Looking for something adventurous to do in Minneapolis during the 80º weather spike this weekend? Travel and learn about the Stone Arch Bridge, Gold Medal Park, and Boom & Nicollet Island on a Human On A Stick Segway Tour.
Perfect for families or groups, Human On A Stick Segway tours take you out and show you around the historic– and most beautiful– parts of Minneapolis.
If you are looking for something a bit spookier this October, we are also offering walking, guided ghost tours starting this Saturday, October 10. Real Ghost Tours are 90 minutes and run Friday and Saturday nights from 7 p.m.-1 a.m., with a Sunday kid’s tour (8+) from 1-6 p.m.
Real Ghost Tours combine stories, history, and participatory ghost-hunting into one 90-minute interactive experience. The tour takes place around the buildings of St. Anthony Main–– the oldest buildings in Minneapolis–– as well as the Pillsbury A Mill, the Soap Factory, and other places rich with interesting and paranormal history.
Although summer has come to an end and the colors of the leaves are slowly morphing into beauty, Human On A Stick Segway Tours remain open until November 15, 2020, or until there’s snow or ice on the ground.
That being said, another week of Segway tours means another week to honor one of our excellent tour guides. This week’s guide is just as old as the Segway tours.
Sam Neuenschwander, son of Human On A Stick Owner Bill Neuenschwander, has Segways in his blood. In fact, Neuenschwander was the youngest staff to ride a Segway–– he first rode one at one years old.
“The one year old Segway rider rumor is true, it’s just not as cool as it sounds,” says Neuenschwander. “I was just sitting on the Segway pad between your feet, and my dad pushed me around with the handle bars.”
Young Neuenschwander grew up in Bloomington, MN and is currently a senior at Minnetonka High School. His college plan is to “find one and graduate from it.”
In addition to being a helper guide on Segway tours, this summer he’s taken on more responsibilities through his role with our Six Foot Bubble™ socially-distanced, walking tours.
Neuenschwander explains his ‘claim to fame’ is that he edited and pieced together all the audio narrative, sound effects, and music together for Six Foot Bubble™ Tours’ audio element.
“My favorite part about working on tours is when you add something and it really makes it spark, like the music at the Minneapolis Walker Sculpture Garden, or the sound effects at Irvine Park,” says Neuenschwander.
Other than audio production, he also enjoys archery, camping, snowboarding, movies and food.
Catch Sam on a tour this fall. Book now at www.humanonastick.com or call 952-888-9200.
Take a Human On A Stick Segway Tour to see Minnesota’s fall colors like you never have before
Fall is back in Minnesota and already it’s ‘leafing’ its mark on the wonderful nature views we have here in the Twin Cities.
Everyone who is from the midwest knows that autumn is a lovely time of the year. Those states with no seasons pine for a trip to places like Minnesota to experience the crisp and colorful months of September through November.
As longtime Minnesota residents, us at Human On A Stick know when and where to see the most vibrant colors–– and our insider recommendation is to see them from a guided Segway tour.
Many folks believe they have to venture out of the city to see the colors of fall. While Greater MN is beautiful this time of year, the colors are just as vibrant in the city– perhaps even more so as they contrast with the bustling landscape of the metro.
Without having to leave Minneapolis, a unique and fun way to soak up all the oranges, yellows, and reds of Minnesota’s most significant season is by taking a fall colors Segway tour with Human On A Stick!
As you can see above, we are approaching the season of peak fall colors in MN. The best dates to book a tour this fall are September 26 through October 17, but of course this is flexible as nature has a mind of her own.
Take a fall colors Segway tour with your family before the Segways hibernate for the long winter months. We are open everyday until November 15 (or unless there’s snow/ice on the ground).
Click here to book a Segway tour today, or call 952-888-9200 to schedule a tour with someone from our team.
This week’s delivery of the Tour Guide of the Week series takes us back to the golden year of 2013, when Jim Berdahl joined the Human On A Stick Segway team.
Seven years in heaven! A lot has changed for the world and for Human On A Stick since 2013, but Berdahl’s loyal commitment is one thing that has stayed consistent for the past seven years.
Berdahl graduated in 1968 from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a major in speech and minor in English. He planned to become a teacher, but changed course when he found out he was going to be drafted into the Army.
After applying to the Officer Candidate School for the Navy, he served two years on Active Duty and another 21 years as a Navy Reservist in Minneapolis.
Veteran Tour Guide Berdahl guides the Magical History Tour, our most popular Segway tour that takes riders through beautiful Minneapolis.
The Magical History Tour is Berdahl’s favorite tour, but he says he sincerely enjoys them all.
“Any of the Segway tours are such a wonderful and unique way for people to be outside, experience something new and fun, and easily stay socially distanced from each other,” says Berdahl. “It’s really a win-win!”
