When taking a stroll around Charleston, keep your eyes peeled for a striking red sash around a carriage driver’s waist. This is the symbol of quality and assurance of a great guided tour! The Old South Carriage Company guides will entertain you with historical facts, local lore, and humor while passing by notable landmarks, antebellum mansions, beautiful parks, and hidden gardens in the Holy City. Scroll on for 6 fun facts you (probably) didn’t know about Charleston via Old South Carriage Company.
- Charleston was the fourth largest city in colonial America, and the wealthiest!
- Charleston boasts the first public college, museum, and playhouse in the U.S.
- The first golf club in America was established in Charleston in 1787.
- North America’s longest cable-stayed bridge, the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, spans the Charleston Harbor, connecting historic Charleston and Mount Pleasant.
- Dr. Alexander Garden, a Charleston physician, first imported “Cape Jasmine” from South Africa circa 1754. The flower was renamed “Gardenia” after Dr. Garden.
- Charleston’s first baseball team was the Sea Gulls, established in 1886. The team is now called the Charleston RiverDogs. Part owner and “Director of Fun” is actor and Charleston local Bill Murray.
Want to learn more? Book your Charleston carriage tour to hear hundreds of years of history set against the sound of hoofbeats.