Heads up, Miz Scarlett. Step aside, Rhett Butler. Tourism has reached a new level of fun in Atlanta. The combination of sightseeing with 21st Century technology could be the best pairing since Moon Pies and RC Cola.
On any given day, City Segway Tours (CST) provide visitors to the Capital of the New South an experience that’s a step above smelly diesel tour buses and easier than traipsing a four-mile downtown route on foot. For those unfamiliar with the Segway, it is a two-wheeled, self-balancing personal transportation device that requires no special skills to operate. They are designed to be used in any pedestrian environment. Since 2005, CST has taken nearly 5,000 tourists gliding down Peachtree and adjacent streets to view and learn about local landmarks and Atlanta’s rich history. It sounded like fun so I decided to take the tour to see if it lived up to the hype.
Joining seven out-of-towners, we watched a short training video and received one-on-one instructions from our guide, Kent Igleheart. Within half an hour, initial trepidation about riding the Segway had evaporated and Kent called out “Let’s roll!” Like a line of goslings trailing behind Father Goose, our group smoothly negotiated downtown traffic lights, curbs and pedestrians. During the three-hour tour, we visited attractions such as the Olympic Ring Fountains, Georgia Aquarium, Georgia State Capital, CNN, Atlanta Underground and the Varsity drive-in restaurant.
Segways are easier to ride than a bike and get a lot more attention. We made our way down Peachtree Street, past lunchtime walkers and loungers who would often call out to us and ask if they could hop on. “We like to keep our tours simple for safety reasons,” says Igleheart, “ and so we try to go out with no more than eight or nine people per tour guide. This provides a more intimate balance between the guide and those on the tour while talking about the historic sites along the tour route.”
CST is a subsidiary of Fat Tire Bike Tours, based in Paris, France and was the first authorized Segway tour company in the world. The use of Segways in sightseeing tours began by “accident” in Paris in 2003 when some members of a tour group did not know how to ride a bicycle. “They looked into renting small scooters but came across the Segway and thought that would be an interesting concept and the rest is history,” recalls Kristie Carter, manager of the Atlanta franchise. “To date, we offer Segway tours in the U.S. in Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and overseas in Paris, Berlin, Vienna and Budapest. From gliding around the courtyard at the Louvre in Paris to the planks on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, it really seems to have caught on with the tourism crowd.” The Atlanta franchise offers both a three-hour and two-hour historical tour in addition to a two-hour Legends & Lore tour that explores the darker, scarier side of Atlanta’s past.
In addition to being a novel way to tour, the use of the Segway has proven to be an eco-friendly touring solution in society’s “green” consciousness . The Segway uses a rechargeable lithium ion battery and each tour uses only about one-third of a normal battery’s charge. “We are located close to Centennial Olympic Park and we wanted to be as environmentally ‘green’ as possible,” Carter continues. “In terms of noise pollution, the Segway emits only a slight hum and missing is the smokey, loud chugging associated with diesel tour buses. Atlanta is really big on reclaiming green space and making it easier to walk around and we are enjoying being part of that environmental revolution.”
Beyond the structured sightseeing tours offered by CST, tours can be customized to fit a number of needs. Companies are using them for teambuilding exercises and scavenger hunts and themed tours like the one CST is putting together focusing on Atlanta’s historic Auburn Avenue civil rights venue. “As an example of how easy it is to learn to ride a Segway, we had one gentlemen take the tour to celebrate his 86th birthday,” Carter said, laughing. The Red Hat Society, the largest women’s social group in the world for women approaching the age of 50 and beyond, participated in a recent Atlanta tour where they managed to custom-fit their red hats onto the helmet that all Segway riders are required to wear.
Having lived in Atlanta for 30 years, I have seen the local tourism sights time and again but I have to admit that seeing them on a Segway provided an entirely new perspective. By the end of the tour, the question uppermost in everyone’s mind was, “Where can I buy a one of these things!”
Happy trails….

For more information about City Segway Tours including schedules, prices, and tour highlights, go to www.CitySegwayTours.com.