HOMETOWN HISTORY TOURS

Nothing to do? Broke? Can’t afford a vacation? Have out-of-town guests coming to visit but don’t know what sites to show them?

Don’t worry, there’s lots to do and see right here in southeast Michigan. The organized tours listed below will help you get out and explore your town.  As a hometown tourist, you’ll see your place of residence through new eyes and re-experience the vitality and history your own community has to offer.

Pack up the family and spend some quality time together exploring your community.  Or, invite your friends and turn these tours into fun outings. Better yet, allow Hometown History Tours to be your guide. Join us for our regularly scheduled public tours or schedule a private tour!

Other Tours of Interest

(Want your tour listed here? Send me an email with tour details, and I’ll be happy to post it).

US 12 Heritage Trail

This road is meant for Michigan memories. Slow down for a while, step back in time and experience the fascinating history of the towns and cities that dot the landscape of Michigan’s first highway.

Discover museums, classic diners, pristine lakes and the one of a kind special places that has drawn travelers here for centuries. Bridging southern Michigan’s east and west shores, the US-12 Heritage Trail is an unconventional destination that encourages the traveler to journey its winding roads, meet its people, explore its places, and uncover its hidden treasures.

Historic Eastern Market Walking Tours

May – September, FEE

Meeting Location: Eastern Market Welcome Center

Presented by Preservation Wayne

Wheelhouse Detroit

See Detroit by bike via a variety of exciting themed rides offered by Wheelhouse Detroit. Tours themes include the Ford Birthday Tour, Architecture Tour and rides through historic neighborhoods of Corktown, the Villages, Southeast Detroit/Fort Wayne.

Diamond Jack River Tours

Rediscover Detroit by boat and see the sparking Detroit River, the beautiful strait from which Detroit gets its name. The river has played a pivotal role in our region’s history.

Riverside Kayak Connection

Experience Detroit via the lifeblood of Detroit, the beautiful Detroit River. Riverside Kayak offers a Detroit River Sunset Tour on Wednesday evenings as well as day tours on the weekends.

Experience Detroit

Self-guided, downloadable tours of various aspects of southeast Michigan. Belle Isle, African-American Heritage,  Forgotten Landmarks,  Grosse Pointe and the Nautical Mile are just a sampling of the tour topics.

Greektown

Tour of Greektown via the Greektown Business Association interactive  map.

Preservation Wayne Tours

Award-winning tour program gives Detroit natives and visitors a unique insight into the buildings and districts that make Detroit a landmark city.

Underground Railroad

Second Baptist Church of Detroit

441-461 Monroe Avenue

Take a historical ride on a train that traveled without tracks. Sit in the Crogan Street Station and hear the story of oppressed people escaping slavery who rested in secret at the Second Baptist Church before crossing the Detroit River to Canada on the boat “T Whitney” owned by church member George DeBaptiste.

Woodward Avenue Automotive Heritage Trail Audio / PDF Tours

Cruise Woodward Avenue, the original urban byway, and bring Detroit’s automotive history to life. See the first urban freeway, first electric stoplight, first mile of concrete highway,  homes of the auto barons and other points of interest.Tours range from 1/2 hour to 2-day tours utilizing downloadable podcasts and printed PDF maps or narrated tour via cell phone.

Woodward Avenue Action Association also offers a Music and More Tour itinerary that promotes Woodward Avenue as the Byway of rhythm.

FREE

Take a Walk through Paradeland

Book your behind-the-scenes tour of The Parade Company and discover the city’s most hidden treasure. This is a unique opportunity to get up-close and personal with a wonderland of fantasy and folklore that is sure to delight children and adults alike. The Michigan Thanksgiving Parade, now known as America’s Thanksgiving Parade®, was founded in 1924.Tours are available year-round for groups of 10 or more.

Call 313.923.8368

Historic Elmwood Cemetery