As someone who grew up in Detroit, touring Michigan Central Station was something I had been…read morelooking forward to for a long time, and it absolutely exceeded my expectations. The restoration work is incredible. It's hard to put into words how amazing it is to see such an iconic Detroit landmark brought back to life after sitting vacant for so many years. Our tour guide, Joe, was fantastic. He was knowledgeable, engaging, and clearly passionate about both the history of the station and the city itself. He shared a great mix of historical information, restoration details, and stories that made the experience even more memorable. Whether you're a lifelong Detroiter, a former resident like me, or just someone interested in architecture and history, this tour is well worth your time. Seeing the transformation of Michigan Central Station firsthand was truly special, and I highly recommend it.

Detroit History Tours does this guided one and a half hour walking tour through the main floor of…read moreMichigan Central Station. It's AMAZING to see the architectural details and the craftsmanship mixing old with the new. Our tour guide was a preservationist and gave us a lot of details on the buildings history. Hard to believe it sat abandoned for 30 years. There's a coffee shop, gift shop with Michigan Central items and another store with unique gift's. Highly recommend this tour!

If you are looking for a family-friendly fun outing consider touring the Sanders Chocolate Factory…read more I had the guided tour. I found the film quite interesting. I liked seeing the factory and smelling all that delicious caramel being made. We were given various treats to taste, in the case of our tour all the samples were of new products. Everything we tried was excellent. I especially loved the incredibly tasty lemon-ice-tea ice cream...OH...MY...Goodness was it ever good. I have to say my favorite part was shopping at the candy shop. There was a crazy selection of Sanders items I didn't even know existed. Oh happy day. Michigan-made, Michigan-proud. Go Sanders!

The new Sanders hot fudge tastes similar to Hershey's syrup. The taste is nothing like the old hot…read morefudge. I will not be making any more special trips to a Sanders store to buy this product. A real disappointment after waiting so long for the hot fudge to return to store shelves.

We just spent a fantastic couple of hours with Joe, who is funny, smart, insightful, wry and…read morepassionate about the city where he'd lived in and around his entire life. Our two hour tour went by too quickly and we wished we'd taken the four hour option instead! Joe was not only a terrific tour guide, he worked with with our schedules. We really appreciated getting a real insider's glimpse of a fascinating, complicated city. Cannot recommend Joe and Backseat Detroit tours more highly!

My husband, sister-in-law, niece, and I (age range 7-31) took a tour with Joe of Backseat Detroit…read morein January of 2014 and the experience was unforgettable for all of us! Joe served as a treasure trove of knowledge regarding the city as he provided interesting facts, historical data (and even hilarious jokes) while we traversed neighborhoods such as the affluent Boston Edison District, historic Corktown, the colorful Heidelberg Project, and many, many more. The best part was that though Joe had a planned route, he offered to customize our tour on the spot to meet our varied personal interests--a service that Joe said he provides to all his guests. For instance, Joe said that if we were interested in a particular theme, such as the Motor City's vibrant music history, he would include Hitsville USA and other prominent music sights within the city. My seven-year-old niece said she was interested in toys, which made us laugh due to its randomness, but alas, Joe guided us through the aforementioned Heidelberg Project (a neighborhood in which the houses are adorned with colorful polka dots and teddy bears) and even led us into the Fisher where we gazed upon a stunning detailed Lego replica of the skyscraper in which we were standing (see pics). Whatever your specific interests are, Joe will ensure that you leave satisfied! We also appreciated that Joe provided a well-rounded and as-unbiased-as-possible perspective of the long-troubled, yet vibrant city. For instance, when we asked Joe a specific question regarding the politically-polarizing Detroit mogul Matty Maroun, he was sure to note when his facts ventured into opinion territory. This perspective proved invaluable to the sights as well: Most visitors will have heard of and/or seen photos of Detroit's tremendous blight, but Joe also showed us breathtaking extant structures from Detroit's grandiose past and he was sure to also point out new developments in the city; we visited the decrepit remains of Michigan Central Station, but Joe also took us into the spectacular Guardian Building (Wait until Joe tells you the story about the building's roof--you'll be astonished), and Joe even showed us the wonderful new Beethoven Cafe on Third Avenue where we purchased delicious coffee and pastries. Of course, any smartphone could provide both navigation and a web browser set to Wikipedia that could guide visitors on a tour of Detroit, right? WRONG! For starters, Joe is a long-time resident of Detroit, so he provided a unique and authentic perspective of life in the city. Moreover, Joe maintains an active role in Detroit city politics and stays current on city planning; therefore, Joe provided us with fascinating information regarding the city's past, present and future that we likely could not have obtained through the internet. And if you require further proof that Joe's tour provided invaluable information, consider this: out of our group of four, all of us were born and raised in the Metro-Detroit-area and all four of us have lived in the city at one point in our lives; yet Joe still showed us new sights and provided us with a wealth of new knowledge regarding our former home. Book a tour with Backseat Detroit. You will not be disappointed!

