Detroit's Hidden History Guided Walking Tour
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Detroit, USA
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
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Overview
Learn all about Detroit’s rich history—and steer clear of the usual tourist spots—on this walking tour through the city. With a knowledgeable guide leading the way, you’ll uncover stories behind landmarks including Michigan Theater Building, Grand Circus Park, and more. See beautiful architecture, listen to engaging commentary, and ask plenty of questions. Perfect for history buffs and first-time visitors, this tour is a brilliant introduction to the city.
- Combine sightseeing with history on this Detroit walking tour
- Hear facts you might miss if touring the city alone
- Option to extend the tour for an extra 30 minutes
- This shorter tour is great for travelers tight on time
What's Included
- Stories to fascinate and delight
- A knowledgeable local guide
- Well researched history
- Gratuity for the guide
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 1601 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226, USA
We meet at Grand Circus Park on Woodward Ave, right across from the People Mover Station. Your guide will be waiting at the stone pillar at the corner of Woodward and Park Ave.
End point
- The Spirit of Detroit2 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226, USA
The 90 minute tour ends with a final story in front of the Spirit of Detroit Monument overlooking the Detroit River, mere steps away from the Q-Line and People Mover stations. From there your guide can recommend several dinning options and well wishes for the remainder of your night.
Start time.18:00
Itinerary
1
Grand Circus Park
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Michigan Theater Building
7 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Capitol Park
7 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Campus Martius Park
7 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
The Spirit of Detroit
7 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4,9
based on 80 reviews
Sort by: Most recent
Michael was awesome, I have a new appreciation for this beautiful city and would recommend this tour to anyone!
Michael knows his Detroit history and truly loves the city. It was a great tour. The tour was extremely interesting and a great start to my trip.
Response from Host, Sept 2026
Dear Audrian, we are glad to know that you got an extremely interesting experience with our Hidden History Tour. We would like to have you again in our future events. Please check our website for more information.
Mike did a great job informing us of the history of Detroit- just recommend starting earlier; it was dark when the tour ended a little scary for out of towners! Overall great tour- learned alot!
Perfect for getting to know Detroit! Some of what you may know and some of what you will learn. Very enjoyable!
There were so many stops in our tour rich with history. Our tour guide is a history buff so he new the ins and outr.
Great tour that was very informative and full of interesting facts! Michael was great and took the time to answer all questions I had. He was truly interested in the city which made this tour great. Highly recommend!
The tour was fun and I learned a lot about Detroit. The tour guide seemingly loves what he does and it shows!
Excellent experience! I was very fortunate to be guided by Mike, who really knows a lot about the City of Detroit and the region. Mike truly cares and loves the city and has passion for the area he lives and works in. I learned a lot about the history of the Motor City and about the people who shaped the architecture of this premier metropolis. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Detroit! A+++++
It’s an amazing tour. Michael was so knowledgeable and we were pleasantly surprised at how beautiful Detroit is. Highly recommend this tour.
Excellent, interesting tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable in the history of the city . Told us some cool stories about the early days of Detroit. Especially enjoyed seeing the inside of Book building. Also heard some interesting tidbits about Augustus Woodward and Joe Lewis. Anyways, an enjoyable 90 minute tour.
Michael was great! Fun and informative. A must do tour! Bring water and wear good walking shoes. The summer weather was perfect for the tour.
Wonderful tour with with Michael. He shared great stories and tidbits of information. I highly recommend.
Great time with Mike, learning about the nitty gritties and very cool historic stories about Detroit!
The tour was a great way to learn about Detroit. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. Would highly recommend.
The guide was very knowledgeable about the history of Detroit and showed the beautiful parts of the city.
Interesting tour with great storytelling and some quirky insights - it was great to hear from someone who was a real historian and also Detroit born and bred. Learnt a lot in just 90 mins and felt like our tour guide really engaged with us.
Michael was the consummate tour guide and showed us all of the highlights of downtown Detroit. Very engaging. Highly recommended!
We loved this tour! It was really fun to walk around the city and check out all the beautiful architecture. We enjoyed learning the hidden history of Detroit. Our tour guide, Michael, was very knowledgeable and friendly.
