History And Fun On A Segway Tour In Port Dalhousie Ontario
We learned some history and had a lot of fun on our Segway tour in Port Dalhousie in Ontario. It was our first time on a Segway but we learned quickly. We enjoyed moving at a good pace and seeing more around the area. It certainly emboldened us to try a Segway tour of other areas on our future travels.
Learning To “Cruise” On A Segway
We met up with Guillaume from Niagara Segway in the parking lot at Jaycee Gardens Park in St Catherines. He unloaded the Segways and we got our first close up. We then spent about 20 minutes getting some education on how to properly ride the Segways.
We found it easier to ride the Segway than we thought. Although stopping and staying in one place while Guillaume shared some local history took a bit of practice. Luckily we did our Segway tour in Port Dalhousie mid-week and there were no big crowds on the walkways. But even then, we moved cautiously when others came into view.
A few tips ….
1) Moving The Segway
We learned how to move (forward and backwards), stop, turn, stand still and how to get on and off the Segway. The open area of the parking lot was a perfect open space to practice.
2) Staying Stable
We were reminded to always keep our hands on the Segway with a firm grip. Both feet were set firmly apart. We put our stuff in our backpacks and never tried to carry anything in one hand while moving. To take pics, we always stopped.
3) Dress Properly
We wore good running shoes and were glad we did. It provided us with a firm base and absorbed some of the bumps for the longer ride we did.
4) Staying Safe
We stayed on solid and even ground. We learned not to make abrupt maneuvers that might tip over the Segway. When we crossed roads, we walked the Segway.
It was important to always stay alert, look and think ahead. We watched for others on the paths and knew we needed to give way. And we were conscious of the fact that the wheels stick out so we were wider than we thought. Nobody was moving out of our way!
Historical Facts Informed Our Segway Tour In Port Dalhousie
The Welland Canal in Ontario runs for 44.4 km (27.6 miles) between the Great Lakes of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Eight locks move ships down the 100-metre (327-foot) difference in elevation between the two lakes.
Port Dalhousie was originally the terminus for the first three (19th century) routes of the Welland Canal (built in 1820, 1845 and 1889). The locks at the time were small and built of wood. The original 26 locks of Welland Canal was replaced with the current Welland Canal in 1930. This made the locks at Port Dalhousie obsolete. Today there is a park that was once the 3rd lock and some abandoned locks and mechanical features.
Martindale Pond was created during the original dam construction. Today Martindale Pond is the Henley rowing course. It is used for rowing training for local clubs and schools teams. And is the site for the Royal Henley Regatta.
We learned all about the history of this area on our Segway tour in Port Dalhousie in Ontario.
Riding In The Parks And Along The Waterfront
We got our our Segways and headed off from Jaycee Gardens Park. There were multiple paths in the park. In single file, we played follow the leader with Guillaume.
We came to the long pedestrian bridge over the Martindale Park. We made sure the bridge was empty and headed along in single file.
On the other side we came out in Rennie Park and took the path that led to Lakeport Road. Dismounting, we crossed at the traffic light and followed the path on the other side. We turned in at the pier and headed out towards the Inner and Outer Range Lighthouses. The Inner Range Lighthouses had a unique octangle shape and cedar shingles. We stopped to rest and admired the view.
We enjoyed the experience travelling through the parks and waterways on our Segway tour in Port Dalhousie.
Iconic Sights At Lakeside Park On Segway Tour In Port Dalhousie
When we returned from the waterfront, we headed to Lakeside Park. At one time, this area was a large amusement park that welcomed over one million people per year. We passed by the open-air Neil Peart Pavilion. This was dedicated to the Canadian drummer and lyricist Neil Peart from the rock band Rush. His song lyrics talk about growing up in Port Dalhousie.
Our second stop in Lakeside Park was at the Lakeside Park Carousel. This iconic carousel was carved by Charles I. D. Looff and installed in St. Catharines in 1921. The colourful horses going around the carousel made us smile.
We continued our ride through the park to the beach. And we got another view back to the Inner and Outer Range Lighthouses.
Our stop at Lakeside Park on our Segway tour in Port Dalhousie brought back some of the history of this area.
Other Sights Along Our Route
Heading back towards the parking lot, we made several stops at sights along the way. We smiled when we realized we again travelled on the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail. This trail went along the Great Lakes in Ontario for over 3,600 km (2,235 miles). On many of our day trips in Ontario, we did other sections of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail. But never on Segway!
We passed a small brick building. This was a very old jail building. In the days when Port Dalhousie was a major port, there was a need for a local jail.
We crossed back into Rennie Park and saw the Benevolence Hiroshima Monument. And then found 2 statues celebrating the history of rowing on Martindale Pond. The Spirit of St Catharines was a rower. And the Heavy Eight Sculpture represented the rowing format of “an eight with its coxswain”.
