Tours in Tempe Junction

Helmed by animated guide Marvin Neer, Segway Expeditions’ fleet of i2 segways zips along urban pathways and desert landscapes during scenic tours of Phoenix and Scottsdale. After strapping on fitted helmets, guests throw lassos around the handlebars of nearby segways and hop onto their backs to begin a 15-minute safety lesson. Marvin then leads packs out on tours of Papago Park, Scottsdale Green Belt, South Mountain Park, or Tempe Beach Park, commenting on the local flora and fauna as they swoosh by. A gyroscopically self-balancing mechanism keeps the segway stable as it cruises at speeds of up to 12 miles per hour, so riders need not worry about falling off their metallic steeds during sharp turns or impromptu jousts.

The two British buddies who dreamt up Real London Bus Company imported authentic London-style double-decker buses to shuttle guests around the city. With a fleet of four busses that can ferry up to 65 passengers each, they operate assorted tours throughout the area—including pub crawls to local dives and treasure hunts that explore downtown Phoenix, Mill Avenue, and Old Town Scottsdale—with the help of knowledgeable though decidedly nonandroid guides. They also make their busses available for special events such as proms, weddings, girls' nights out, or charters for corporate occasions, including past clients Go Daddy and Coors Light.

In a dorm room at Arizona State University in 2005, a group of entrepreneurial young aviation enthusiasts hatched the plan for what would grow into Classic Air Aviation. Now, from their new home nest at Falcon Field Airport, the team of licensed instructors elucidates the fundamentals of flying for aspiring aces. Passionate instructors educate aviators with a range of classes and certifications that range from ground school and private-pilot training to certified flight-instructor training and commercial pilot certificates. All programs follow FAA guidelines to ensure that students learn the basics behind the airplane’s various flight controls and instrumentation and watch a mandatory PSA warning against the hidden dangers of gravity.

Over the sands the desert, the sunset paints the landscape with a thrilling palette of rose, orange, and vivid gold. Desert Sky Tours West gives its passengers a bird's-eye view of the natural artwork with panoramic vistas from 7,000 feet in the air. In the company's three-passenger plane, passengers soak in the sights as a pilot with 11 years of experience guides them into the air.

Romantic tour packages enhance the views with sparkling wine and strawberries and possible add-ons such as dinner and transportation from the airport. The flights soar over shadowy sand dunes and the city of Phoenix as night falls and its glittering lights and sandy godzillas emerge. Desert Sky Tours West also leads aerial jaunts above the winding shores of Lake Havasu and the red sandstone of Sedona reaching out to meet the blue horizon.

The experienced tour guides at Segway of Tempe and Scottsdale lead fleets of two-wheelers through one of two scenic Arizona cities during an extensive schedule of rides. Guests gear up for either of the 90-minute tours by hopping aboard a segway, whose self-balancing technology allows riders to tilt handlebars gently for turns or quickly for back flips. Each session begins with a 30-minute orientation, followed by a narrated jaunt past the towering opulence of the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort in Scottsdale or around the city-flanked oasis of Tempe Town Lake. During the summer months, groups traverse the town's bridges and boulevards at dusk, stopping by landmarks such as Arizona State University and Sun Devil Stadium, whose eponymous student-athletes practice under solar-powered stadium lights to escape the chill of night.