Central Park horse carriage ride with Fifth Ave sights

5.00

(12 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“You know, this horse knows these streets better than I do,” our driver joked as we clopped into Central Park. I believed him — the way the horse seemed to pause at every crosswalk like he was waiting for applause. The city was doing its usual thing: sirens somewhere distant, a couple arguing about bagels on a bench, the smell of roasted nuts sneaking in from a cart. I’d always seen those carriages from afar but never thought I’d actually be in one. Turns out, it’s quieter up there than you’d guess — you hear more birds than cars once you’re under the trees.

Our guide (I think his name was Sal? He wore a Yankees cap and kept calling out to other drivers) pointed out the old Chess & Checkers House and that weird little Dairy building — apparently it used to sell milk to kids back in the day. We passed the carousel, which was spinning even though it was barely noon. There’s something about seeing Central Park from this angle that makes you feel like you’re watching a movie set come alive. The air smelled faintly of horses and grass, not unpleasant — just real.

After looping through the park, we rolled down Fifth Avenue past all those famous shops (Tiffany’s windows looked so fancy I almost felt underdressed). Sal slowed down near St. Patrick’s Cathedral so we could get a photo — he even offered to take one for us, which was nice because my selfie game is tragic. Rockefeller Center was buzzing with people taking photos of the ice rink; I tried to imagine what it would be like at Christmas but honestly, even now it felt special. The whole ride only took about 45 minutes but somehow it felt longer — in a good way. I still think about how calm everything seemed from up there.