If you've heard a clickety-clop, clickety-clop sound on Main Street recently, don't be alarmed if your mind is suddenly drifting backward in time.

That's the whole point of Martha and Jeff Chedister's new business: to treat residents and visitors to tours of Elizabeth City's waterfront and historic areas the way they once were seen and enjoyed — by horse and carriage.

The Chedisters, owners of Carolina Carriages, beganoffering weekend carriage rides downtown two weeks ago. They plan to continue the tours Friday and Saturday evenings throughout the summer, as well as offering private carriage service for weddings, birthdays and anniversaries.

A certified riding instructor, Martha Chedister said she's long dreamed of offering carriage rides for weddings on the Outer Banks. She got the idea, she said, after she and husband, Jeff, rode in a horse and carriage in Gaithersburg, Md., 16 years ago when they were married.

Chedister, who works during the week as a civilian analyst for the U.S. Defense Department at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, purchased two black Percheron horses from a carriage owner in Beaufort and formed a business, Harvest Moon Farm. She then joined the Outer Banks Wedding Association and gave her first ride to a married couple this spring in Manteo. She's currently planning another wedding carriage ride in Duck this fall.

Chedister got the idea of offering carriage rides in Elizabeth City after she and Jeff moved to Camden from the northern Currituck community of Swan Beach last summer and she met fellow entrepreneur Bonnie Hanbury. A businesswoman from Portsmouth, Va., Hanbury recently moved to Elizabeth City and launched her own new tour business, DeTours, offering guided group tours of the city's historic district.

"I thought we were so close to Elizabeth City, maybe it would be a good thing to do carriage rides," Chedister said.

She transports her carriage and horses by trailer from Carmden to Elizabeth City's Waterfront Park, where sheunloads them and drives to Mariners' Wharf Park, the starting point for her tours. Her two horses, Tuxedo and Top Hat, are both about 210 pounds, 11 years old and stand about "19 hands tall."

Standard tours, which cost $10 a person, last 15 minutes and include a ride on Fearing Street to Elliott Street, then back down Main Street.

Extended tours last about 25 minutes and cost $12 per person, Chedistersaid. The carriagestarts onMain Street, turns left onto brick-paved Selden Street, turns left again onto Church Street and then returnsto Mariners' Wharf Park.

Chedister also plans toteamup with Hanbury to offer deluxe historic guided tours, which will last about 30 minutes and cost $30 per person. The route is the same as the extended tour, but riders get a history lesson from Hanbury about the features of historic homes and landmarks.

Chedister has been pleased with the response to her business so far.

"People here are very friendly," said Chedister, a Washington, D.C., native. "They're amazed. They'll roll down their windows and wave."

She strongly suggests calling ahead for reservations. Her number is 619-5745 and her Web site is www.harvestmoonhorses.com.