Jacksonville = historic, quaint, friendly town in Southern Oregon. Seventeen miles northwest of Ashland, it takes us about half an hour (maybe a little more) to drive to this former gold rush town.
Segways = newfangled (well, not so new) contraptions run by computers that read your body language in order to go forward.
Jackonsville + Segway tour = awesome outing. Better than peanut butter and chocolate. Guided tours of Jacksonville, Oregon are led by Segway of Jacksonville, a locally owned and locally operated business. In addition to tours, they also sell Segways.
You steer a Segway by leaning. You go faster by rocking onto your toes. You slow down by rocking back on your heels. Your brain and the machine’s computer seem to merge after awhile. Then you get to enjoy the narrated tour and the stares from other tourists and visiting school groups.
My article about taking a tour of Jacksonville on one of these contraptions appeared in the Sunday Oregonian.
You can read it on-line here.
But you can’t Segway in the snow. So if you’re coming to Southern Oregon in the winter when it’s snowing or sleeting, I recommend you consider going skiing or snowshoeing at Crater Lake instead.
Published: December 21, 2009
Last update: January 28, 2020
Alexandra Grabbe says
I look forward to reading your article. I’ve always thought it would be fun to ride a segway.
Alisa Bowman says
The barn door is my favorite of the pictures. I’ve never been on a segue. They seem to have taken off in some industries (warehouses, disney world etc) but not among regular every day folks. I still prefer the old fashioned bicycle I think.
Jennifer Haupt says
This looks like such a fun idea, especially with kids! THanks, Jennifer. Happy New Year – Jen