in the area.

5 Historic Sites in Charleston You’ll See on a Palmetto Carriage Tour

Founded in 1670, Charleston (or “Charleston Towne,” as it was named for King Charles II of England) is one of the most historic cities in the United States. In fact, within just ten years of its founding, it became the fifth biggest city in the country.

Today, millions of people (yes, millions!) flock to Charleston each year to take in its Lowcountry charm and learn about its tumultuous history. Palmetto Carriage Works takes roughly 200,000 tourists and locals alike for rides of our beautiful city each year. Understandably, we have different routes that are approved by the city, so not everyone will see the same things. However, each path has a historic majesty all its own. From the open air markets to the Instagram-famous pineapple fountain, here are 5 historic sites in Charleston you’ll see on a Palmetto Carriage tour:

1) Charleston City Market

The City Market was donated by the Pinckney family with the stipulation that it was used as a market in 1788. The first structure was built between 1788 and 1807. The first market was a beef market, which drew buzzards to the structure. Though these may have been considered a nuisance, they played the important role of cleaning up scraps thrown into the street at the end of the day, and because of this valuable service, they were protected by law.

Many tourists confuse the City Market with the Slave Market. It is undisputed that the City Market was never purposed for selling slaves during the Slave Trade.

2) Rainbow Row

On your way down to the Battery, you might pass by Rainbow Row. This line of row homes is famous for one great reason: it’s beautiful. The row of brightly-colored homes were originally painted to emulate the colonial colors of the Caribbean and were erected between 1748 and 1845.

3) White Point Garden (The Battery)

From White Point Garden, with the beautiful historic homes to your back, you’re able to see Fort Sumter in the distance. Confederate forces fired on the Union garrison at Fort Sumter in the early hours of April 12, 1861, marking the beginning of the Civil War. But this garden has an even darker history than most know. You’ll have to take a tour with us to find out!

4) St. Philip’s Episcopal Church

The Charleston landscape is peppered with beautiful steeples, but none so rich in history as St. Philip’s. This church is registered as a National Historic Landmark and sits at 142 Church St. downtown. Established in 1681, St. Philip’s is the oldest European-American religious congregation in South Carolina and its tower once served as a range lighthouse designed to guide mariners into the Charleston Harbor.

5) Waterfront Park (home of the Pineapple Fountain)

Though this park is not itself historic, as it was constructed in 1990, it has become a fan favorite of tourists and the famed Charleston Pineapple Fountain is just the beginning. Off of Concord St., you can find a splash fountain where kids and adults beat the heat of Charleston summers by jumping in! Along the park, you’ll look out toward Patriots Point and the USS Yorktown. You might spot some container ships, a cruise ship or even a few celebrity yachts that have been known to dock at the Charleston Harbor from time to time. And if you want to park yourself on the bench, the park also now has free Wi-Fi.

 

What do you hope to see in Charleston on your Palmetto Carriage tour? Tell us below in the comments!

Training Our Animals

Here at Palmetto Carriage Works, we are avid advocates for our main attraction and cutest employees, our animals. Our animals are essential to our daily routes and rides throughout historic Charleston, so we love to share the work and care that goes into having them in our barn. Most often, our visitors have questions about where we get our animals from, how many years they spend with us, what their stories are and how we train them. Keep on reading to get those answers!

 

Palmetto Carriage Works: Do the Palmetto Carriage Works animals go through any kind of training to get them used to the routes? What does that all entail?

Angie Arcangeli: The animals go through an extensive training program. They start at the farm where they work a minimum of five hours, but can increase as necessary. At this point, in the teams we figure out who pulls best on which side, their demeanors and if they know the basics of pulling. After they have passed step one, they come to town. In town, they will pull a minimum of 15 hours on an empty carriage with two of our skilled tour guides. This is where they will do all the routes, practice standing with our advertising carriages and go out of their way to encounter anything that may be new to the animals. We have an extensive checkoff sheet that will be completed to show that they can safely pass things that are a common occurance on the streets – umbrellas, strollers, motorcycles, buses, etc. Once the drivers feel comfortable with the animals, they move on to the final step. They will then do 20 hours with two drivers along with passengers. Once they have completed this step, they are part of the herd and will be scheduled to work as the rest of the animals do.

PCW: How many years do the animals spend at Palmetto Carriage Works?

AA: It honestly depends on the animal. We have some that will work only one season, then we have others that have been here for more than 12 years. Hit and Run are our longest running team, that have been working 15 years, along with with Milhouse for 12 years.  

PCW: Why are some animals paired up while some pull the carriages by themselves?

AA: The animals pull single or in teams based on their weights. The animals have to be a certain weight in order for them to comply with city laws. We have some smaller teams that together weight over 2000 lbs., while we also have single horses that weigh that on their own.

PCW: Where do the PCW animals come from?

AA: The animals come from as far as New York to Indiana to Georgia. Tommy, our General Manager, has a lot of contacts across the country that regularly sell to us, along with regional auctions. The animals are bought year round, but the majority of our purchasing and training is done over the slower winter months.

