Taking a Ride on the Magic Carpet Glide
When you live in a particular area for a certain period of time, you begin to take the things and places around you for granted. We’ve lived in the Tampa Bay area for nearly a decade, and up until earlier this year, neither of us knew that there was such a thing as a “Segway tour”, or that it was available within our city. Thanks to the fine folks at Magic Carpet Glide, we now know better.
Magic Carpet Glide is located in Channelside, near the Tampa Bay Aquarium. It’s easy to miss the building, so we were instructed to meet in the pavilion area of the Channelside mall. Within minutes, we were welcomed and greeted by Bobby, who would serve double duty as our Segway sensei and tour guide.
After a few other members of our tour arrived, we selected our helmets and were given a good primer on the do’s and don’ts of operating a Segway.
The building’s interior was pretty sparse – resembling a warehouse. On one side of the wall were several Segways, along with various safety helmets neatly organized. The back of the building was buffered by clusters of boxes arranged in a half-circle configuration. It was here where we first mounted our Segways and took them for a spin. It was a bit disconcerting at first, but within a minute, we were both acclimated to our new “rides”.
Within minutes of riding the Segway, Aarti and I were riding up and down like pros. Bobby took our group on a nearly 2 hour tour (with various stopping points) from Channelside to the University of Tampa and back again. The weather was absolutely spectacular, providing the right amount of sun and breeze to make for an enjoyable afternoon.
Bobby was enthusiastic and engaging, and did a great job guiding us around the city. We slalomed around trees and dashed through the straightaways on the River Walk. We made brief stops at several areas throughout the tour, to take in the sights and snap a few photos, like the panorama below.
Our tour reached its midpoint at the University of Tampa campus. We cruised through the streets and hills, as students walking to and from class looked on. The U of T campus is every bit as beautiful as the photos I’ve seen of it. We parked our Segways and had a chance to go inside one of the campus buildings. Sitting down never felt so good.
We rode through the city back towards Channelside, where Bobby gave our group 15 minutes or so to just cut loose and ride the Segways around the park. A few things to keep in mind: Riding the Segway is seriously fun. It’s also a good workout for your calve muscles, so be prepared. My calves were sore after we finished the tour – but I didn’t mind one bit because the smile on both our faces more than made up for it. It was definitely an experience of a lifetime, one that I will not soon forget.
Thanks to Magic Carpet Glide, we’ve rediscovered the beauty that is the city of Tampa, and we are better for it. Magic Carpet Glide strongly recommends that riders are at least 13 years of age. If you have little kids, you’ll want to leave them at home. The tour runs $65 per person for a 2 hour tour, or $55 for a 1.5 hour tour. Pro tip: check out the Groupon deals that MCG runs – you’ll save a couple of bucks that way. Aarti and I scored our tickets for about $36 per person.
Both Aarti and I really enjoyed our Segway tour and we definitely have plans to go back again. Magic Carpet Glide gets the coveted 5 Bob Weiner Certificate of Awesomeness.
-Krishna
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