Scooting into Niagara-on-the-Lake’s rich history
Touring by scooter offers innovative twist to visiting local sights
Typically, visitors wanting to explore Parks Canada historic sites in Niagaraon-the-Lake rely on their feet or a car to get from one point to another.
Now, there’s another option.
Parks Canada has partnered with eSkoot Niagara to provide fun and informative tours of local historical sites from a unique vantage point – the seat of an electric bike.
“National historic sites and national parks represent some of Canada’s best places and we protect them so we can tell the stories of where we’ve come from,” said Lisa Curtis, site superintendent for Parks Canada's national historic sites in southwestern Ontario.
“When the community approaches with a new innovative idea, a twist on doing a tour, we get excited because it’s a new way to present what we have to people.”
The tours are led by a Parks Canada heritage presenter.
Stops along the way include Fort Mississauga, Butler’s Barracks, Niagara Common and Navy Hall. The tour ends at Fort George.
“We have all these hidden gems all over the place,” Curtis said. “Everybody thinks we’re just Fort George, but we’re much more than that.”
Colin Telfer, owner of eSkoot Niagara, agrees.
“You see everything from a whole different perspective and you learn much more scooting around than if you were just driving by,” he said.
Telfer said pretty well anyone can ride his “eScooters.”
“There’s maybe one in 500 people who can’t do it,” he said. “As long as you know how to ride a conventional bicycle, you can ride the scooters.”
His oldest rider was an 88-year-old woman who took the tour to celebrate her 65th wedding anniversary.
The bikes are lightweight, environmentally friendly and reach a top speed of just over 30 kilometres per hour.
The Parks Canada eScooter tours are held Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in August and September and on Saturdays only in the fall.
Space is limited and reservations are recommended. Riders must be at least 16. For further information, visit www.eskoot.com.