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    Wheels on Rails

    4.4 (54 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

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    Howard L.

    My wife recently surprised me by taking me here. This adventure has been going on for a couple of years and it's brought a lot of attention. We took the hour tour and it did feel really quick. Believe it or not in that time you cover about a mile and a half. You get to ride along the rails until they tell you to stop and then they have a machine where they flip all the trains around. I personally thought that they were two person trains but in fact they were four person trains. It was truthfully pretty pricey it should have been a bit cheaper for the experience. The staff was really nice educate us on some great history of the railroad. They even took her photos too!, Overall, I did enjoy my time here!

    It was fun! Enjoyable ride and a neat way to preserve the local rail space. Good for all ages. You are in the sun--bring a hat, water and sunscreen in the summer

    View from the rail bike.
    Tim F.

    The concept is good, the scenery is pretty good, the pedal ride bike is great. Very easy I'm sure anyone could pedal no matter what age. This is their 3rd year and said they just renewed rail lease for another 3 years. My hope is they would be able to enhance the experience in some way. I don't typically ask for cheesy attractions but this could use a little something maybe an ice cream/gift shop in the middle. I did notice I nice brook along the way maybe enhance this view etc. Was just a little lack luster.

    Liz D.

    I enjoyed the concept but the seats were not comfortable, in fact, the back broke on a chair in our car which could not be fixed. Our friend had to go sit elsewhere which left the 3 of us to pedal back up the hill. All good but it would've been more fun to have her with us. I thought the price was alittle extreme since they have really no overhead costs. They are only paying a few employees a few hours on the weekends. It was fun to be outdoors, it was something no one in our group of 8 had done before & any age can do it. Give it a try!!!

    Daniel was an awesome leader! A nice autumn ride. Enjoyed the recumbent seats. A great time.

    Angela D.

    Easy to schedule. Friendly staff. Check in process was very easy. This is very well organized. Everything is explained at the beginning. We are fortunate to have had the best weather to do this. Fun little excursion.

    Great time with family. The Wheels on Rails team was helpful and made the entire experience great. Cannot wait to do it again.

    A view from the back bike of all the riders on the track
    Laurie R.

    On our recent family trip to Traverse City, we chose the one-hour Wheels on Rails excursion. To accommodate both younger and older participants, we selected the shorter option but the longer option would have also been very doable. This is designed to be an enjoyable and relaxing ride not a fast and crazy thrill ride. I was impressed by the ease of pedaling the rail bikes, which accommodated four people per car, and the relatively flat terrain. Each rider can choose to pedal or glide and let the other riders do the hard work or maybe take turns. The journey involved crossing two main roads, where our guides effectively managed traffic flow, ensuring a safe passage. Upon reaching the halfway point, we disembarked and the guides gave us some great information on the custom-designed rail bikes and the history of the tracks. They then used a large lazy Susan type turning device to reverse the direction of each bike. The return journey was enjoyable and relaxing, with our enhanced understanding of the tracks' history allowing us to appreciate the notable landmarks highlighted by the guides. This is a fun and relaxing experience ideal for all age groups. The kids, ages 6 and 9, really enjoyed it as well as the parent and grandparents.

    The colors in september were so pretty! Our tour guides were awesome!! We had so much fun!

    Proof of bad weather

    Very disappointed in this company. While their website says rain or shine, I was given 10 minutes notice that the tour was happening in terrweather, although i started contacting them 90 minutes prior. They were unwilling to rebook me or give me any concession. I'm out $236 . I'm taking this experience off my bucket list.

    Wheels on rails "bike"

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    2 years ago

    Great experience. The crew was very knowledgeable about the rails and had our backs on safety

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    2 years ago

    Great tour. Friendly, knowledgeable guides. They were super sweet to our screaming 2 year old who calmed down and loved the ride!

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    2 years ago

    Way too expensive at $50 per person. Would not recommend. There wasn't much to see and the return trip is up hill. We were all disappointed

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Wheels on Rails

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    Wind Dancer Traverse City Tours - On board

    Wind Dancer Traverse City Tours

    5.0(11 reviews)
    8.0 mi

    I visited from out of town with my wife, and we wanted to enjoy Lake Michigan in the best way…read morepossible - by boat! We have never been on a sailboat before, so it was a neat experience to watch our excellent crew unfurl the sails and get us out onto the Lake on the very last day of their season! Even cooler was the fact that they let me and some other guests pull the sails up at the start of the tour!! The views were unbeatable, and the crew did a great job of keeping us safe and entertained throughout the tour. Great drink selection and the snack boxes (some cheese, cherries, and crackers) as well as the lunch wraps were great for our couple hours on the water. I would definitely do this again when in town, or recommend to others who want to spend an exhilarating but serene afternoon on the water.

