They are popular tourist attractions in Boston, Chicago, New York and Seattle. Now Sacramento can boast its own land-water tours.
The "Golden Dawn" launched Tuesday and will continue to provide free rides to the public through Sunday.
On land, the "Golden Dawn" looks more like a bus, but once the pontoons on either side of the vessel inflate, it becomes a Coast Guard- certified boat.
Don McDonald is the captain of the vessel. "This is really exciting," said McDonald. "We've got the best of both worlds here."
Edie Gilford of Sacramento was one of the first people to sign up for a tour. "It's great, it's wonderful. I've never been on any type of amphibious anything," joked Gilford. She added that this is exactly the kind of tourist attraction Sacramento needs.
Mary Terry and Sherry Parker, who are both visiting from Bakersfield, said the tour is a wonderful way to see Sacramento's sights. "This is really fantastic, I recommend it to anyone to come out here and see this, it's awesome," said Parker.
The trolley launches from Old Sacramento between Joe's Crab Shack and Rio City Cafe. Tours run about 90 minutes and begin at 11 a.m. and run until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The land part of the tour includes a trip past the Governor's Mansion, Sutter's Fort, Capitol Mall, the Stanford Mansion, and the Crocker Art Museum. At Discovery Park the bus tour stops and two pontoons on either side inflate within a couple of minutes. The "Golden Dawn" then drives down the boat ramp and splashes into the water.
"This is great," cheered Terry.
Makaya Simmons, 15, admitted she was a little skeptical at first. "I kind of thought it was a little bit weird that it was going to change into a boat," she said. "But it's really cool now."
Sacramento Yacht Charters owns and operates the "Golden Dawn" and expects to add another amphibious trolley in late August.
After Sunday, the tours will cost $25 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $15 for children.
Go here to see the video: http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=30438