Segway Your Way Through The City

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Ready for a new way to see St. Louis? 

“Not only are you going to see sights, but you’re going to become a sight,” Joe Sapienza Co-Owner of Glide St. Louis Tours said.

Glide St. Louis Tours offers people a unique way in which to see St. Louis- by Segway. By hoping on the two-wheeled robotic vehicle, tourists can get an up close and personal encounter with most St. Louis sites.  Plus, the Segway offers an added bonus of being a high-tech outdoor toy for big kids that keeps people engaged in their activity.  Also, Sapienza calls the Segway an “equalizer” because people of all ages and even certain physical challenges can be “the same” while on a Segway tour.

“We really get a positive reaction from the people and cars we pass along our routes.  People wave, honk, say, ‘I wish I was doing that’ or ‘that looks so fun,’ and often take pictures of us as we ‘Glide St. Louis'," Sapienza said. “It makes our gliders feel very special and that’s what they are to us as customers, very special.”

And customers don’t just have to be out-of-towners. Glide St. Louis Tours has no special segment of people it caters too. Patrons include local St. Louisans as well as out of town visitors, sometimes some from places as far as China (Ni hao), Germany (Guten tag) and Australia (G’day mate). Tours are also offered for special events and small team builders for businesses.

"I'm doing a tour for my Birthday," Ricky Brown said. "I'm 18 today. This is really fun and easy to learn."

Like Brown, doing a tour for a birthday was why St. Louisan Joyce Spurgin first tried a Glide St. Louis tour. 

"I went kicking and screaming the first time," Spurgin said. "Now I'm over my fear and back for another tour to see more of St. Louis."

The Glide St. Louis Tours “experience” is divided into three parts. First you start with safety training and then you move on to practical training. The Segway training only lasts “as long as it takes” to get everyone comfortable with operating the Segway.

“Sharing the love of riding this unique machine with others is a blast,” Sapienza said.  “We love watching what we call ‘the  Segway smile’ blossom on people’s faces when they start to feel comfortable on the machine.”

The third part of the “experience” is the actual “glided” tour. Glide Tours St. Louis offers three different tour options. The Historic Downtown St. Louis Tour as well as the Forest Park Tour are approximately three-hour trips.  The Historic Soulard Neighborhood tour, the newest tour offering, is about a two-hour experience that ends with a dessert and beverage at the at the popular Soulard’s Restaurant.

“Obviously, just riding on a Segway is fun so there’s little to complain about there,” Sapienza said.

And obviously if you are looking to see the sites in St. Louis, a glided tour is a fun and engaging way to go.