In retirement Berdahl has given amazing Segway tours every year since 2013, and he loves the experience!
“I truly enjoy meeting all of the people who are guests on the tour,” comments Berdahl. “And who doesn’t love a job where you can be outside, ride on a Segway, meet new people, and work with some very interesting and enthusiastic people of all ages.”
Berdahl was a featured tour guide when Human On A Stick was on WCCO TV, so be sure to check out the video on our Vimeo page.
Human On A Stick has been giving Segway tours for almost 20 years, so we are pretty much experts on the topic. Many of our customers have their first Segway experience with us, and often want to continue their adventure in other cities. After being asked many times what we recommend in other tours, we decided to write these tips for what to look for when finding the perfect Segway tour for you and your family.
Group of Segway riders at the Minneapolis Walker Sculpture Garden!
1) You Want a Guided Tour – Not Self-Guided or Open Rental
Our first tip when finding a Segway tour is finding a tour that is led by a guide. There are many reasons to want a tour guide, but here are just three:
Safety: A guide or, better yet, guides, not only point out the tour content, but instruct you of any problems or obstacles you might encounter during the tour. If anything goes wrong, they are there to help you and make sure you stay safe.
Tour Experience: A seasoned guide can really make the difference in bringing a rich, knowledgeable, interactive experience to any tour. Not only can guides deliver informative and charming anecdotes, they will try to crack their best jokes to make you have a great time.
The Guidance: Who wants to read a map and decipher your way around an unfamiliar route? A good tour company does the discovery for you and shares with you the hidden gems that often are missed by the locals.
2) Safety First – Find a Place that Prioritizes Safety
This is kind of a given. Of course you want you and your family to be as safe as possible on your Segway adventure, which can definitely be intimidating for beginners. The only thing to help people get over their initial fear is intensive safety training and Segway practice led by a professional tour guide.
Human On A Stick follows strict safety guidelines to ensure that families stay safe and have a great tour, but many tour companies don’t take these measures. We suggest prioritizing your family’s safety and doing the research to find a tour that does too!
3) High Tour Guide to Guest Ratio
Another important thing to look out for regarding safety is the customer to tour guide ratio. The more riders there are, the more tour guides there should be to ensure that every rider is accounted for and taken care of. Human On A Stick has a 3:1 rider to tour guide ratio, because that extra labor is worth it to us to make sure no rider is left behind. Many tours have a lower ratio, so be sure to check on that before you embark on your adventure.
4) Engaging Tour Content
The third tip from us is to find a Segway tour with engaging content. You want to have fun, right? Some would say this is the most important part! Do your research. Find areas you want to explore. Ask yourself these questions: Where does the tour route go? Is it a historic area? What will I learn? Is it just a joy ride?
If you won’t learn something new or exciting then it might not be the best tour for you. Reading through the company’s website is a great way to discover where they can take you and what secrets of the city you will learn www.humanonastick.com
5) Customer Testimonials
What’s a better way to learn if the tour is good than by hearing from past customers? Everyone needs to know that the Segway tour was well-enjoyed by previous families and groups to be sure that they will enjoy it too! TripAdvisor– Human On A Stick is #1!–, Google Reviews, and Facebook Reviews are great places to hear testimonials and experiences from those past customers. Videos can be great resources too!
6) Store Location
The last tip regards the place you will first meet your Segway chariot, and where you will send your bitter farewells: the retail store location. A good retail location offers benefits to the customer. It is important that it has good amenities, like a clean restroom before a long tour, is comfortable and tidy, and has nearby attractions like restaurants, bars, and other things to see.
Human On A Stick is located right along the Mississippi River next to the historic St. Anthony Main Theatre and Aster Cafe. Walkable distance to the Stone Arch Bridge and countless yummy restaurants. Come say hi at 125 SE Main Street, Minneapolis, MN.
7) Good Company Policies
A) Refund Option: If you are unable to take the tour for an honest reason and communicated that, the Segway company you tour with should have strong cancellation policies and refund options.
B) Weather Policy: What will the company do if its lightening? Will you be able to reschedule the tour? These are questions that a good tour company can help you with.
C) Segway Driver’s Licenses: If you had a successful Segway tour, the best tour company will offer you a hilarious driver’s license, like this one we offer:
This week’s Tour Guide of the Week is someone who has given top-notch Segway tours with Human On A Stick since June 2012: Michael Rainville, Jr.
A history undergraduate with a museum studies graduate certificate from St. Thomas University, Rainville is an extremely knowledgeable tour guide with a deep-rooted connection to Minneapolis.
