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Published: Tuesday, Jul. 27, 2010 / Updated: Tuesday, Jul. 27, 2010 01:19 PM

Glide through a tour of Charlotte - try a Segway

I have a secret. I’ve lived in South Carolina for seven years and have yet to visit Charlotte. Really visit Charlotte. And then I saw an ad for Charlotte NC Tours. Time for secrets was at an end.

Charlotte NC Tours was created to offer the area something different in the way of city tours. They offer many ways to get to know Charlotte: bike rentals and tours, walking and van tours, but what really intrigued me was the Segway tour.

On the day I arrived, it was hot, but blessedly overcast. I was met by Rodney, a friend of co-owners Dianna L. Ward and Carol Byrd and Tanner, Carol’s son (here to help for the summer he said.)

I signed a waiver, chose a safety helmet and then was introduced to my Segway. Rodney assisted me in stepping onto the footpad of this two-wheeled machine and led me through, what I would call, the quick and easy, get to know your Segway tutorial.

“It’s like snow skiing and riding a horse,” he said. “The handlebars are like the reins. Leaning forward sideways or backward is like skiing, your body makes the Segway move.”

After some trepidation, I soon was tootling around on my “trusty steed” practicing figure 8s, slowing down, stopping, going forward and using my body weight to move backward.

Soon three others joined our tour: Bret, who was redeeming a Dad’s Day gift, and Nahil and Salima Dhanji from New York. Charlotte NC Segway tours now accommodate eight riders, but anticipate adding up to 15.

After we practiced, our guide, Dianna, introduced herself and offered a few more words of wisdom.

“Never let go of it. You can step off backward, but I want you to hang on. If you have one foot on it, it will think you are still on it.”

The brain of the Segway is in the footpad.

Lined up behind Dianna, we headed down Martin Luther King Boulevard toward the South End. I wasn’t sure what to expect. The tour literature states, take a “brief glide to the historic South End, home of the first industrial area in Charlotte. We will experience the South End culture, galleries, restaurants and retail shops. Our tour will follow the initial streetcar path to Latta Park, originally the end of the streetcar line, and now a fantastic urban green space. We will take in the Colonial Revival style architecture of the area as we glide toward Myers Park, a beautifully planned neighborhood.” I soon realized it wasn’t so much what we were going to see, but the experience as we glided through the neighborhoods.

At each crosswalk, Dianna would tell us a little bit about what was coming up as we glided along, heightening our anticipation and allowing us to keep moving.

We crossed the light rails, passed the new Trolley Museum, and glided down a bricked alley to a neighborhood inner enclave called The Common Market, “a new twist on the old general store.” They offer wine tastings Friday evenings and serve all kinds of tasty refreshments. Before we left, we met owner Chuck Barger. We navigated back to the sidewalk along the light rail. A loud clanging stopped us as the rail cars passed by, a neat first experience for me.

It wasn’t too long into the tour that I felt myself growing comfortable on the Segway, so comfortable that I was able to stop, balance without moving and take a photo at the same time.

As we continued, Dianna pointed out Price’s Chicken and suggested Nahil and Salima find time to take in the experience. We glided by the place where the first peanut butter cracker sandwich was invented, the old Lance headquarters, and then saw an old hosiery plant rebirthed into the Charlotte Design Center.

Soon, we were all chatting as we glided up to Atherton Mill and Market housed in another renovated old mill. Open Tuesday through Saturday, this fun place offers retail, restaurants and an upscale farmers’ market. On this day, outside the market a duo was playing bluegrass. Inside, I saw face painting and the most wonderful selection of fruits, veggies, breads, roasted nuts and other tasty delectables. While Public Television was filming a local bit, I met Clare Hawes of Fort Mill’s Monk’s Groovy Beans. They roast their coffee beans in Fort Mill and offer their scrumptious coffees here and online.

Even though we have carry packs on each machine, I refrained from making many purchases. After much contemplation, I decided on cashews warm from the roaster. Yummy.

We got back on our trusty electric steeds and headed toward one of Charlotte’s first planned communities, Myers Park. All I can say is “Wow.” The architecture of each home we passed is sigh worthy. The tree canopied streets were refreshingly cool as we traveled along to, what Dianna called the tour’s surprise, the Duke Mansion. Now an opulent bed and breakfast with meeting capabilities, we were able to walk inside and get a glimpse of a time long gone. The colorful and restful gardens in the back of the building beckoned, but too soon it was time to leave as our hour was up. I don’t think any of us wanted to go just yet.

After gliding through Latta Park and then the Fourth Ward and Marshall Park, we reluctantly turned our electric steeds over to the next tour group. It was no secret we were sorry to see our tour and the fun come to an end.

Susan Doyle of Rock Hill is a freelance writer who writes a monthly Let’s Go column in the Lake Wylie Pilot. She can be reached at keepitsimpletwo@yahoo.com.

Location: 128 E. Park Ave., Charlotte, and 401 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. (across from NASCAR Museum)

Hours: By appointment.

Phone: 704-962-4548

E-mail: info@charlottenctours.com

Cost: Segway tours start at $35 per person for one hour. Participants must be at least at least 14 years old and 100 pounds. Bike Tours start at $25 per person. Van tours start at $25, $23 for seniors, $15 for children younger than 12. Walking Tours (South End) adults, $10; seniors, $8; children 12 and younger, $5.

Online: Charlottenctours.com; commonmarketisgood.com; dukemansion.com; facebook.com/athertonmillandmarket