Today my friend and I had the pleasure of being on a guided tour of Eastern Market. Our tour…read moreguide's name was Gail. As described, it was a two hour walking tour. We had the opportunity to learn more about the history of Detroit, the various ethnicities that made up the city of Detroit and the Eastern Market area dating back to the 1700's. It was inexpensive and we thoroughly enjoyed this experience. It was a unique experience getting to learn more about this Detroit.

We took the Historical Eastern Market tour and thoroughly enjoyed it. Interesting info about the…read moremarket and how it originally started. I highly recommend this tour!

I love sightseeing with water views. The Diamond Jack River Tours are an option. The tours are…read moreaffordable and they have several boarding times from Thursday to Sunday during the summer. I will be doing another one before the summer is over!

Attended a fundraiser on the boat. Nice cruise down the Detroit River. Parking is an issue as there…read moreis no close parking to the boat.

I spent a fabulous day & 1/2 touring Detroit with Becky. We started with the murals near the…read moreEastern Market and concluded with a fantastic Lebanese brunch in Dearborn. Others in my small group went on to tour downtown Detroit and the Canal District. Becky's passion for Detroit is evident. She thoughtfully combined our interests with contacts that she has to really round out our experiences by sharing stories about Detroit's music and food culture. Without Becky's insights I would not have been able to see as much of what makes Detroit such a vibrant city. I could not have asked for a better guide and I am looking forward to a return visit!

Went to the Capital Park Strolling Brunch tour and have to say the strolling brunch part was a…read morestretch. The tour part was food and why I gave it 4 stars but the brunch part left a lot to be desired. When you arrive you got a handful of peanuts with a cup of coffee and some cold spinach pie that was cut into 1/5ths. After a little tour of some buildings surrounding the park we were served a very small portion of pizza margherite and a little bit of a charcuterie board with small bottled water. We then toured more of the city attractions and ended at Cannelle pastry shop back in capital park for portions of eclair and almond croissants which were very tasty. You did not go home hungry nor would I say satisfied but the tour was fun. It was a good experience if you didn't know much about the city which wasn't the case with us but still enjoyable. If you're looking for a good brunch this is not for you. If your looking for a fun tour then don't worry about the brunch part. Overall we enjoyed it.

I was a little sticker shocked at first. $55 to visit three bars on an old school bus. While on the…read morebus, we learned that our $55 was actually supporting transportation for kids to school and after school programs. Definitely changed my tune. Our tour guide was able to share the history of prohibition in Detroit as well as shared the unique history at each of our stops. I would definitely recommend to try this tour.

My 1st experience with The Detroit Bus Co. was unforgettable! Boy, do they know how to entertain…read moreyou! We had 3 stops on this tour and music/trivia on the bus between each stop! Check-in was easy and the bus was packed. We met at Checker Bar to start the journey. It was a well lit area, with paid street parking. A part of each ticket sold helps provide bus rides for students in Detroit that could use the support. Take a look at their planned events and get on board!

Absolutely wonderful! Relaxed, informative, informal, personalized, nothing could have made it…read morebetier. Highly recommend Pat as a tour guide.

This tour is a Detroiter's delight! Pat took the time to find out what our interests were…read morebeforehand. For us, it was architecture and those wonderful ArtDeco features all over the city! We got the history, and updates in recent development downtown, and in some cool neighborhoods. Her van is super comfortable & clean, with a giant moonroof for viewing the landmarks & details she points out. We were impressed to see the train station renovation! We stopped for coffee, stepped into some of my favorite buildings to see the gorgeous lobbies, as well as Third Man Records and Shinola! Pat's knowledge of and love for Detroit is evident, & helped me share my beloved hometown with my husband. The tour was the highlight of our trip and worth every penny. Thanks Pat!