Flickr user pocketwiley
In Charleston they're big business, and surprisingly controversial too.
Updates at the bottom, First reporting October 4: I get why the Town of Bluffton needs to put regulations in place, I just don't know what folks will look at from a carriage in Bluffton.
Yes, that low blow is in jest. To be fair there is a good deal of history there, in fact there's a history lecture on Tuesday.
The Island Packet has a good rundown of the regulation issues the town is looking into.
Update October 18, more pondering: Perhaps mirroring my sentiment, The Island Packet's Tim Hager has penned a column asking what's the logical sticking point to bring the horse tour to Bluffton and offering a piecemeal of arguments against it.
Take a read of his piece here.
One of the things that may help draw the horse tours to reality is any desire Bluffton has to become a "legitimate" historic attraction -- if your town is giving horse drawn tours, how can you not have oodles of history?
Update October 26, Georgetown too: And now it looks like even Georgetown is looking to allow horse drawn carriages.
Take a read of the report at The Georgetown Times.
Update December 13, vote coming: The outcome of a November workshop is a proposed ordinance that would allow for horse carriage tours, and it's up for a vote on Tuesday, December 14.
The Island Packet has a nice report about the situation and feeling leading up to the vote; take a read here.
You can read the proposed ordinance here, and meeting agenda here.