Description
What is this Madness?
Simply speaking, it’s a guided bus tour aboard a cool renovated hand-painted bus that hits three of Detroit’s oldest bars. It’s so much more than that though. It’s a way of life. Come and find out.
Ever since Detroit was a mere French missionary outpost, the city’s history has been entwined with the story of its citizens’ drinking habits.
Countless stories have been shared over a pint, and a majority of the city’s major moments featured alcohol front and center: the early frontier day’s wild revelry, through the bloody freewheeling days of the Purple Gang & National Prohibition and beyond. We’ll stop at some of Detroit’s oldest, most notorious and most interesting bars, sharing stories along the way- over a few pints, of course.
Detroit’s got some serious chops when it comes to drinking history. So let’s go to that bar that’s been around since 1874.
Or that one that predates World War One. Actually, loads of Detroit bars are older than your grandparents, and we’re visiting as many as we can in the limited time we have. Some of them are snazzy; one or two may be a little dive-y–but in the best way possible. We like to keep the stops a secret because we don’t wanna ruin the surprise, but we promise you’ll have a great time. Matter of fact, we guarantee it.
The Details:
Schedule:
This tour runs most Fridays and Saturdays now. The tour is approximately three hours long. Book your tickets using the fancy “book now” button near the top of the page.
Pickups:
This tour boards both in Ferndale and Detroit. Choose your pickup location at checkout.
The Ferndale pickup is at 6:15PM on Friday and 5:15PM on Saturday in front of One Eyed Betty’s at 175 W Troy, Ferndale.
The Detroit pickup is at 7:00PM on Friday and 6:00PM on Saturday in front of Checker Bar at 124 Cadillac Square, Detroit.
READ THAT AGAIN: The pickup time is different on Friday and Saturday tours. 🙂
Frequently Asked Questions:
What happens if I miss the bus? Will the bus wait for me if I’m late?
If you miss your pickup in Detroit, you can hustle and make the pickup in Ferndale. We can’t hold the bus for you if you’re late, though. Sorry to be so mean about that. There’s a schedule to keep and we want everyone to have a good time.
Can I drink on the bus?
Yes, but with great power comes great responsibility. What we mean is take it easy and don’t wear the proverbial lampshade. This is a 21+ tour only. You’re on a starting and stopping bus. No, you can’t pee on the curb. Also, please only bring things with lids; no open cups. Small coolers only, since the big ones are a safety hazard. And it’s just plain illegal to take any open container on or off the bus. Drink on the bus? Sure. At the bar? Absolutely. But no drinks in the no-man’s-land in between the two. It’s the law, dude.
What about food?
We are hitting some bars that don’t have a whole lot of food options. We recommend, then, that you fuel up ahead of time and/or bring lots of snacks. Drinking and learning is hard work.
Do the bars take credit cards?
Some do, some don’t. It’s probably easiest for everyone if you bring some cash along. It’s quicker anyway, and who doesn’t love making it rain?
What if I can’t show up? Will my friend be able to go instead?
Totally. Just let us know ahead of time via [email protected] and we’ll update your tickets with the new name or send them with your printed tickets.
Will you be selling extra seats at the bus?
Nope. Sorry. All passes gotta be bought online. There’s a limited number of seats and we want you to have plenty of room – no roof riders no matter how badass that might sound.
What about weather SNAFUs?
We live in Michigan. Sometimes Mother Nature likes to throw us a curveball. We keep safety as our highest priority. In case of gnarly weather, you’ll receive an email the day of the event with a raincheck/snowcheck date. If you cannot make the rescheduled date, you’ll get a voucher good for a future tour with us.
Refund Policy:
All tickets are non-refundable unless extenuating circumstances apply including our buses not operating due to extreme weather, your flight gets cancelled, and similar. See our terms and conditions for more information.
Chris (verified owner) –
This was an awesome time. We had a group of 6 , and will.definitely be doing it again. Our tour guide was great, and very knowledgeable. I highly recommend.
Curt Johnson –
Kudos to Roland and Maurice! Had a blast! Great group of people. Even got my name on the buyers board
Julie Wilkie –
14 of us did this last night. What a blast!!! Highly recommended. All the bars were fantastic, full of fun and history. Maurice and Roland were awesome.
Robert –
We booked a tour with the Detroit bus Company. It was a rainy night but the tour and our guide Maurice made up for the weather. It was fun, informative and we had a blast with the folks on board. If you’re in Detroit, don’t miss this tour to see some of Detroits more interesting watering holes.
Gina –
Who’s your driver? Roland! Who’s your tour guide? Karen! ❤️
Obey the house keeping rules!
These two are just awesome! Karen is very informative and fun! Roland, you couldn’t ask for a better driver! Both of them are personable and friendly !Good times! Add this tour to your bucket list!
Darlene Lumma –
Nov 19, 2016 first freezing cold night of the season. Had a great time with Justin and Roland. Would absolutely recommend it to everyone.
Katy –
This was an amazing evening! Got to discover some hidden jems while taking a tour through the city.
hcancun –
This bus company is phenomenal! We had a group outing for the Drunks of Antiquity tour and had an absolute blast. I honestly haven’t found anything quite as unique for team outings and found some new bars to take my friends to.
