As a parent, I believe it’s our responsibility to look after the wellbeing of our kids. That’s why I’ve always tried to inculcate healthy habits among my children. Little did I know that it would soon transform into a love of sports and recreational activities. When I asked them what they wanted to do this 4th of July weekend, their response surprised me quite a bit. They wanted to go bike riding. Though I was looking forward to a quiet day at home with the family, the eager looks on their faces convinced me to change my opinion.

Now, one of the benefits of having a home in Murray Hill is that Central Park isn’t that far off. So, I planned for central park bike tours in NYC with my kids, and prayed that the weather gods would not disappoint us. And luckily, they didn’t. It was a perfect 4th of July morning – clear blue skies, the warm sunlight, and a light breeze.

Gaby, 12, and Peter, 9, were excited, to say the least. They had never been on a bike tour before, and wanted to see what it was all about. We reached the prearranged meeting spot before time. After all, the enthusiasm of the children was infectious, and it made me remember my first bike ride around Central Park. I could remember it being a fun, exhilarating, and interesting way to soak in a bit of NYC culture, and I was glad I had the opportunity to share this experience with my two precious babies.

Soon, more parents joined in with their kids, and we set off on the guided tour. Even though Gaby and Peter had seen some of the more famous attractions a hundred times before, there was something unique and fresh about seeing the same sites on a bike, and it showed on their faces. The guide covered all the important attractions, including the breath-taking Olmsted designed waterfall, loch and pool, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The bike tour guide sure knew his facts, because a lot of the details he revealed about Central and its different locations wasn’t even known to me, and I’d been a New York native for more than a decade. Plus, he arranged for the tour in such a way that we could access our bikes easily and enjoy the maximum time in the Park.

As we ventured through the Park, my kids along with a few others were constantly stopping their bikes to admire the wildlife around them. We stopped to grab grilled burgers along the way, and then continued onto some noted Hollywood film locations. Now, most of the kids were too young to appreciate this properly, but for a lot of the parents, it was cool to see the places where they shot movies like Big Daddy, Friends, and You’ve Got Mail. We were also treated to glimpses of the homes of Hollywood royalty like Steven Spielberg and Al Pacino who reside around the park.

By the end of the two-hour trip, we were exhausted but happy. And I was so glad that I had decided to plan a bike tour instead of taking them biking on their own. The bike tour service provided every single thing we needed for an amazing day in the Park. What my kids enjoyed best of all was the fact that as they rode from one spot to another, they were able to see a number of famous attractions, like the Plaza Hotel, The Carousel, and the Wollman Ice Skating Rink. They could not wait to get home and share what they had seen with their friends.