Electric animal scooters debut in uptown Charlotte

Tour company offers motorized scooters with unique animal designs

The following article appeared in the June 20, 2025, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.

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New in uptown: Tours on electric scooters that look like giraffes, elephants and unicorns

“Rydables” first took over Charlotte’s city streets in October when Charlotte NC Tours added the motorized animal scooters to its tour offerings. (Photo courtesy of Dianna Ward)

If you’ve ever dreamed of riding a giraffe through uptown while learning Charlotte history and blasting music, well … maybe get out more. But also: your time has come.

Last fall, Charlotte NC Tours unleashed a new kind of tour, called “Rydables,” which are electric animal scooters that carry riders on curated routes through uptown, all while sightseeing and learning Charlotte’s history. The tours, led by a (human) guide, stick to bicycle lanes and quiet Fourth Ward streets, also mixing in some sidewalk riding.

Charlotte NC Tours has 14 Rydable scooters from which riders can choose, with 11 unique animal options, including an elephant, penguin, unicorn, dragon and piñata horse.