It was interesting to see another facet of the history of the area on our Segway tour in Port Dalhousie.
An Interesting Segway Tour In Port Dalhousie Ontario
We were very glad we booked a Segway tour in Port Dalhousie. We learned a lot about this area in Ontario on our tour. And we sure had a lot of fun on the Segway. We were glad we got a good lesson on how to ride the Segway properly. And felt confident we could try it again on another tour.
Have you done a Segway tour before? Would you want to do the Segway tour in Port Dalhousie?
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I’ve never tried a Segway before. This looks so fun, especially the pic where you went over the water. Wow!
We were not sure how we would find the Segways. But it was a fun and much faster way to explore.
Looks like you had such a great time !
It was fun to get out for a Segway tour close to home.
I would LOVE to do a Segway tour – looks like you had perfect weather.
We always wanted to try a Segway tour. Fun to try one close to home in Port Dalhousie.
Oooh I am another one who has never tried a Segway – I didn’t know you need to get off to cross roads etc… but it makes sense if you’re doing it safely. Now you know how, would you take another Segway tour, or is cycling more fun!?
Port Dalhousie looks like a lovely area with or without a Segway!
We would definitely do another Segway tour. But I might be a bit more cautious if I was in a big and crowded city. But I think that may be true for a cycling tour too. But I would definitely do both on as fun ways to tour an area.
I’ve never tried a Segway before, and I think I would be a bit nervous, but I’m glad you had a great time! it looks like such a fun way to explore!
I was a bit nervous when I started. But once I got the hang of moving the Segway it felt much better. We did indeed have a fun time.
You looked totally at home on your Segways; well done! I appreciated your tips as when I had the choice of scooter or Segway in Poland, I chose a scooter each time. Now I feel encouraged to give them a try. Thank you for such an informative post.
Once we got the hang of it, we had a lot of fun exploring the Port Dalhousie area by Segway. A fun way to cover a lot of ground.
I’ve always wondered about the Segway tours, this is informative thank you – might event try 😀
We too had wondered about Segway tours. This was a “safe” spot to try it when we went mid-week in a less crowded area. We learned a lot about how to ride the Segway and in the end felt comfortable as we explored around Port Dalhousie.
I never ridden this vehicle before but it does intrigue me. I see a lot of these tours in Washington DC as it is a fast way to travel on the National Mall. Did your guide also talk about the history of the area? Did he use a microphone?
We got a good history tour of the area around Port Dalhousie on our Segway tour. Our guide stopped regularly to give us more information.
We’ve never done Segway tours in a city, just in a resort area. Looks like a fun change of pace for a tour to learn more about the cities history.
Our first Segway tour in Port Dalhousie would definitely give us the confidence to try another one.
Hi. I have not done a Segway tour yet. i am a little afraid. Your tour looks fantastic.
I was a bit concerned when we booked our Segway tour and were so happy it turned out so well.
I’ve never done a segway tour but this looks like so much fun! Especially on a nice sunny day. I didn’t realize segways could go on sand, that’s so nice!
We were amazed at how well the Segway moved on all different terrains. It was the perfect way to do a tour around Port Dalhousie.
I have attempted riding a Segway, but I have not yet participated in a Segway tour. It appears to be a fun way to explore the area quickly compared to walking. I hope to have the opportunity to try it out in the future. Thank you for sharing!
I like doing our first Segway tour in a less crowded area. It gave us some time to gain confidence.
Love this. We did this in Cyprus, the only time I have tried it. I was a little nervous at first but got the hang of it pretty quick. It’s a fun way to see sights, and you guys really saw some good ones.
I always wanted to try a Segway tour but was worried about crowds. So it was fun to try it to tour Port Dalhousie and get the feel for how easy it was.
Ya’ll are so cute, I love your first picture. And I love that you did a Segway tour! I’ve always wanted to do one. They look a little silly but they also seem like they’d be a ton of fun. DC used to have them but not anymore, so I guess I need to head to Ontario to try one out!
We have seen Segway tours in many places and wanted to try one. So when we got this opportunity, it was a perfect spot to try a Segway to tour around Port Dalhousie.
A Segway tour is such a lovely idea to explore the area, especially when the mileage is huge! Thank you for sharing this idea!
We loved our Segway tour to see more around the Port Dalhousie area.
I have just realized that I haven’t done a Segway Tour anywhere around the world. Most of them in Europe take place in big cities, so crowds on the streets do not inspire me to try, but travelling through the parks and waterways is a different story! Port Dalhousie looks like such a perfect place for the first time!
The crowds in cities might stop me from doing Segway tours too – even with a little practice in advance. But our tour around Port Dalhousie by Segway was perfect.