With our last trip down to Tennessee, I wanted to jam in as much activities as I could since my boys are getting older and are closer to not being able to go on all our family vacations. Since its an easy drive we do it straight through but this time we decided to make a stop on the way home because I found something crazy. One day while browsing online I saw an ad about Rail Explorers. I was definitely curious about how one would ride the rails safely!
Well, Rail Explorers uses a pedal-powered vehicle that rides on railroad tracks on rails with the permission of the railroad, so no need to worry about oncoming trains. They have locations across the United States and you can either choose a Tandem Explorer or Quad Explorer. Since I booked late I was only able to book two Tandem Explorers for me and my daughter and then my teen boys in the other. My husband unfortunately was forced to go to some distilleries in the area since he couldn’t go!
Our trip was based out of Bluegrass, Kentucky and was a 10-mile round trip ride that passed by Wild Turkey Distillery and Young’s High Bridge built in 1889. If you have never been to the area, it is beautiful and so unlike the craziness of the city and suburbs, we are used to.
Was I worried about getting tired or not keeping up?
Nope! The explorers use a custom-built electric assist motor which means you pedal a little and then the motor will kick in. There are brakes of course as well but the whole point is to just cruise and enjoy the scenery. You cannot pass anyone so there is no point in rushing. My daughter and I had a great time looking around and just being amazed that we were riding on train tracks! I will saw that parts of our tracks were behind people’s backyards which was a little awkward and we did have to cross a small intersection but there was a guide to make sure we did so safely.
Honestly, Rail Explorers was something I never knew I wanted to do but is on my list for when we visit new places that have them. It was such a cool and unique experience that until you do it you don’t realize what it really is. I highly recommend riding these at least once wherever you can find them, but I can say I am definitely visiting more of these in my future.
Check out Rail Explorers
Visit the Rail Explorers website to see the closest stop to you or somewhere you will be. We made a small detour on our road trip for us and it was worth it so keep that mind if you are traveling as well!
