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Wheelhouse Detroit Private Bicycle Tour Options (2025)
Near East Side — 8 to 16 miles, 2 to 3 hours (This tour is $200-250 on weekdays for up to 6 riders, $250-300 on weekends, depending on length of time.): This tour showcases several of Detroit’s unique attractions. Depending on group choice, weather, and/or day of the week, stops may include the Dequindre Cut, Heidelberg Project, Earthworks Urban Farm, Eastern Market, Lafayette Park, Elmwood Cemetery, the Detroit Riverwalk, Belle Isle, and West/Indian Village. A beverage stop can be included upon request. This tour is highly customizable to the length of ride-slash-number of stops the group desires.
Near West Side — 8 to 16 miles, 2 to 3 hours ($200-250/$250-300): Explore the Riverwalk, Downtown, Corktown, and Mexicantown on this tour. Depending on group choice, weather, and/or day of the week, stops may include the Underground Railroad Monument, Campus Martius, Capitol Park, Most Holy Trinity, the site of Tiger Stadium, Michigan Central Station, Ste. Anne’s Church, and Clark Park. A beverage stop can be included upon request.
Detroit RiverWalk/Dequindre Cut — 5 to 8 miles, 2 hours ($200/$250): Ideal for families, this tour is almost entirely on greenways, separated from auto traffic. Short and sweet, it focuses on the beautifully renewed RiverWalk and the Dequindre Cut rail-to-trail.
Booze* & Bikes — Approx. 10 miles, 3 hours ($250/$300): Detroit has an amazing craft beer, cocktail, and wine culture. Stops will vary depending on interest, time, and date. Options include Atwater Brewery, Motor City Brewing Works, Batch Brewery, Motor City Wine, Two James Distillery, Detroit Distillery, Brix Wine, and more. *If booze ain’t your thing, we can take you to cafes or shops instead!
Corktown — Approx. 8 miles, 2-3 hours ($200-250/$250-300): Get inside info on Detroit's oldest neighborhood, including charming Victorian homes, historic churches and buildings, and vibrant and dynamic businesses. Stops include Most Holy Trinity Church, Michigan Central Station, North Corktown, and the site of Tiger Stadium. A beverage stop can be included upon request.
Eastern Market — Approx. 5 miles, 2-3 hours ($200-250/$250-300): This tour takes in the Dequindre Cut, Lafayette Park, and the historic market, with an emphasis on history, current development, shopping opportunities, and vibrant murals.
Belle Isle — Approx. 15 miles, 3 hours ($250/$300): Explore the architecture and ecology of Detroit's island gem, including the Flynn Pavilion, Aquarium and Conservatory, Oudolf Garden, the Iron Belle Trail, the Boat and Yacht Clubs, the Casino, Dossin Great Lakes Museum, and Livingstone Lighthouse. Depending on the day of the week, the tour can include stops at one or more of the listed attractions.
Music Heritage — Approx. 12 miles, 3 hours ($250/$300): Music originating from Detroit has been innovative and impactful, spanning many genres that include techno, rock, gospel, hip hop, soul, punk, and, of course, Motown. This tour will take in many relevant sites, including the Masonic Temple, Michigan Theater, St. Andrews Hall, Detroit Opera House, Music Hall, Chin Tiki, the site of the Gold Dollar, United Sound Systems Recording Studio, and the Motown Museum. A stop at the Old Miami, Motor City Brewing Works, or Third Man Records can be included.
Public Art — Approx. 12 Miles, 3 hours ($250/$300): Detroit has a plethora of amazing public art, and this tour travels from the Riverfront through Greater Downtown, Midtown, and the East Side to take in a wide variety, ranging in scale, material, and era. This tour has been redesigned in 2024.
Books & Bikes – Approx. 13 Miles, 3-4 hours ($250-300/$300-350): Check out some of Detroit’s independent book shops. Stops can include John K. King Books, Detroit Specials, 27th Letter Books, Vesper, Source Booksellers, Vault of Midnight, and the main branch of the Detroit Public Library. A beverage stop can be included upon request.
Haunted Detroit — Approx. 13 miles, 3 hours ($250/$300): This tour combines some ghostly anecdotes with factual historic info about Harry Houdini, Elmwood Cemetery, Capitol Park, and the St. Aubin Street Massacre. We also visit a few spots rumored to be haunted, including the Fort-Shelby and Leland Hotels, The Whitney, and the Masonic Temple and talk about the legendary Nain Rouge. The route includes Rivertown, Elmwood Park, Poletown, Midtown/Cass Corridor, and Downtown. A beverage stop is included.
The 11 tours described above all have at least one guide with flexible availability. We also have a couple of tours with guides that have more limited availability. If one of them is your preference, we are happy to reach out, we just want you to be aware that it’s not always possible.
