Mount up, buckaroo! You don't have to be an ol' cowhand to enjoy horseback riding on your next vacation to South Carolina. Just throw on your favorite blue jeans and boots (sneakers for you tenderfoots) and mosey on down to the barn or beach for some high-in-the-saddle fun.
Whether you're visiting the Upcountry or the Lowcountry, you'll find guided trail tours through beautiful terrain, offering the chance to see wildlife, waterfalls and some amazing views.
Here are five awesome horseback riding tours to get your cowboy on:
Horseback Riding Myrtle Beach
Beach rides are offered Nov. 1-Feb. 28 on the coastlines of Garden City Beach and Myrtle Beach. From March 1-Oct. 31, you'll ride equestrian trails around a farm lake in Conway. Price for the 90-minute beach ride is $85 and $60 for the 90-minute lake ride.
Horseback Waterfall Tours
Enjoy the smooth gait of a Tennessee Walker as you make your way through beautiful mountain landscapes to destinations offering spectacular views of waterfalls or the Jocassee Gorges. Cost is $125 for two hours and $175 for three hours.
Middleton Place Plantation
A one-hour ride along bridle paths takes you past rice fields and dense forests bordering the Charleston plantation house and its famed butterfly lakes. Cost for the two-mile ride is $45.
Camelot Farms
Beginners will ride down roads and paths on the stunning 60-acre Saint Helena Island estate. Those with more experience have the opportunity to ride to the shores of Saint Helena Sound. Cost is $50 for the one-hour plantation ride and $75 for the two-hour coastline tour.
Sea Pines Plantation's Lawton Stables
This guided one-hour ride will take you under a canopy of moss-covered oaks and palmettos in Hilton Head Island's 605-acre Sea Pines Forest Preserve. Look for alligators as you pass some of the preserve's lakes. Cost is $55-$65 depending on the season.
