Greg Stanek hopped off his bicycle and flipped on his headset microphone.
“I can spot six murals right here,” he said, gesturing as he tallied them one after another. Around him, roughly 40 cyclists gathered in an alley in St. Petersburg, Florida, tucked between shops and nightlife venues.
The riders weren’t there for a workout, although they did pedal several miles together beneath the bright October sun. They had signed up for a bike tour that showcases the city’s murals — of which there are at least 50.
Local arts group Florida CraftArt runs a monthly tour, but this outing was one of several special rides added to celebrate St. Petersburg’s yearly SHINE Mural Festival. The excursion gave people a chance to view large-scale pieces residents might not notice in everyday life and to watch new works being created by local and visiting artists. Organizers had invited 17 artists to produce fresh murals around the city for the 2018 festival.
As Stanek described how the city embraced murals and how they evolved from graffiti and street art, participants peppered him with questions: “Do the murals last forever?” “Are the artists compensated?” “Which neighborhood is this?”
Nancy Ferrara, who traveled from Tampa, organized a group of nearly 20 people to take the tour. The avid rider runs a regional Meetup for couples ages 45 and up and thought the mural ride would be a fun outing. “I’ve never done a tour like this,” she said while taking a break at a cafe serving sweet tea and beignets. “It’s a great way to see what’s around.”
Meanwhile, Andrew Odell of St. Petersburg and Elise Barnes from Atlanta navigated the route using Coast Bike Share. The three-and-a-half-hour tour charged $20 for those who brought their own bikes, with an additional $5 fee for those opting for on-demand rental bikes typically docked around town.
Odell said the pair had previously taken a walking mural tour in St. Petersburg before Barnes spotted the bike tour on SHINE’s Instagram feed. “It’s awesome to see the artists at work,” Odell said. They had already identified a few unfinished murals they planned to revisit once completed.
The large group maintained an easygoing pace that sometimes felt a bit unwieldy, but the tour’s leisurely route and frequent stops made it manageable even for less experienced cyclists. As the pack of 40 rolled down Central Avenue through St. Petersburg’s business district, a hairstylist burst from her salon door to wave and wish everyone a good morning. Along the Pinellas Trail, a favored cyclist thoroughfare, people passing the tour often greeted the group with shouts and fist bumps.
Bike tours aren’t new to travelers, but those that spotlight outdoor art give a fresh twist to conventional sightseeing. Marlene Rodriguez from Tampa brought her own bike to join the St. Petersburg ride. A frequent traveler, she said these tours let her be a tourist in nearby cities.
“When I’m in a new city with limited time, I’ll take a bike tour to see most of it quickly,” she said. She mentioned she had missed Montreal’s mural festival while visiting earlier this summer and hopes to return next year during the event.
For now, Rodriguez already plans to ride through St. Pete’s murals again; she and a friend signed up for next month’s mural bike tour to catch some of the freshly painted pieces once they’re done. Rather than bring her own bike, she’ll rent one from Coast.
You miss a lot of murals when you’re driving, Rodriguez noted. “It’s the best way to view them,” she said of touring by bike. “And even then, you can’t see them all.”
Hop on These Mural Bike Tours
Want to sightsee by pedaling through your own town — or explore somewhere new? These bike tours will point you to murals and other outdoor art you might otherwise overlook.
Los Angeles
The Alley Adventure Urban Art/Graffiti Bike Tour runs $19 if you bring your own bike or $30 with a rental for 2 1/2 hours of street-art touring through downtown Los Angeles.
Miami
Explore the Wynwood graffiti district on a three- to four-hour tour. It’s pricier at $59 but includes bike rental.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia’s longstanding Mural Arts program has been active for more than three decades. The Mural Mile two-hour walking tour costs $23. A newer bike tour runs three hours and covers about 15 miles for $49.
Phoenix
The two-hour Downtown Art & Mural Bike Tour costs $25 and uses the Grid Bikeshare program. A bikeshare membership isn’t included in the tour price.
San Antonio
San Antonio Mural Ride offers two distinct 10-mile routes. The two-hour ride costs $40, or $30 if you bring your own bike.
San Francisco
In San Francisco, spend a half day touring the Mission District’s art scene, paired with local food tastings and a picnic lunch. This trip, which includes a bike rental, is pricier — tickets run $74 for under-18s and certain students with ID, and $79 for adults.
Even Cheaper Ways to Tour Art by Bike
Not eager to spend $20, $50 or more on a guided tour? You can create your own walking or cycling route and explore at your own speed.
Many cities provide tools to help you plan. For example, download a map or use the interactive directory of murals in Portland, Oregon. In Atlanta, the map lets you plot a route or choose from five free, self-guided street-art tours.
Also look for helpful apps. For instance, buy the Sacramento Urban Mural Bike Tour app from Sacramento Cycling Tours for $4.99 and explore downtown and Midtown Sacramento murals at your leisure.
Lisa Rowan is a senior writer at Savinly.