    Captain Nate and Captain Mark took such great care of our book club! We took a girls trip to…read moreTraverse City and this was the highlight of our trip. We loved the drinks and snacks and conversation. Both Nate and Mark were knowledgeable and friendly and made us feel 100% at ease on the boat. We got some fun history of the boat and area as well good recommendations for the rest of our trip. These 2 guys have recently bought the boat and tour business with another owner and they are doing a great job with their new business! Captain Nate even talked to us about books- which as a book club girls trip was 10/10!!

    Photos
    Wind Dancer Traverse City Tours - Blue Angels on the Bay Specialty Sail - July 2-3 2002

    Blue Angels on the Bay Specialty Sail - July 2-3 2002

    Wind Dancer Traverse City Tours - Awe of Leelanau Guided eBike Tour

    Awe of Leelanau Guided eBike Tour

    Wind Dancer Traverse City Tours - Farm-to-fork Artisan Meal

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    Farm-to-fork Artisan Meal

    The River Outfitters - we deliver to your cottage or rental

    The River Outfitters

    4.7(53 reviews)
    6.1 mi

    The staffperson working yesterday (Sunday) was very nice, but the rental bikes were not in good…read morecondition. My wife and I each rented hybrids, and it took me several tries to find a bike that seemed functional. Multiple had loose front wheels that wouldn't tighten, but after a few attempts the attendant was able to get one tightened. Sizing and fitting aren't really part of the process -- this was more of a "just pick whatever bike you want" situation. Soon after we left, I realized that my tires were underinflated, so we had to go back for air. And midway through our ride, huffing and puffing to maintain speed, we realized that most of the brakes were rubbing -- both wheels on my bike, and the front wheel on my wife's. At $40 for a half day per bike, this was a disappointing experience. If you're looking for a rental bike to bum around for a few hours, this might be fine, but if you want to go for a real ride I'd recommend renting elsewhere, or making sure that River Outfitters improves their maintenance practices.

    WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND! Short version of the story: We rented out bikes and stopped at Hotel Indigo…read morefor a drink and parked our bikes out front. Hotel Indigo rented out our bikes to some of their guests so they were gone when we came downstairs. It was the last night of our trip and so we couldn't get the bikes back from the hotel to return them. The hotel said they would drop them off and didn't. The River Outfitters actually went to the hotel and retrieved the bikes for us and didn't charge us anything for going over time or the inconvenience after hearing our story. They were super understanding! I wish more companies would treat their customers like this.

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    The River Outfitters - Boardman River trips

    Boardman River trips

    The River Outfitters
    The River Outfitters

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    The Dempsey Manor - Really cool nooks for display of artifacts in the dining room.

    The Dempsey Manor

    5.0(5 reviews)
    42.8 mi

    Stop what you're doing and book a stay at the Dempsey Manor. It's an old Victorian home that has…read morepassed hands a few times, and currently is a bed-and-breakfast, one of the most charming and cute that I've ever seen. Stayed here for one night during a Northwest Michigan nature getaway. Jan and Jim are both super hip kind folks that gladly take care of your every need or want. Jan was very accommodating with my vegan lifestyle and made me a delicious breakfast. The rooms are all decorated different, with lots of original and traditional Victorian decor. Lots of opportunity to learn about the history of the home, the prior owners, and the town. Plenty of literature. The sunroom is fantastic! There's really so much to say, but I'll leave it at-trust this five star review and book your stay here, ASAP!

    I didn't get to stay here yet because I did t make a reservation early enough, but I still got to…read morego in for a tour. For a fifteen dollar donation I got to enjoy two hours of Jim's hospitality, meeting the cats and the talkative parrot Josefina - Jose for short. The collections are really impressive, the architecture is both stunning and cozy. I wish I could hang out with Jim and Jan for the whole weekend just learning about them, the house and the collections. I learned a lot!

    Photos
    The Dempsey Manor - From the balustrade looking down into the foyer

    From the balustrade looking down into the foyer

    The Dempsey Manor - Foyer with the largest of the home's fireplaces. Jose on his perch chattering away.

    Foyer with the largest of the home's fireplaces. Jose on his perch chattering away.

    The Dempsey Manor - The Sun Room-so charming and cozy!

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    The Sun Room-so charming and cozy!

    Wheels on Rails - biketours - Updated June 2026

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