It's sure to be this summer's most sought after ticket. In fact, it's already been selling out every weekend. I know this because we tried to buy two tix for last Saturday and no dice. (In addition, someone who works there told us as much yesterday once our rail ride was fini.) I'm talking about something new and fun-tastic in Portsmouth called Rail Explorers. We gave it a whirl Thursday afternoon (They're only open for biz Thurs. thru Sunday, so plan accordingly.) and I'm here to share a few tips and highlights.

First and foremost, be sure to wear your sneakers and comfy clothes (It's NOT the time to channel Victoria Beckham.) and cancel your spin class for that day because you'll be pedaling their signature Rail Explorers (There are 2 options: one model seats 2 and the other seats up to 4. In the photo above, all the cars look attached, but they are simply set up that way at the start.) 6 miles down some 'retired' railroad tracks (12 miles if you chose the roundtrip option. More about that in a sec.), with some spectacular views of the Bay and The Mount Hope Bridge. That being said, I'd recommend bringing along a friend (or group) who tends to be sporty and outdoorsy. In other words, someone who would definitely be jazzed about breaking a sweat while taking in some of the loveliest views in the OS. 

Originally we had planned and paid for the 6 mile, one way trip, until someone from Rail Explorers asked if anyone would be interested in taking a FREE ride back to base. (For the record, if you purchase the one way trip, they do chauffeur you by tour back to the starting point where your car is waiting patiently.) Blame it on my Type A, competitive side as well as the fact that the 2nd leg was suddenly complimentary (Online it's priced at an additional $75 minus a 10% discount for a party of 2.), but I jumped at the opportunity. And that's how we ended up actually logging 12 miles on the tour (Not for everyone, but we were pretty proud to have pushed thru! It was like our version of an Iron Man. lololol), which we celebrated immediately following with a delicious dinner, that included pasta, at a restaurant not very far from the scene of our pedaling truimph. 

For more about Rail Explorers, click here.

Photo Credits: All photos courtesy of PattyJ.com