Auto Heritage — Approx. 12 miles, 3 hours ($250/$300): Discover how Detroit became the center of the automotive industry with stops at the Globe Building, Dequindre Cut, Packard Plant, the GM Detroit-Hamtramck (Poletown) Assembly Plant, Fisher Body 21, New Center (former GM Headquarters and Fisher Building), TechTown, and the site of Ford’s Bagley Garage. Midway, we will enjoy an extended stop at and brief tour of the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant (dependent on date/time). This tour is conducted in partnership with the Motorcities National Heritage Area. A beverage stop can be included upon request.
Architecture — Approx. 15 miles, 3 hours ($250/$300): This informative overview of significant architecture in and around Downtown Detroit is one of our most popular tours. Led by architect Chris Gongora, the discussion centers on architecture in relation to urban planning, past and future developments, and the social implications of architectural design, good and bad, in Detroit. Sites include Hart Plaza, the Financial District, Cass Corridor, Brush Park, Eastern Market, and the Dequindre Cut. As a private tour, Architecture is only available on weekdays. For an additional fee, Chris can customize a tour for your group that focuses on a specific neighborhood, era, or building type.
CONTACT LINDA AT BOOKINGS@WHEELHOUSEDETROIT.COM TO GET ROLLING ON YOUR ADVENTURE!
Last edited 06/3/25
Bikes For Sale
As of June 3, 2025, here are the for-sale bikes we currently have built.
Please note: We have many other sizes and styles still boxed, so if you are interested in bike shopping, just reach out and let us know or, better yet, come by and take a test ride or two! We can always build up something for you once we know your size and style!
All new bikes purchased from Wheelhouse receive one year of complimentary service (excepting flat tires) and a water bottle and bottle cage. We will also make sure the bike is adjusted for your best riding ever!
This page cannot wholly represent in real-time what is available at the bike shop, so please come on by to see what’s what!
SUMMER TOUR UPDATE
Despite the rainy and relatively cool Spring, our tour season is well underway. But Summer is finally here, and with that we have some news — some quotidian, some a bit more exciting — to share with you.
First and foremost, we have two new tours to share!
Tile Town: The Pewabic Pottery Story, will make stops at several eastside tile installations, including The Shepherd, and culminate with an extended stop at Pewabic where riders can enjoy a visit to a historic display, shopping, music, and food trucks. This tour is being offered three times and was developed in conjunction with Pewabic’s Education Department.
Boston Edison, which will just be offered once this year, will take a deep dive into one of Detroit’s most prestigious and architecturally significant neighborhoods. This one was developed in partnership with Preservation Detroit, and we are hoping it will lead to series of similar tours in 2026.
Monthlies: All our favorites are back, including Architecture, Auto Heritage, Belle Isle, and Corktown. These are the tours most likely to sell out.
Occasionals: These are offered at least a couple of times, and include Public Art, Books and Bikes, and Southwest Detroit.
Specials: Hop on these as they are offered just once or specific to an event, like Haunted, Poletown, Underground Railroad, and Music History.
Weekdays: Our weekday tours are shorter (in both mileage and time) and less expensive than our weekend tours. These include Eastern Market (bi-weekly, Tuesdays) and Riverfront/Dequindre Cut (bi-weekly Fridays).
Private-Only: This season, Sports Heritage and Techno are joinging our Private Tour roster. These can be booked at a date and time convenient for you. More info HERE.
Our Google tour calendar is HERE and more info on each tour and a link to booking can be found HERE. We look forward to riding with you!
OPERATIONAL NOTES
Happy Summertime! A few quick notes about Wheelhouse’s 2025 season:
We are currently open six days a week: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday from 11AM to 6PM and Saturday 10AM to 7PM. We can be available on Tuesdays with some advance notice (not day-of!) via info@wheelhousedetroit.com.
We will be closed May 30 through June 2 due to the Chevrolet Grand Prix.
Prices. Yeah. Many of our vendors are attaching tariff charges to orders and prices are fluctuating almost weekly on some of our smaller goods. We ask that you bear with us as we are having to manually adjust prices frequently and there may be an old sticker or two on an item or a price adjustment on a special order that happens in the short time between ordering and receiving. Trust us, we’re not getting rich off any short-term price increases — barely covering margins is all we are aiming for at this point. Likewise, we’ve had to raise many of our service prices to attempt to cover increased costs such as wages, taxes, insurance, and all the other stuff that isn’t always visible to the customer. We appreciate your patronage and kindness as we all attempt to navigate the madness!
