Courtesy Segway of Memphis Tours
Segway of Memphis Tours
Memphis, Tennessee
Those who love riding around town on two wheels might want to try trading in the bicycle for a Segway.
“It’s the best way to get around the city, and they’re pretty easy to ride,” said Tina Chappars, tours manager for Segway of Memphis Tours.
Each tour starts at the historic Peabody Hotel, which is famous for its trained ducks that march to and from the lobby fountain every day.
Chappars said the most popular option is the two-hour history tour, which takes riders to many of Memphis’ cultural and historic highlights, including the famous Beale Street, the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, the NBA arena in downtown and the home of W.C. Handy, who was known as the “Father of the Blues.”
“I think a lot of people come just to ride the machines, but once they’re on the tour, they really get into the history of the city,” she said.
Another popular option in the summertime is the company’s sunset tour, which takes riders to Tom Lee Park to watch the sun go down over the Mississippi River.
The company can take up to 14 people per tour, and riders, who must be 14 or older and weigh at least 100 pounds, spend the first 30 minutes training “to make sure everybody’s fully capable before we hit the trail,” Chappars said.
“It’s amazing how fast newbies get the hang of it,” she said. “It’s superintuitive and reads your slightest body movement.”
www.memphissegwaytours.com
Electro Bike Tours
Asheville, North Carolina
Taylor Fife started Electro Bike Tours last year, and his company’s pedal-assisted electric bike tours are catching on. But even Fife still cranks the setting on his electric bicycle to “high” to tackle the hills of Asheville, North Carolina.
“It opens up seeing Asheville on a bike to a wider market of people,” he said. “We had an 80-year-old woman who hadn’t been on a bike in 20 years do the tour.”
Up to eight riders per tour hop on Kettler Twin electric bikes, not to be confused with mopeds or scooters. The pedal-assist bicycles have different manual gears for riders who want to keep the power off or three electric settings — eco, mid and high — for those who want or need the extra boost.
“With pedal-assist [bikes], the idea is to get some exercise but still be able to tailor it to how much you want,” Fife said. “I still stick it on high mode on hills.”
Electro’s Asheville tour features many of the city’s historic sites, including the 1913 Grove Park Inn, which has hosted 10 U.S. presidents as well as Harry Houdini and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Another favorite stop is the Basilica of St. Lawrence, which was finished in 1909 and features the largest freestanding elliptical dome in North America.
New this spring, riders can take the new “Bike and Brew” tour, an hourlong ride that goes into West Asheville and through the River Arts District via a greenway along the French Broad River before wrapping up with a flight of beers at the Wedge Brewing Co.
