Segway tour of Newport

The historic old quarter of Newport, Rhode Island, is fairly compact and easy to walk around. If you want to see the famous mansions of Bellevue Avenue or the scenic Ocean Drive then you will need to:

- Have your own vehicle/bike
- Go on a tour
- Accommodate half a day for walking.

Or, you could go on a Segway tour, which is what I got to do.

So much fun – Segway tour of Newport along Ocean Drive.

Segway’s are remarkable vehicles to ride. I thought it would operate like a motorbike, but accelerating and braking is actually controlled with the feet. The handle bar is used for steering and a place to rest your hands when riding. The Segways can reach 12 miles an hour, which doesn’t sound like much, though it seems faster when you are just standing and not exerting yourself. It is a bizarrely fun sensation.

There are 2 Newport tours available: The Historic Newport Mansion Tour and the Scenic Ocean Drive Tour. I was already familiar with the mansions so I opted for the Ocean Drive tour. This tour covers Ocean Drive going out and via Bellevue Avenue on the way back. That basically covers the very best of Newport.

The Ocean Drive tour is mostly Segway riding as there is a fair amount of distance to cover. We stopped at historic mansions and scenic lookouts along the way, but the tour is mostly riding. This was ideal as everyone just wanted to ride as much as possible.

The tour goes for just under 2 hours and it’s a great way to see the highlights of Newport.

Trip Notes: Thanks to Segway of Newport and Go Newport.