You Segway, I Segway, We Segway … I was sure there is a tune to fit this chant I told myself, as those words bounced around my head. Perhaps it will not become a catchy tune, but that was what I was singing (in my head), as I breezed through downtown with an ear to ear grin. Taking my first ever Segway tour in Charlotte, N.C. or anywhere as a guest of Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, who arranged an amazing itinerary for our group of 6 travel writers, including this Segway Tour.

Nervous? No. Uncertain, yes.

Just because it looks easy to do on YouTube, doesn’t mean it actually is, right?

Upon entering Charlotte N.C. Tours store front, our hosts for our Segway tour, we were greeted by our guide, Rod. Looking around their shop you can see that they are set up for touring the area with their assortment of bicycles, Segways, and hoverboards. (Now don’t hold me to this, but I think they only sell the hoverboards.) Charlotte N.C. Tours offer an eclectic selection of bike, Segway, historical walking, van, and ghost tours to appease every style of touring, including bike rentals if you wish to go at it on your own.

Safety first, Rod shows us an introductory Segway how-to video for us to learn the best and safest practices riding a Segway. Seems pretty easy so far! Once our safety video is over, (feeling a little more confident at this point), Rod proceeds to take a Segway for a little demo spin – in the store! He spun his Segway around in a few tight circles, went backward, then forward, dismount, remount, all in a 10′ x 10′ space! This is going to be easy! Right?

Next, Rod sets us up with helmets and takes us outside to practice our first ride with a Segway – I am pumped at this point!

One after another we stepped onto and took off on our personal Segways. Grab the handles, step on one foot at a time, steer with your arms, press with your toes to go forward, press with your heels to go backward and lean back to stop. It was amazingly simple and fairly easy to learn, our group had mastered the technique in less than 15 min and it was time to start our Segway tour!

Honestly, after just a few minutes, I realized how easy riding a Segway actually was and how fast they can go. I never once felt like my personal safety was at risk, other people yes, but mine no 🙂

Rod was an exceptional tour guide offering up a vast knowledge of Charlotte’s history and interesting bits of trivia as we navigated the streets of Charlotte N.C. Navigating the street was very easy as we mostly rode on the side walks except for a few spins down a street or two without traffic. Boy, those Segways have some speed to them, making a hot muggy day just a little bit cooler.

We visited several points of interest during our tour but my favorite stop was looking at the Victorian style houses and then the ride through the park on our way back to where we started. As with all tours, ours ended all too soon and installed an addictive desire to ride a Segway again.

Yes, it was easier than I first thought, the learning curve is very short unlike many other forms of transportation, and it is a blast to do! Highly recommended adventure for almost any age and the perfect way to tour Charlotte N.C.

Many thanks to:

Charlotte N.C. Tours

101 S. Tryon St. Charlotte, NC 28280

(Inside the Overstreet Mall at Bank of America Plaza/Omni Hotel next to Shoe Repair)

704-962-4548

info@charlottenctours.com

Full disclosure, Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority hosted Never to Old To Travel for a three-day all expense paid media trip to Charlotte N.C. with no stipulations. All thoughts and opinions in this article are my own.

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