PCW: How long does it take for the animals to be trained?

AA: The time varies from animal to animal, but our training program requires a minimum of 40 hours of city training. We will spend additional time training animals that have potential.

PCW: What is the hardest part of training the animals?

AA: The uncertainty of new animals; we often don’t know what they did in their previous life and what they may or may not have encountered. When an animal has mainly done farmwork, a firetruck can be a new sight they will have to get used to. Finding out whether or not they can adapt to this new life and react accordingly is very important. Often times the groundwork that is needed is part of the training as well. Making sure that the animals can become accustomed to grooming and shoeing is just as important as the driving. If we can’t keep them clean and with shoes on, they can’t do the work safely.  

PCW: What is the best part of training the animals?

AA: Every time we get a new animal, we know nothing about them. In the training process, the animal gets a lot of one-on-one time, and learning about their personalities can be very rewarding. We want our drivers to know their personalities so they can form a better working bond.

PCW: Who trains the animals?

AA: We have a set of drivers that have been working at Palmetto Carriage Works for several years who regularly train the animals. All of the animals we get have been trained to, and have worked in, harnesses as well.

Don’t Trust Your Car Thermometer

At Palmetto Carriage Works we know that hot, humid and sticky days are a thing of the South. And as the temperatures creep up, you can bet that we are making sure our animals are staying cool.

To ensure that our animals are never out in heat that they can’t handle, we use tools we can trust to measure the temperature. More specifically, we rely on our in-barn thermometers and the city’s thermometer to get the most accurate readings on temperature. We use our in-barn thermometers to track the temperatures of our animals after each tour and we use the city-monitored thermometer to tell how hot it is on the Charleston streets. (To keep our animals extra cool, we always make sure that not one animal comes through the barn without a cool down with our hose and some added relaxation from our misting fans!)

Some tools we can’t trust? Car thermometers. Did you know that car thermometers are not actually even thermometers? They’re devices called “thermistors” that actually gauge the heat by measuring the rising heat from off of the road combined with the heat coming off your car. Depending on where this thermistor is located in your car, can also add several degrees. A regular thermometer, such as we use for our internal purposes, is most accurate due to the fact that it uses mercury while the thermistor uses electrical currents for temperature reads.

Since keeping our animals safe and cool is always a top priority at Palmetto Carriage Works, we choose to rely on actual thermometers that we use in-barn for our animals and the city-monitored thermometer that we use to tell the outdoor temperature. So the next time you see us around while you are driving in downtown Charleston, don’t be alarmed if your car thermistor is looking a little too high – it’s not as trustworthy as the tools we use to make sure our animals stay cool.

 

Bud Is Fine

Bud, a 7-year old horse at Palmetto Carriage Works, decided to lay down during one of the last tours of the day on Labor Day. Bud was able to rise on his own once unhooked from the carriage and easily walked back to the barn. He was immediately examined by a veterinarian from Edisto Equine Clinic where he was given a clean bill of health.

“His physical exam was within normal limits and there is only a small superficial abrasion on the outside of the left knee,” said Dr. Deidre Huff, a veterinarian and owner of Edisto Equine Clinic.

 

Bud is fine and has been cleared by the veterinarian for full work with no restrictions.

“We’re pleased to hear that Bud has been given a clean bill of health by the veterinarian after he decided to lay down during yesterday’s tour,” said Tommy Doyle, President of C.A.R.E.S and Manager of Palmetto Carriage Works. “We take all incidents very seriously and thankfully yesterday’s was very minor.” 

Palmetto Carriage Works and the other members of the Charleston Carriage Association for Responsible Equine Safety (C.A.R.E.S) are committed to providing safe environments for the horses to work in and will continue seeking veterinary consultation, especially when incidents happen.

 

Sights To See

With well over 300 years worth of history, Charleston is jam packed with stories, architecture and people that make it America’s favorite city. And while there are definitely more than just a handful of places to explore, here at Palmetto Carriage Works, we’ve hand-picked a few favorites to show you on each of our tours. So regardless if you’re a tourist or a local living like one, Palmetto Carriage Works has something for everyone. Take a ride through Historic Downtown Charleston with a friendly tour guide to indulge in the vast history of the Holy City.

During the one hour tour of Charleston, you will see not only the highlights of Charleston’s past, but you will also delve further into the city’s history, learning about the areas not normally seen by a typical tourist. Our tour guides have many different routes to show you, meaning each tour will showcase different areas of the beautiful city.

On our tours, you might get to see the Aiken-Rhett House, the perfect representation of urban life in antebellum Charleston, and you will not be disappointed when passing by the City Market of Charleston, one of the oldest markets in the country. Some of our tours even take you towards the gorgeous Waterfront Park here in Charleston, which is best known for its famous Pineapple Fountain.

We also include add-on tour options that are separate from the average tour of Charleston and take you to specific places in the beautiful city like the historic Middleton Plantation. At Middleton Plantation, you can explore over 60 acres of land! This 18th century plantation is filled with antiques, costumed craftspeople and is a true example of the way of life on the plantation.

