Cincinnati Pedal Wagon: Mural Tour

I was recently invited to bring a group of friends downtown for a Pedal Wagon tour.  Full disclosure, I was a little bit reluctant about this one for some reason.  But, my blog is all about going and trying; if I don’t like something, I just don’t write about it.  It helps that I love golf carts, trolleys, and all semi-open, slow-moving vehicles (true fact), so it was pretty hard to resist a wagon.  Good thing I’m not likely to turn down a new experience because this one exceeded my expectations.    Pedal Wagon Cincinnati

As you know, I enjoy playing tourist in Cincinnati!  Even though I’ve lived here close to 17 years, I’m constantly discovering new places and new pieces of history.  Over the course of our two-hour pedal tour, we experienced, up close, incredible urban masterpieces.  If you’ve driven around downtown at all, you’ve likely caught a glimpse of these murals out of the corner of your eye.  The Pedal Wagon Mural tour provides a chance to see, and hear, in detail, about the creation of and images within these pieces of art.

Part of what really struck me was the variety of art.  As you can see in the pictures, some murals are lighthearted and colorful while others speak to social and political issues.  Artworks, the organization responsible for painting most of the murals, employs and trains local talent to create these larger than life paintings.  As a teacher- and a fan of Cincinnati- I love that young artists are transforming this city!

Part of what made our experience so great is the staff.  The staff at Pedal Wagon is truly professional.  Both our driver and tour guide were personable, kind, and funny– we adopted them into our group pretty quickly.  At times, we stopped, got off the wagon, and walked to various murals.  Each time, our guide gave us specific details about the history and painting of each.  He also knew quite a bit about Cincinnati architecture and answered our questions with ease!

In addition to admiring all the creative talent in our city and developing a deeper appreciation for ArtWorks– the Pedal Wagon is a great opportunity to spend time with friends in a super creative way.  We laughed, picked on each other for not pedaling fast enough, sang along to music (bring some tunes), waved at passersby, and took tons of pics.  One of my friends said she really enjoyed leisurely watching as the city rolled past us; it’s a much different experience when you aren’t worried about traffic, street names, and parking spots.

Don’t let cold weather keep you from booking a Pedal Wagon tour.  We went out in 35-degree weather and it did not dampen our day at all; in fact, we BYOB’d some hot cocoa, coffee, and chai tea as we snuggled in our winter jackets and pedaled away- it was perfect.  There really is something for everyone- history, art, Cincinnati, being with your people, and more.

Check out the Cincinnati Pedal Wagon website for options.  The Mural Tour is still happening, and the Polar Express is gearing up to go.  The guides are also pretty flexible, so even if you’re doing a Progressive Dinner tour and would like to add in some historical landmark stops along the way, they can make that happen.

P.S.- I am only posting pics of a portion of murals covered on the tour!  To see the rest and to learn the meaning of each, you need to sign up.  And, as always, if you like what you read here, please share!

GO THERE (Cincinnati Pedal Wagon)!  TRY THAT (Mural Tour)!