May 8, 2023
MotorCities Announces Its Tour Operator Partners for 2023
Companies Offering Automotive History Experiences in Detroit and Lansing Areas
The MotorCities National Heritage Area, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving automotive heritage, is partnering with four Detroit-area and one Lansing-based tour operator to offer public tours about the state’s automotive and labor heritage this tourism season. The partnerships continue a program that originally launched in 2019 to serve the 16-county National Heritage Area.
Tour experiences available vary from traditional walking tours to riding in a vintage Ford Model A or pedaling a bicycle – all while visiting key automotive historical sites and learning the story of how the region put the world on wheels.
“We’re excited to continue partnering with these companies to offer additional tour options and bring more of our amazing automotive heritage to both metro Detroit residents and out-of-town tourists alike,” said Shawn Pomaville-Size, MotorCities’ executive director.
The tour operators selected offer the following experiences:
- Antique Touring Company – MotorCities National Heritage Area Antique Car Tour - Hop in a Ford Model A and explore the "coming of age" story of the automobile during the first decades of the 20th Century from the vantage point of Detroit’s Woodward Corridor. Tours are offered Wednesday through Sunday, April through October. Additional information can be found at https://antiquetouring.com/motorcities
- City Institute - MotorCities Auto Heritage New Center and Dearborn Walking Tours - On the New Center walking tour, guests will experience the past, present and future of the Detroit area, going back in time with a visit to the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant and speak with some of the innovators who now call these neighborhoods home. This tour is offered on July 21 and August 18. The Dearborn walking tours take place on July 7 and August 4 and provide the opportunity to learn how the past and present of this city are interwoven, get to know the people leading some exciting new projects and see the innovations and adaptations of this important city. For more information, please visit http://thecityinstitute.com/public-tours
- GLAD Tours - REO Town Walking Tour - Enjoy a walking tour of REO Town with our Lansing MotorCities tour operator partner, GLAD Tours. Tickets are available for $10. Before there was a REO Town, there was REO City. Take a walk down the main drag with GLAD Tours and see where Ransom Eli Olds started the auto industry. Tours are available by appointment by clicking here: https://gladtours.biz/
- Russell Brothers City Tours – Get on board for a fun-filled tour of automotive landmarks in the city of Detroit. Your guide, Emmy-winning TV and radio personality Greg Russell, takes guests to places they may know and some sites they might not. If guests have particular sites they’d like to see, just let Greg know. The tours are informative, insightful and most importantly, fun! Russell Brothers City Tours also offers virtual tours online. Guests can visit via their computers or other devices some of the fun and historical places from Detroit’s automotive history. For more information, visit https://russellbrotherscitytours.com/
- Wheelhouse Detroit - Auto Heritage Bicycle Tour - On this 15-mile tour, guests will discover how Detroit became the center of industry. The tour takes in the Globe Building, Dequindre Cut, Packard Plant, the GM Factory Zero (formerly Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant), Milwaukee Junction, New Center (old GM Headquarters and Fisher Building), and TechTown, where we will learn how industry is evolving with advanced technology. Tour dates are May 20, June 25, July 23, August 20, September 24, and October 8. For more information, please visit https://www.wheelhousedetroit.com/auto-heritage.
For more information on tours and events, visit www.motorcities.org.