Group Tours & Programs

The Detroit Historical Museum provides engaging educational and fun experiences for people of all ages. Join our docents on an exploration of the Museum’s signature exhibits. 

Guided tours must be scheduled a minimum of four weeks in advance. Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation letter with an invoice. Full payment is due prior to the program date. Group tour payments are non-refundable so please ensure your guest count is accurate.

Parking in our lot is $9 per car and based on availability. 

Please note

• The Detroit Historical Museum does not allow self-led groups of more than 30 people without a reservation. If self-guided groups are not booked in advance, they may not be granted access to the museum, please fill out the Register for a Tour form at the bottom of this page.
• Should you need to reschedule or cancel your reservation, please contact education@detroithistorical.org as soon as possible so that we can accommodate your reservation changes.
• Use of museum spaces on closed days or after hours is an additional charge of $150.
• All prices listed below include general admission.

Scavenger Hunt Experiences

• Length: estimated 90 minutes
• Cost: $10 adults, $8 seniors 

GUIDED TOURS

Historical Perspectives Tour

Native American footpaths started us on a journey that led to major industries (not just cars!) which brought the city of Detroit tremendous growth and waves of new immigrants. Guests will explore over 300 years of the city’s development while immersing themselves in the understanding of the city’s landscape, the people who built it, and the growth we continue to see today.

• Tour times: Tuesday - Friday at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. as staffing allows
• Max capacity: 25 people per tour; multiple tours may be available per timeslot
• Cost: $11 adults, $10 seniors (includes general admission, minimum $165 for adult groups, $150 for senior groups)
• Tour length: 60 minutes

Detroit 67: Perspectives Facilitated Group Experience

During this 90-minute facilitated experience of the Detroit 67: Perspectives exhibition, guests will take part in discussions surrounding the significant economic, social and cultural factors that led to the turbulent summer of 1967. This experience allows guests to fully engage, think through and draw conclusions about this tumultuous summer and its wider ramifications for Detroit.

• Tour times: Tuesday - Friday at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. as staffing allows
• Max capacity: 20 participants per tour
• Cost: $12 adults, $11 seniors (includes general admission, minimum $180 for adult groups, $165 for senior groups)

A note to our visitors:

• The Detroit 67: Perspectives facilitated experience is not a typical museum tour! (Typically, a museum guide will lead you through a space and talk to you about the information and objects you see.)
• Because the Detroit 67: Perspectives exhibition is about events, people and social change, your facilitator will provide some key information regarding this history, but will then ask questions to generate dialogue and conversation about the topics in the exhibition. 
• Audience participation is a key part of this experience.
• Detroit 67: Perspectives highlights events and ideas that have the potential to be sensitive and personal. Issues of race, social unrest and economic injustice are all a part of what led to this period of civil unrest. 
• As an institution, the Detroit Historical Society is not taking a position regarding these events, nor are we judging them. Our commitment is to present as many perspectives as possible from those who experienced the events first hand. 

Download our Detroit 67: Perspectives Educator Resource Packet 

Detroit's African American Perspectives

The Detroit Historical Museum is thrilled to offer a series of tours focused on the history, experiences and enduring influence of African Americans in Detroit. There are a total of 6 tour focuses that groups can choose from. Jamon Jordan, founder of the Black Scroll Network and recently designated Official Historian of the City of Detroit, will be the guide for these tours. 

20 guests maximum per tour. Cost is the greater of $300 or $15 per person.

Tour Focus Options: 

• Doorway to Freedom: Slavery & the Underground Railroad
• Detroit: Black Bottom & Paradise Valley
• Motown & More: Detroit’s African American Music History
• Detroit: African American Leaders & Heroes and Their Stories
• Detroit: Moments in the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements
• Forged By Fire: Detroit’s Riots & Rebellions and Turbulent Racial History  

Please let the Sales Coordinator know which tour focus you would like.  

StoryLiving

Bring history to life by booking a StoryLiving program. In these interactive programs, a professional storyteller shares Detroit history with your organization using drama, group pantomime, role playing, songs, and creative problem-solving.

• At museum: $450 flat rate for up to 120 people
• Virtual: $450 flat rate, no capacity limits
• At your location: $500 flat rate *Mileage fee of $50.00 will be charged for venues located more than 30 miles from the Detroit Historical Museum.

The Underground Railroad

In the mid 1800s, thousands of African Americans escaped through Detroit on their way to freedom in Canada. Attendees will discover more about the Underground Railroad and the role Detroit played in it.

Block by Block: The Great Fire

It’s been over 200 years since the Great Fire set the city of Detroit ablaze displacing over 700 residents. After the destruction, Detroiters did not abandon their city. Through strength and determination they set to work to rebuild Detroit, leaving the legacy of the city we see today. Attendees will become firefighters who must work together to save the community.

The Great Migration

Over the course of six decades, nearly six million black southerners left the South and fanned out across the United States transforming urban America. Join us as we highlight three Detroit women and how the circumstances of their family’s migration and their experiences shaped who they were and defined the course of their lives in the 1920s, 1940s and the 1960s. 

Other StoryLiving presentations may be available. For more information on our programs or to book a tour, please complete the short form below.