Best of 2000: Best Romantic Ride

Cinderella Carriage Company
Podium in front of
Harbor House restaurant,
Seaport Village
(619) 239-8080

The horse-drawn white carriages do daily runs from noon to 11:00 p.m. throughout Seaport Village and the Gaslamp District, each led by a single draft horse and carrying from two to nine passengers. Drivers wear formal attire and prices start at $45 per half hour. "A lot of wedding proposals happen and then we can show up at the wedding too." Carriages can be hired for tours, romantic rides, special events, weddings, and parties. To appear at a wedding in Balboa Park, the cost is $250, while getting a horse and buggy to someplace like Del Mar runs up to $550: "It takes a pretty big truck and an even bigger trailer to haul a horse and a nine-person carriage!" Nine different carriages are available, and the company has been running in San Diego with no horse-powered competition for nearly 20 years.