Drunks of Antiquity: The Detroit Historic Bar Tour
A guided ride through Detroit's oldest, most notorious bars — aboard a hand-painted bus.
Two ways to ride
Same bus, same madness. Pick your lane:
Public tour
From $49.99 per seat
Seniors, first responders & military $50.99 · groups of 10+ ride at $49.99/seat
- The cheapest way aboard — pay per seat, book in minutes
- Runs on set dates — see what's coming up and grab yours
- You, your crew, and a busload of new friends
What you see at checkout is what you pay — zero surprise fees. All seats are booked online — none sold at the bus.
See dates & book seatsPrivate tour
Quoted for your group
- The bus is yours — your people only
- Your date, your time, picked up wherever you choose
- Same great route — pickup and drop-off where it works for you
Tell us what you're planning and a real person gets back to you within one business day with your quote.
Get your quoteGot 20+ people? Take the whole bus — private tours run on your schedule.
What is this madness?
Detroit’s got some serious chops when it comes to drinking history — from French missionaries with barrels of brandy through Prohibition rum-runners and the Purple Gang. This tour puts you on a renovated hand-painted bus and takes you through three of the city’s oldest, most notorious, and most interesting bars, some pouring since before Prohibition.
Which bars? That’s a surprise. Half the fun is not knowing whether the next stop is upscale or a glorious dive. Your guide carries the stories; the bars pour the drinks. (Drinks stay in the bars — the bus is for the ride and the storytelling.)
All passes must be bought online — seating is limited and we don’t sell tickets at the bus.
Scenes from the tour
What you get
- Ride on a renovated, hand-painted bus
- Three (or more) of Detroit's oldest historic bars
- A guide with the real stories — Prohibition, the Purple Gang, and worse
- A professional driver, so nobody in your crew has to skip the fun
Where to be, and when
Runs most Fridays and Saturdays.
Questions people actually ask
What if I'm running late?
We can't hold the bus, but if you miss the Ferndale pickup you can catch us at the Detroit stop.
Can we drink on the bus?
No — drinks stay in the bars now. You'll have plenty of time to drink at every stop; the ride between is for the stories. (It also keeps the bus nice for the next crew.)
Should we eat first?
Yes. Some of these bars don't have much food, so fuel up ahead of time and bring snacks. Bring some cash too — it keeps the rounds moving.
What about bad weather?
Safety first. If the weather turns gnarly you'll get an email the day of with a raincheck/snowcheck date, or a voucher for a future tour.
Can someone else use my ticket?
Sure — email us ahead of time and we'll put the new name on your tickets.
“I'm Detroit born-and-raised and you took me to parts of town I didn't even know existed. Friends and family who responded to my social posts were intrigued, impressed, and envious.”
“Had an absolute blast! Well organized, affordable, not rushed, interesting, great fun!!”
“The whole trip was great. Very organized. Felt very safe going into Detroit to see the different areas as I am from the suburbs. No hesitation to highly recommend this tour.”
#12 of 128 Tours & Activities in Detroit
Make this tour private
Drunks of Antiquity, run just for your group — your date, your time, picked up wherever you choose. Mike gets back to you within one business day with your quote.
Tickets are non-refundable except for extenuating circumstances — if weather grounds our buses, or a travel cancellation keeps you from getting to Detroit (proof required — a canceled flight counts), you'll get a raincheck date, a voucher, or your money back. The full rules live in our ticket terms and conditions.
And the part we're proudest of: every seat you buy gives a Detroit kid a safe, free ride to school or an after-school program. Here's how that works.