June 2, 2022
The MotorCities National Heritage Area, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving automotive heritage, is partnering with five 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 and Lansing 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 - From Tinkerers to Titans 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 every day, except Monday, now through November 1. Additional information can be found at https://antiquetouring.com/experience/motor-cities-heritage-antique-car-tour/.
- City Institute (formerly Detroit Experience Factory) - MotorCities Auto Heritage New Center, Pontiac 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 June 25, July 30, August 27, and September 24. In addition, new for 2022 are one-time walking tours of Pontiac on June 11 and Dearborn on July 9. For more information, please visit https://www.thecityinstitute.com/public-tours.
- GLAD Tours (Lansing) – REO Town Walking Tour - 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/
- Magical Michigan Tours- Henry Ford: From Farm to Factory Tour- This bus tour connects visitors to actual historic sites that reveal Henry Ford’s life from his farming roots to becoming an industrial magnate. Guests will visit locations important to his story and gain a personal view of his life and the impact on society in the 20th century. The tour is being offered on demand for groups and at least once for the public. https://magicalmichigantours.webs.com/henry-ford-farm-to-factory
- Russell Brothers City Tours – Customized Automotive History 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. https://www.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 Detroit-Hamtramck (Poletown) 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 June 26, July 24, August 28, September 25, and October 9. For more information, please visit https://www.wheelhousedetroit.com/auto-heritage.
For more information on tours and events, visit https://motorcities.org/motorcities-automotive-themed-tours.