NEWS4JAX TV4 -Local Offers Bike Tours Of Jacksonville
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Tours Showcase Historic Parts Of City
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It took losing her corporate job for Leigh Burdett to discover what her passion was -- hopping on a bike and riding through the charming neighborhoods of Jacksonville."I'm a big fan of Oprah, and I read some of her suggested reading, 'New Earth' by Eckhart Tolle, and it basically taught me to put your fear aside, follow your passions," Burdett said. "Why do people travel to Savannah and Charleston for getaway and for history?"
With that in mind, she started a business that follows her passion and leads others on historic bike tours around the city.
Burdett offers one tour through the Riverside-Avondale area. It's one of the most beautiful neighborhoods of Jacksonville.
The area boomed after the Great Fire of 1901 as residents fled the city. Some of the most well-known architects of the day designed the homes many have come to love.
That's just a little history, but Burdett can tell you much more.
"We don't stop at every piece of history, but we stop at the ones that will make people smile," she said.
Like the Leon Cheek mansion. Cheek was co-founder of Maxwell house.
The mansion's beautiful gothic architecture is on display, and right across from it is a breathtaking view of the St. Johns River.
The Rochester home, where Mary Todd Lincoln, President Abraham Lincoln's wife, lived after developing dementia is another stop on the tour.
"There's also a ghost there. Did (Lincoln) see the ghost?" Burdett asked.
Burdett provides the bikes, water and snacks, and she said the people along for the ride can provide the chit-chat.
"And being on a bike makes you feel like a kid again," she said.
The historic tours are in Mandarin, the Beaches, San Marco and Riverside. To find out how you can hop on a bike and enjoy a tour for yourself, visit www.e2ride.com.