Another favorite add-on option is the 1825 Edmondston-Alston House tour, where you can learn the history of the home and all about it’s impressive silver collection, decorative art and antiques. With gracious views of the Charleston harbor downtown, the home is also the only house museum in Charleston boasting notable guests like Robert E. Lee and other generals!

We also offer a Charleston Harbor Tour add-on that includes spectacular views of the Charleston Harbor aboard the classic, 80-foot Carolina Belle, where you will get to hear true Charleston tales and see more than a total of 75 Charleston landmarks!

Regardless of which tour you choose, Charleston and Palmetto Carriage Works offers an endless array of options to show off this charming city!

The Doyle Family Farm

Here at Palmetto Carriage Works, the care and wellbeing of our animals is our top priority, which is why we insist on giving them so much time at the Doyle Family Farm.

The Doyle Family Farm, located just twenty miles away from downtown Charleston, is where all of our animals can be found when they’re not working. Though most people in the Charleston area only see our animals hard at work, they spend an average of 19 week of rest time out on the Doyle Family Farm. (That’s three times more rest time than the City of Charleston requires!)

Our morning routine at the farm consists of a 6:00 a.m. wake-up call and feeding time. At this time, we administer any medication that our animals may need and check up on them to make sure they are all feeling great.  Though most days begin the same, if it happens to be a Thursday, then our animals have their hooves checked by the farrier before their day begins. If they are spending an off day at the farm, then they wander out to pasture where they will have access to hay and water all day long.

If the animals are going downtown to work, we then get them groomed, bathed and loaded on the trailer. They then make the 20-mile trek to Charleston, where they’re dropped off at the Big Red Barn. The Big Red Barn offers a much more structured environment for our animals, whereas they are free to roam and do as they please on the farm. We make sure that each of our animals gets a minimum 15-minute break in between each tour, and they work an average of only five hours each day. Our animals usually return to the farm around 6:00 p.m. and then dinner is served.  

It is in our best interest at Palmetto Carriage Works to ensure that our animals are not overworked. Giving them extended vacation time ensures that they are healthy and ready to go when it’s time to work.

A Carriage Tour: Exploring Charleston With Children

In a recent round-up, Travel Mag included Palmetto Carriage Works as one of the best things to do when visiting Charleston with kids. Not only can children meet our lovable, four-legged teammates, but they also get to learn about the rich history of one of the South’s most charming cities. You’ll get to learn all about our historic landmarks, old folktales and fun facts about the Holy City with your favorite little ones.

To make the carriage-riding experience even better, we also offer “Meet the Animal” and “Kids Ride Free” days throughout the year, giving both visitors and locals plenty of opportunities to spend a day exploring with their children.

Tours at Palmetto Carriage Works always provide both entertainment and education to our customers – no matter their age or size – so be sure to stop by the Big Red Barn with your kids soon!

Becoming A Tour Guide In Charleston

Becoming a certified tour guide in Charleston is not quite as easy as some may think. To become certified, you have to take tests, memorize facts and have an upbeat, engaging personality.

When looking to become a tour guide, you will have to take a written exam. The exam is based on a 492-page guide that details everything from Charleston’s historic battles to its architecture to the rich African-American history here. This 200-question, written exam takes about two hours to complete, and test-takers must receive 70% or higher to pass.

The exam is given out every two weeks and can cover any part of the Historic District, which ranges from the Citadel’s campus to the Battery.

Additionally, potential tour guides need a great personality to keep the customers engaged and the tours fun. At Palmetto Carriage Works, we think we got the deal of a lifetime with our amazing guides! What do you think?

 

Want to learn more about one of our guide’s firsthand experiences as he went through his certification process? Keep reading!

PCW: How long did it take you to complete the tour guide certification process?

  Jim: It took me 3 months to study for the test and 6 weeks of training with a temporary license.

PCW: Were you surprised at all of the steps that you had to go through?

  Jim: I knew starting out what the process was so I was not surprised, but I did feel like there were a lot of qualifying steps to go through. 

© Jennings King Photography

PCW:  What was the hardest part of the tour guide certification process?

  Jim: The hardest part is the exam. It covers not only historical information but architecture, horticulture and local lore.

PCW: What was the most interesting thing you learned while going through the certification process?

  Jim: There is so much great history it’s hard to pinpoint one thing in particular, but one thing that stands out is how the city preserves its history through rules and regulations.

PCW: How long ago were you first certified?

  Jim: 2002 was my first year certified so this makes my 16th year as a licensed guide.

PCW: Did you tour with certain groups while you were in training? Did you find that helpful?

 Jim: We trained as a class.We also took tours with paying guests which I found very helpful.

PCW: What is your favorite part of being a tour guide?

 Jim: There is nothing better than when you get a group that is really into what you are talking about. I love seeing our guests as excited about history as I am.

PCW: Do you remember your first day giving a PCW tour? Can you describe it for us?

  Jim: I do. It was really cool. I didn’t tell the guests until we got back that it was my first solo tour. They gave me a big round of applause.