“I grew up in Northeast Minneapolis, just a few blocks away from the Mississippi River, and my family has been in the same neighborhood since 1860,” comments Rainville. “I definitely feel a personal connection to the area and its history.”
Rainville is currently pursuing a MA in art history, and is in the early stages of writing his master thesis on the Grain Belt and Schmidt breweries of the Twin Cities and their architecture.
It is his passion for local history that drove him to research and write the script for the Northeast Minneapolis Tour along with some help from his father, Michael Rainville, Sr., who collaborated on this tour.
The Northeast Minneapolis Tour is a walking tour with engaging audio-narration equipment offered through Six Foot Bubble™ Tours.
“I have always enjoyed learning about our past, especially in a local sense,” explains Rainville. “From finding cool historic photographs to rediscovering interesting stories, I love uncovering our city’s and state’s secrets.”
Rainville hopes to establish himself in the museum world in the future. Now he writes for the history column of the Mill City Times; read his articles here.
To pick Rainville’s brain about local history, book a Segway tour with him here, or take his Northeast Minneapolis Tour–– coming September 2020. Call 952-888-9200 for any questions.
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Mobile Entertainment, known for Human on a Stick– the first Segway tour operator in the U.S. and Minnesota’s top-rated tourist attraction for over 10 years, is launching unique walking tours with professionally-authored and voiced storytelling technology.
Mobile Entertainment adds walking tours in a new tour series, Six Foot Bubble™ Tours, officially launching on July, 17. Six Foot Bubble™ is pioneering tours for a socially-distanced world with innovative audio equipment so groups can still enjoy learning more about wonderful Minneapolis and Saint Paul together.
For the first time, in addition to being led by a professional Mobile Entertainment tour guide, tourists will be guided by audio narration, either via headphones or a small speaker, produced to make listeners feel like they are reliving history, while keeping a safe distance from those outside their “bubble.” Local celebrities, including the architectural historian and former Pioneer Press critic Larry Millett, have collaborated with Mobile Entertainment to produce a lively and informative narration for these tours.
“The idea behind Six Foot Bubble™ is basically to make something good out of a bad situation,” says Mobile Entertainment Founder Bill Neuenschwander. “We want people to still be able to enjoy the rich history and views of the phenomenal areas of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, while keeping themselves and their families safe.”
There are six new routes that are part of the Six Foot Bubble™ Tours, all with a digital storytelling feature with narrators from unique and distinctive backgrounds. Kicking off the series is a tour of Irvine Park, the first neighborhood in Saint Paul. This tour will guide guests through the heritage preservation district of Irvine Park as well as other nearby landmarks within the broader West Seventh neighborhood, including the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Mississippi Upper Landing.
The six Six Foot Bubble™ Tours include:
Saint Paul Irvine Park
Walker Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and Loring Park
Northeast Minneapolis
Minneapolis Riverfront
Saint Paul Cathedral Hill and Summit Avenue
Minnesota State Capitol Grounds
The remaining tours will be offered throughout the summer. Visit our tours page for complete information, dates, and tour registration.
Mobile Entertainment started in 2003 when we launched Human on a Stick at the Minnesota State Fair, making us the first Segway tour operator in the United States. As our Magical History Segway Tour of Minneapolis grew in popularity, so did we. We have been Minnesota’s top-rated tourist attraction for over 10 years! In addition to the new Six Foot Bubble™ Tours, Human on a Stick is still giving Segway tours with increased health and safety measures during this time.
We wanted to take this time to illustrate everything we are and what we can offer you. So here is a little about ME!
Mobile Entertainment history started with the ‘Segway Revolution.’ Since no one in the United States yet offered Segway rides, we didn’t quite know how widespread this revolution would become. We did know that the experience of the Segway self-balancing technology was a unique and entertaining way to spend 2-3 hours––if you had more to offer than a joy ride.
So Mobile Entertainment Owner and Founder Bill Neuenschwander bought a fleet of Segways and basically had to figure out what to do with them.
In 2003, Neuenschwander launched Human On A Stick, the first in the country to offer Segway tours. We opened our store’s doors on St. Anthony Main along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2004, and have been there ever since––drop by and say hello sometime!
The Segway tours really took off with our amazing Magical History Tour of Minneapolis and the encapsulating Minneapolis Walker Sculpture Garden Tour. You can still take one of these tours today at www.humanonastick.com or by calling 952-888-9200.
In 2009 and then again in 2010 we picked up two other companies: The Fit Tourist and Real Ghost Tours. This summer 2020, we launched a new tour series called Six Foot Bubble™ Tours.
With all of the companies that Mobile Entertainment owns and operates, we collectively offer walking, biking, ghost, and audio narration-guided tours in addition to our famous Segway tours.
Call 952-888-9200 to create your perfect tour experience with us today!
