Visitors from all around got a closer look at Old Cahawba on Saturday, while getting a workout in the process.

Old Cahawba Archeological Park held its Bring Your Own Bike Tour on Saturday, as visitors were guided around the park while riding their bikes.

Jonathan Matthews, assistant site director of Old Cahawba Archeological Park who served as the guide for visitors on the ride, said the tour offered visitors a chance to get a closer look at some of the park’s historical sites.

“Most visitors who come down to Cahawba are so used to staying in the comfort of their cars and trying to read the interpretive panels from their car window, and you really don’t experience all that Cahawba has to offer,” Matthews said. “So the bike tour is a great way to get a little exercise and learn a more complete history of Old Cahawba.”

Matthews said the tour included stops at Old Cahawba locations including the new cemetery, the grounds of the Perine Mansion with the Perine Well, the former site of Civil War prison Castle Morgan, Crocheron Columns, and currently standing structures including the Frambo House and Barker Slave Quarters.

Matthews said about 11 riders from all around participated in the tour, and while the tour is advertised as a four-mile, two hour ride, visitors often told him to keep going due to their interest.

Spencer Brooks, a rider from Greenville, said his family’s interest in history was one of a couple reasons they attended for the first time.

“My son’s 12-year-old birthday he wanted to go on a bike-riding tour, and we enjoy history, so we just put the two together,” Brooks said. “It was very interesting. You don’t read much about Cahawba in your history books in terms of it being the first capital (of Alabama). It’s a lot of interesting history there.”

Bob Short, from Cullman, who came to the tour with his friend Pam Kreps, said the tour offered a chance to learn about lost history everyone should know.

“It was very interesting,” Short said. “I had no idea of the history of this place. A lot of people don’t know the history of their home state, and it’s really sad.”

Kreps said it was a great experience.

“I thought it was very interesting,” Kreps said. “I read in Alabama Heritage about the bike tour. I just enjoyed the experience of it.”

Matthews said there were even a couple of cases where visitors stayed over night to enjoy the experience of the tour, which goes to show what the area has to offer.

“We had two families from out of town that stayed over night … got up early for the tour. I think the value in the that is obviously that Dallas County and Selma have so much to offer that there’s not enough time in one day to do it all,” Matthews said. “So hopefully, that might be a lesson to everyone that we do have a lot of history down here and it warrants an overnight stay to enjoy Selma and Dallas County.”