A Good Skate, From Here to Yonder

If you thought skates were just good for a couple hours of fun, think again. You can “Skate the World,” says the slogan of a Minneapolis-based company that claims to be the only one in the U.S. devoted solely to in-line skating tours.

Last year, Zephyr Inline Skate Tours sent 68 people rolling through various locales, from the California wine country, to the Netherlands, to the Pennsylvania Amish region, logging up to 40 miles a day. This year, the firm is also tackling the streets of Manhattan--a location with “definitely higher hazards than in Amish country,” says 33-year-old company founder Allan Wright.

Wright’s tour guides include 18-year-old Levi Esh, a member of the Amish community; 75-year-old Willem Augustin, a record-setting Dutch ice skater; and California skating teacher Liz Miller. Participants have ranged from age 8 to seniors; about a fifth are Californians, Wright says. Tours, scheduled May through October, last three to seven days and cost $495 to $1,665, land-only. Reservations: telephone toll-free (888) SK8-TOUR.