We had a day of being tourists in our own town and Michael did an awesome job telling stories to bring Detroit to us in a new and exciting way!
Our guide Michael was very entertaining and knowledgeable of the Detroit history without being boring!! Very impressed with how this city has made such a positive comeback!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thanks Marisel! We are glad to know you enjoyed the experience!
The guide is a history teacher. He's incredibly knowledgeable and personable. I learned so much, and the guide engaged us. The tour was a good pace between walking and stopping. It was waaay better than other more expensive tours. It's all about the guide!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Yes Marian, you are very right, the Guide is so important, and we are glad that you are confirming we got a great one! Thanks for your comment, it is of great value to us.
The guided tour is a must-do when visiting Detroit. Michael gets you to know the best bits of the city and his amazing history in a very entertaining way. He truly is able to share his love for the city and its history with everyone! He will give you very useful tips for during your visit. Highly recommended!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hi Marta, we are glad to know you enjoyed our Hidden History Tour. Your comment it is of great value for us.
We learned history and stories about Detroit. The tour offers great highlights of the city and a different perspective from just driving through.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hi Julia, we are glad to know that you enjoyed our Tour. We appreciate your comment.
The Guide was excellent! He extended the tour and gave us a Lot of information. A person Very interested in giving us ALL information
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Walden, Thanks for your comment. It is a pleasure for us to show Detroit's Hidden History.
Full disclosure: I signed up for this walking tour as something to do between arriving on a late afternoon flight and museum visits I'd booked for the next morning. Although I had planned to "coast" through the experience, absorbing bits here and there, I was pleasantly surprised to have this tour change my mind--it was not your typical recitation of dates and postcard landmarks where you stroll and nod along.
As a professional storyteller myself, I appreciated how Michael used storytelling to bring the city's history to life. His knowledge and passion for history were evident and infectious. As a bonus, his insight and experiences as a native Detroiter helped make the stories he told and the places he showed us that much more special.
I took the 2-hour extended tour, which I would recommend for anyone, but especially folks who like to learn about the unusual and "mystical" quirks of the city.
Great value, great use of time, great introduction to a fascinating city. Definitely recommend!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thanks Michelle for your lovely comment. We aim for a good experience and quality for our customers, so we are very glad to know that you were pleasantly surprised.
Michael, the guide, is a history major who knows a lot about the origins & subsequent history of a city he knows & loves. There were 8 of us, the pace was good, and the information he shared, quite interesting! This tour begins in Grand Circus Pk & ends at the Spirit of St Louis, with most stops from the north to the middle of downtown Detroit. Combined with a foot tour I took earlier that concentrated mostly from the river to the middle of downtown, I believe I got a thorough intro to an unexpectedly wonderful city. Go Lions, and don't hesitate to explore Detroit on foot!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Go Lions!!! Thank you, we value the opinion and experience of our customers. We would like to invite you to join our Hidden History Club for future events.
Detroit has a lot to see in terms of fantastic architecture. This tour explains the origins of and the reasons behind the way the city is.
Response from Host, Sept 2025
We appreciate your comment and are very glad to share our passion for history with our customers.
I really enjoyed this tour, Micheal has great knowledge about the city and as a local his lives experience of how the city has evolved is fascinating.
He handled our questions expertly and gave us a lot of tips for our continued time in Detroit, a great tour and I would recommend.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
What!!? We were almost certain we hired Matt as our Tour Guide!!! ;)
Thank you for your kind review, it was our pleasure to share our passion for history.
Michael is absolutely wonderful--he is very knowledgeable and a good storyteller. He truly brought the history of Detroit alive for us. Highly recommended!!!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
That is a beautiful sentiment to share with us, we appreciate your kind comment. We would like to invite you to join our Hidden History Club on our website for future events we are working on.
Michael was very enthusiastic about sharing the history of his city. We learned a lot about visions, set backs, and triumphs of Detroit.
Response from Host, Sept 2025
Thanks for your kind review. It was a pleasure to show the rich history of the city!
Member Pricing
From
US$46,55
per personWas US$49,00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Detroit's Hidden History Guided Walking Tour
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