Carriage Rides Come To Downtown

Visitors to downtown Hendersonville can now travel through town on an alternate mode of transportation, one that truly relies on horse power.

Carriage rides have come to the city courtesy of Carolina Horse and Carriage, a business that owner Elizabeth Holzschuh and her husband, Bruce, are in the process of relocating to Henderson County from South Carolina. The carriage company came to the city after the Hendersonville City Council drafted an ordinance in September to regulate carriage rides.

The rides kicked off Saturday during Trick or Treat Street and will be available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

“Our first night was last night, and we came in with the Halloween theme. We were all dressed up in costume, and it added to the feel of it,” Elizabeth said. “We had quite a few riders. We were pleasantly surprised.

Elizabeth said there will be various routes throughout the downtown area. She said Hendersonville is a great town to view from the comfort of a carriage while listening to the clip-clop of a horse. She and her drivers are also becoming well-versed on the city’s history to give riders an education about Hendersonville’s past.

Hendersonville also appealed to her because it doesn’t have South Carolina’s heat, she said.

“This town afforded a lot of opportunities to do a lot of different routes,” she said. “We have two 20-minute routes and a half-hour route. With the half-hour route what we’re trying to do is encompass some of the history with its beautiful old homes and bed and breakfasts. People will get a feel for Main Street and see some older homes.”

Another tour will take people down Seventh Avenue and past the Historic Train Depot. Elizabeth said she is also planning to offer an hour tour.

Elizabeth, who is originally from Pennsylvania, said she got into the carriage business almost by accident. She was originally a teacher and took a part-time job on weekends driving a carriage. She has been around horses much of her life, so the opportunity to drive a carriage appealed to her.

“I just fell in love with it. When I met my husband, we opened up our own business about a year and a half ago,” she said. “It’s wonderful. I’m a real people person. I love being around animals and being outdoors, so this kind of mixes everything in that pot.”

Elizabeth said she charges $25 a couple for a 20-minute ride and $5 for each additional person after that. Children 4-12 are $3. The half-hour tour costs $35 for two people and $7 for each additional person, and $4 for children 4-12. For special events happening in town, she said she will likely offer special family rates of $5 per person for 10-minute tours. "That way more people can ride," she said.

The carriages are also available for private events, such as birthdays, weddings, graduations, proms and other special events. The carriage rides will operate Fridays from 6-11pm; Saturdays from 12-10pm and Sundays from 2-6pm. People can catch the carriages in front of the Visitors Center on South Main Street.

Elizabeth is optimistic the carriages will add to the appeal of the downtown.

“Whenever you have carriages, it seems to bring in a lot of people,” she said.

For more information, call 803-371-0093 or visit www.chcadventures.com.

 

 

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