Segway Fort Lauderdale

Segway Fort Lauderdale began in 2012 when Jon Rosen, then twenty-two years old, used money left behind by his father Rick to start a tour company in his father’s memory. Rick Rosen died of a heart attack in November 2009 at fifty-one, and three years later his son launched what started as a small operation in Deerfield Beach before expanding into Hollywood Beach and, eventually, Fort Lauderdale itself. Jon Rosen has run the company as an independent, locally owned business ever since, finishing a business degree at Florida Atlantic University along the way and building relationships with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau that have helped keep the company visible to visitors planning a trip.

Tours depart from the Riverwalk area near 219 SW 2nd Avenue, close to the New River and the History Fort Lauderdale museum campus, and every tour starts with twenty to thirty minutes of hands-on training so first-time riders can get comfortable with balance and steering before heading out into traffic and pedestrian areas. The signature offering is the “Yacht and Mansion” tour, run in a four-mile version for fifty-nine dollars that takes about an hour on top of training, and an eight-mile “Venice of America” version for eighty-nine dollars that runs closer to two hours plus training, both of which glide along the canals and waterfront streets where Fort Lauderdale’s most expensive homes and yachts sit in plain view. A night tour, priced at sixty-nine dollars, covers a different stretch of the city after dark, and the company also runs themed options that include a food tour along Las Olas Boulevard, wildlife-focused stops, and nature park routes.

Segways handle differently from a bike or scooter, and the training period matters more than most visitors expect going in; guides won’t take a group out onto real streets until everyone can start, stop, and turn comfortably on the practice pad. Closed-toe shoes are the practical choice, since open sandals make balancing less secure, and sunscreen and water are worth bringing given how much of the route sits in direct Florida sun with limited shade. Groups are kept small enough that a single guide can watch everyone and narrate at the same time, which keeps the tour personal rather than turning into a caravan.

Because this is a Rosen family business built specifically to honor a father who died young, it carries a different tone than a lot of tour operators that got started purely as a business opportunity; Jon Rosen has also built in complimentary tours for foster children and area nonprofits as part of how the company operates. For visitors who want an active, guided way to see Fort Lauderdale’s waterfront without renting a boat or walking several miles in the heat, and who are comfortable on two wheels balanced side by side, this is one of the more distinctive ways to do it.