People who complain about it being a “party” bus instead of a history tour: It is well advertised that this is a drinking excursion, as well as a history tour. We definitely received a healthy balance of both.
People who complain who missed the bus: Don’t miss the bus. You’re not the only customers 🙂
I wish I could remember our tour guide and bus drivers’ names, but our tour was back in February 2017. We’re going on the one this Friday AGAIN because we had such a blast the first time around.
I highly recommend this company, especially for team outings! 5 five, 2 thumbs up, high five.
kkarwowska –
Seriously, whether you are visiting or a local, you MUST take one of their tours!!!!! I did the “Drunks of Antiquity” tour with friends and it was AWESOME!!! The tour guide and driver were SO much fun! I can’t wait until my next visit “home” to try another of their tours.
Tiffany –
Awesome time with Maurice and Gail! Can’t wait to do it again!
dandy –
We’re so glad you had an awesome time! Please consider leaving your honest review on Yelp and TripAdvisor too! Honest reviews help our tiny company survive and thrive.
Denice Brown –
As a lifelong Detroiter, I appreciate the chance to visit bars that have a history! It’s perfect for visitors to the city. And a chance to find a new hangout place! If you get a chance, take it. Fun!
Brenda –
Our group of 15 had a fantastic time on this tour! The only thing that was problematic was finding parking in Ferndale as we got on at Rosie O’Grady’s (the meters are only for 2 hours…we finally just parked in the back of the Post Office lot and prayed our car wasn’t going to get towed…It didn’t). The tour was great though and we all thoroughly enjoyed the four bars that we went to (don’t want to list the names as I don’t want to ruin the surprise!). If you are looking for a fun night out and have a group of friends, mark this on your calendar to do!
Jon –
We had a group of 40 and all had a fantastic time. I’ll be booking this again for my corporate event soon. Very, very cool.
Lori Mabee –
Went on the tour last night and haven’t had that much fun in a long time!! Absolutely worth every cent…plus the mission of this company is outstanding with their Ride for Ride program. Our guide Monique King was phenomenal both informative and funny. Loved this event!
Jan Wellman –
Six of us took the Drunk tour on Friday April 20, 2018. All of us agreed that it was a wonderfully fun time! Everyone on the bus was there to have fun and join in the party. Monique was our tour guide, and she was great! Histerically funny! Wonderful on the inside also, as we had the opportunity to speak privately with her. I highly recommend taking this tour. In fact, we are going to try to book a private bus in the future…and we will definitely request Monique! Well done, Detroit Bus Company!!
Dan –
Excellent time.
Pam –
Our group of 22 chartered a private Drunks of Antiquity Tour. We hit 4 fun, unique spots… definitely Detroit hidden gems. I won’t ruin the surprise by naming any bars here, but we ended the night at a place with some live music which was absolutely perfect for our dancing queens! Special thanks to Harvey, our driver, and Heather, our guide for helping make this night so much fun. I would highly recommended this bar crawl!
Christie –
There were about 20 of us who did the tour for my birthday. Monique, our tour guide, was fantastic! Hilarious, helpful and informative! Definitely recommend the tour to anyone interested in getting buzzed up, while learning some Detroit history! Thanks again, Monique!!
Doreen M –
Calvin was a fantastic guide, and fun was had by all. The bars were all staffed well expecting our arrival!
kwel2016 –
This is the third time I’ve taken this tour and each time was just as much fun. Calvin our guide was very knowledgeable about the Bars and the city of Detroit. The whole experience was a ton of fun! Highly recommend for birthdays and just good group fun. Best Birthday so far!
larpjr –
This tour was fun I saw 4 bars I would never know even existed. Tour guide was fun and informative all 4 bars were cool, and I like the amount of time we spent at each one! There was a fund raiser at one of the bars for the high school kids and a program for books, the one in Mexican town, and I won the 50/50 raffle, they were so appreciative when I returned the winnings to the charity I almost cried! That made the trip even more fun! There’s a big huge dog at the bar and he was so sweet and cute. The bar with the band was great too. Take this tour, its fun. The bus was really warm and we had bundled up thinking it would be cold but it was hot. Even on a really cold night, Bus driver did and excellent job and bus was in top condition. I think most people are into the ride and the bars, keep the stories very short.
Emma –
The tour was so much fun! Our guide was Patrick, and he did an amazing job. He was very knowledgeable, fun, and professional. Will definitely do this tour again.
Kristi –
Ok Debbie Downer here. Don’t get me wrong. This was a blast! Tons of fun! Loved our guide Monique and our fantastic driver (sorry. Forgot his name). Great bus! Great bars! Great history!
I just can’t figure out why we needed to get on in Detroit, drive to Ferndale to pick up four people, then drive back to Detroit to finally hit the first bar an hour after the tour started. ???
Five stars otherwise!
Lisa –
We had a great time Friday on our private Drunks of Antiquity tour to celebrate a milestone birthday with the fabulous Monique as our guide, and the kind Charlie Brown (Larry) as our driver. Great insight into history, great bar stops, lots of fun. And love the Ride for Ride mission that helps children get to school safely. Members of our group will be back for another ride!