Earn Your Wings on Asheville’s Downtown Electric Bike Tour

Whether you are visiting Asheville for the first time or a seasoned local, seeing the city through an electric bike is like no other tour. You’ll get up close and personal with multiple noteworthy points of interest while enjoying a leisurely ride on a Pedago Boomerang Plus. The Asheville Date Night team recently went on this tour. Let us walk you through, or better yet, fly you through our experience.

THE SHOP

On a sunny Sunday, we arrived at the shop 15 minutes before our ride was to leave at 1:00 PM for a group tour. Tour sizes vary from 2-7 people and on this day, it was us plus two more. We checked in, picked out our safety helmets (Jenn snagged the galaxy cats!!) and headed out to the bikes that were ready and waiting for us outside.

Brief walkthrough instruction before the takeoff.

After making a few minor adjustments to our seat height, our guide reminded us that the Pedgo Boomerang Plus is a step-through bike. It is actually the lowest step-through electric bike on the market, making it easy to mount, comfortable to ride and accessible to many more people than a traditional bike. She also reminded us that if we attempted to swing our leg over to get on and off like on a traditional bike, we may find that difficult. Needless to say, it was quite comical when I forgot to step through once…or twice. These bikes have both pedal assist and throttle power, making the hills we were to conquer as easy as driving them in a car! However, if you want to get some exercise in, you can make all the adjustments you want or, you can relax and fly along.

After practicing the basics in the parking lot, we were ready to fly our way around Asheville!

THE RIDE

Starting out on the South Slope, we slowly began our way up to our first hill. As we went, we all became more and more comfortable with our bikes and realized, there was no need to break a sweat, the bike was able to do it all for us. We traveled all the way to the Grove Arcade where we then parked our bikes and learned some great fun facts about the architecture, the history and even how Coxe Avenue went from bringing a stream to Asheville’s newest booming area.

Stop and learn about Asheville’s points of interest.

We hopped back on our bikes and went a short distance to the majestic Basilica of St. Lawrence. After our guide told us a brief history and shared how the tiled dome was created, we headed inside to see for ourselves some of the most incredible tile work in the city. Completed in 1909, this minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church is an architectural treasure of the city you don’t want to miss.

Sneak a peek inside the Basilica of St. Lawrence.

Next, we cruised the Montford neighborhood. This affluent historical district features the distinctive Black Walnut Inn, Arts and Crafts, and Colonial Revival houses.

As we pedaled or throttled our way out of Montford, we found ourselves on two of the most beautiful greenways in Asheville. First, we traveled through Reed Creek Greenway followed by Glenn’s Creek Greenway on our way to the Grove Park neighborhood. Surrounded by trees, the ride remained smooth and relaxing.

Flying through the downtown neighborhoods!

Once we learned where we were headed next, our guide told us we were about to conquer the tallest hill on the ride, the driveway up to the Grove Park Inn. This historic resort hotel, built-in 1913 on the western-facing slope of Sunset Mountain is a must-see! Lucky for us, our tour guide even shared fun facts like how Mr. Grove earned his fortune and rumors about their resident ghost. We toured the lobby and got a chance to see the incredible view of the Blue Ridge Mountains the guests and visitors alike get the opportunity to enjoy.

Epic views from the historic Grove Park Inn!

Our tour wasn’t over yet! As we left the Grove Park Inn, we continued our peaceful and sweat-free journey to Pack Square Park where the Big Crafty Craft Fair was in full swing. This community green space is where nearly every festival and city-centered event take place in Asheville and have functioned in this way since the city’s inception in 1797.

The beautiful Grove Park Inn.

As our 2.5-hour tour came to an end, we cruised our way back to the South Slope, stepped off our bikes and immediately reminisced on how this was such a captivating and enjoyable way to see many different spaces. Also, the areas and knowledge shared offered something new to both us as locals and the two Floridians riding with us.

Fly your way back through downtown.

THE DETAILS

Now you must be asking, how do YOU get to not only explore Asheville but earn your very own wings? You start by visiting The Flying Bike website. Here you will be able to book the easy-breezy 8.75-mile tour we went on, a group tour. You also can book a ride solo, by the hour, if you really want to explore the city at your own pace.

On the tour, everything you will need is included. From your helmet to fresh spring water and of course the bike! They even have ponchos stashed away on your bike! If you have kiddos, they’ll add a seat for your passenger right onto your bike! We must say, owners Torin and Alice has thought of everything. They have even laid it all out for you on their site.

www.flyingbiketours.com

If you are looking to take the journey we went on, it is offered daily at 9:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM between February 15 through December 15.

Book your tour today and be sure to tag @AshevilleDateNight so we can see how amazing your flying adventure was!

www.flyingbiketours.com
225 Coxe Avenue
Asheville NC 28801
(828) 393-0326

 

P.S. Locals, they are hiring! Learn more here.


2 Responses to “Earn Your Wings on Asheville’s Downtown Electric Bike Tour”

  1. Ali M.

    Sam and Jenn – great to have you gals on the tour! Thanks for including The Flying Bike as a date night suggestion! Another option that I think locals will really enjoy is renting the bikes to explore on their own.

    Reply
    • Jenn Gordon

      Hey Ali! Yup, we mentioned that at the bottom of this piece but would love the opportunity to elaborate more on that in a follow-up feature. I’ve been noticing the blue flying bikes all over downtown and it makes me so excited to see such a unique business doing well. Keep up the good ya’ll, cheers!

      Reply

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