Recently we were INVITED to check out Austin Carriage, the original horse-drawn carriage company in the city of Austin.
These folks, who provide Austin tours via horse-drawn carriage, are fantastic. And no, they haven’t paid us a penny to say this.
So read on, fellow Austinot, and learn a little more about this company and what they are all about.
First off, let us tell you about the owner Cherie Cunningham. She’s been in the horse business since she was knee-high to a grasshopper. And given the chance she will animatedly tell you stories, with a sparkle in her eye, about her childhood growing up around horses. It is obvious that she has a love and respect for the horses she works with and a passion for what she does.
I also learned that Cherie has a heart for special needs children, children’s education and – well – just kids in general. She has a long history of donating her time and resources in support of many organizations. One example is her Blue Santa event that she does every year. Click HERE to learn more.
Cherie also has a heart for the military and firefighters and both get a discount simply by displaying their ID.
As we listened to Cherie tell us about Austin Carriage and her childhood; our carriage driver Kate Mason was busy preparing the horse and carriage that would take us downtown.
There are 10 horses that make up the Austin Carriage team, they are Draft, Percheron, Clydesdale and Belgian. Our horse, “Dennis” was a handsome Percheron weighing in at 1800 pounds. Take a look at his magnificence!
It took about half an hour for our driver, Kate Mason, to “dress” Dennis. But it was obvious that Kate is an old pro!
Dennis even got his hooves glittered!
Fellow carriage driver Beth Boulton (you can only see her feet) then helped Kate attach Dennis to the carriage.
And we were off into the twilight of downtown Austin!
Austin Carriage tours are appropriate for so many occasions. Kate said that tours of the Capitol grounds are the most popular, and we know why. This view of the Capitol from Congress never gets old.
People can also make reservations for a special night out. Ferraris are nice, but how would you like to hop into your horse-drawn carriage after a night at the Paramount?
Besides unique tours and nights out, carriages are also available for special occasions. One of Kate’s favorite parts of her job is getting to witness proposals. Think about it for a moment. Every girl dreams of four things: romance, Prince Charming, horses and their wedding day. How perfect would it be to get whisked away in a carriage instead of a limo? Something you’ll never forget and it makes for great pictures!
But make your reservations well in advance for the busier seasons. For Christmas, you want to reserve in the summer and for large events like SXSW you want to reserve a couple months in advance.
You can make reservations by clicking HERE or calling (512) 243-0044. **MENTION the Austinot and get 20% off when you make your reservation** – Thanks Cherie!
A HUGE thank you to our Austin Carriage driver, Kate Mason. Kate rocks! She can parallel park a horse and carriage better than most can a car. Also, she knows a little secret about a squirrel downtown; you’ll have to ask her about that. We were sworn to secrecy.
We truly appreciate the Austin Carriage and thank them for inviting us to spend an evening with them. Y’all are awesome!
the Austinot asks:
What was the first tour you ever took of Austin, TX?
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I’ve ridden with Austin Carriage before and I love it! Kate was also my tour guide and she was so insightful about the city and just generally a friendly person! Couldn’t ask for a better experience! If going to Austin, this is a must do!
Vicki, I have to agree, Kate was just wonderful. Do you remember the name of your horse? What tour did you take?
My horse was either Gibson Or Macaroni… not really sure, but I do remember the horse was white! And my boyfriend and I used the carriage to get from a parking garage somewhere downtown (not very familiar) to this place called Garrido’s (which I also suggest) lol. She then picked us up and took us around some streets downtown on our way back to the parking garage. It was a good night. We’ve been trying to find another time to get back to Austin to do this again!
Thank you Eric for such a lovely write up. You popped the cork out of the bottle when you ask “How did you get into to this business”? I had to start somewhere. It was a lot of fun kicking around old times to someone with a new ear. So much in so many years it starts to make you feel like you are missing out on things when you are getting toward the end of your road in life. Wouldn’t have changed a thing. I would only wish I could be young and dumb as a kid again so I could do it all over again. I have had some great drivers past and present that made this look easy. I love them all!
Cherie,
We had a blast, and if we ever get the chance, I’d love to come back out and hear more of your stories. Not sure if you were aware, but our background is in Social Media Marketing and Search Engine Optimization for small business. Basically, how to increase your company’s visibility on the web. We are very selective about who we choose to represent. But Brit and I talked it over and if you are interested in seeing what we can do for Austin Carriage let me know.
Either way, we consider you our new Austin friend. We love your company, your heart for children and your passion. Hope that maybe we can do coffee or lunch sometime. Thanks again for having us out, we truly enjoyed it!
Eric
I’m adding this to my atx-to-do list. Stat!
You won’t regret it. These ladies at Austin Carriage were sweethearts. Don’t forget to mention that you heard about it on the Austinot Amanda and you’ll get 20% off.
I recommend the Capitol… seeing the Capitol at night from the carriage is really something special, but I’m a history buff so I guess I may be a bit biased. 🙂