We are always looking for fun family adventures in our area. Rail Explorers was a huge hit! There are five locations in the nation, one being less than an hour from us in Boone, Iowa. The other locations are in New York, Kentucky and Rhode Island.

The tour we did was 12.5 miles round trip and took two hours. We thought it was the perfect length! There are tandem (two seat) bikes as well as quad (four seat) bikes. The person who sits on the right side (or back right, on a quad) is the “driver” and does most of the work, although Eric said it was minimal. That person’s pedals activate the motor, and they also control the brake when needed.

Our kids were at great ages for this activity (11 and 8). There are seat belts that secure you in, and we never once felt scared of the heights. It’s not difficult to pedal, and we actually only pedaled about half the time, so it’s not a workout, it’s more of a laid-back adventure. Infants are even allowed in chest harnesses on adults!

PRO TIPS

Bring a speaker! The rails are louder than I thought they would be — too loud to have an ongoing conversation. We brought a Bluetooth speaker to drown out some of the noise, and Taylor Swift kept us pumped up and happy the entire ride.
When you get moving, you create a good breeze. This helped us out since it was a warm summer day, but if you’re doing a sunset tour, especially in the spring or fall, I would think you’d want to bring an extra layer just in case. There is a basket on the rail bike to put all your stuff so it won’t fall out. They also provide umbrellas if it rains, or if you want shade from the sun.
Bring a snack and drink to enjoy at the halfway turnaround point. There is a basket on the rail bike to put your picnic items so they don’t fall out.
If you have seasonal allergies, I suggest taking an allergy pill before you go. My eyes were quite itchy for the next several days!

Our kids truly loved this time together as a family. On our drive home, Finch was already asking to do it again!