Sincerely, Kelli B Kavanaugh, Owner
2025 Tour Season is (almost) Here!
Wheelhouse’s 2025 tour season rolls out on April 19! We have 11 dates for five different tours ready for booking — more will be populating our calendar as details are firmed up. All of our favorites are back and, well we aren’t quite ready to make a formal announcement, one or two new ones will be joining the rotation!
The following tours are ready to be booked:
Belle Isle: April 19
Architecture: April 20
Books & Bikes: April 26
Auto Heritage: April 27, May 18, June 29, July 27, August 24, September 28, October 12
Corktown: May 3
Head to wheelhousedetroit.com/public-tours for descriptions and to reserve.
Look for more tours to be added over the coming weeks. We typically offer two each weekend along with one weekday slot all the way through the end of October.
Remember, you can always book a private tour on the day and time of your liking! Reach out to Linda at bookings@wheelhousedetroit.com to get the process started.
2025 SEASON KICKS OFF
Welcome to Wheelhouse Season No. 18! Our Early Spring hours will be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from Noon to 5PM.
Couple of things to note:
Our first batch of tours for the season is posted! The first one is set for April 19 and we’ll keep rolling with 2-3 a week through the end of October. You can book a private one for your group on the day and time of your liking; email Linda at bookings@wheelhousedetroit.com to pursue that option.
Unfortunately, we will be raising some of our service prices this year. Until we’ve audited them all, we will honor our older prices, so getting your bike into the shop early this year will definitely save you some dough. If you’d like to schedule a service pickup, shoot us an email at info@wheelhousedetroit.com — adding your location and availability will help things get moving.
Who would have thought that the little bike shop we opened in 2008 would still be alive and kicking here in 2025? Not I! We look forward to continuing to be here so that one and all can Experience the Motor City on Two Wheels!
Kelli Kavanaugh, Owner
We're Here For You By Appointment All Winter Long!
Just a quick note to let you all know that when we say, “Open By Appointment,” we mean it! We’re happy to meet you for any cycling need, whether it’s to grab a tube or lock, place a special order, drop off or pick up a bike for service, or snag a rental or two. Or if you’d like to book a cold weather tour, no problem!
We can also pick up and drop off bikes from your home or workplace for service or assembly of a boxed bike.
All you gotta do is shoot us a quick email at info@wheelhousedetroit.com with a couple of available windows and we’ll arrange to meet you at the shop or schedule that pickup. In case you think it’s too much of a hassle…not at all! Maybe 2 quick emails back and forth and we’ll be available at your convenience.
We will resume open hours of operation in March 2025 for Season 18!
Gift Cards & Certificates for the Cyclists on Your Holiday List!
If you’re looking to give the gift of “buying where you ride” consider the oh-so-convenient gift card or certificate from your favorite neighborhood bike shop! We’re even offering $10 off digital gift certificates for rentals and tours.
GIFT CARDS
You can purchase a gift card in any denomination. We will mail it free of charge to either the gifter or the giftee. A personalized, hand-written note card can be included as well.
Gift cards can be used towards any retail purchase, any bicycle service (idea: a standard tuneup is $75 so they’ll be ready to roll come Spring), or towards a private tour.
It couldn’t be easier: just fill out this handy dandy FORM and we will call you at the time you request to complete the purchase.
NB: Please get us that email by December 13 so we can be sure to get your card to a post office by the recommended Christmas mailing deadline of December 15.
ONLINE GIFT CERTIFICATE
We also offer online gift certificates, which can be used to reserve a rental bike or towards a spot on a public tour. These do not expire and can be emailed to the recipient on a date that you specify.
Purchase by December 20 and receive $10 off your purchase with the Promo Code HOLIDAY24!
More info and to purchase HERE.
Cheers to a happy and healthy holiday season!
Last Chance Savings for October Tours
There are just five tours left with openings in October and we’ve got a limited-use Promo Code for you to save 10 bucks off your reservation if you act quickly!
Use Promo Code October24 at checkout for the following tours: October 12 Corktown; October 13 Auto Heritage; October 19, 20, 27 Haunted.
Promo Code expires on October 11.
October Tour Overview
This is it, the last month of our public tour season…We still have a few tours with open spots, so jump on before it’s too late to ride with us this season!
There are openings for Corktown 10/12 and Auto Heritage 10/13.
We always wrap up our season with our popular Haunted Detroit tour. We are offering four to close out our season; there are at least a few spaces available on 10/19, 10/26, and 10/27 — and for whatever reason, 10/20 is wiiiiide open. If you’d like to book a private one for your group, reach out to Linda ASAP to get rolling on your preferred date and time.
We’ve had a wonderful 2024 exploring Detroit. Thank you to our friends from all over the globe and our own backyard who’ve ridden with us this year!