Detroit Walking Tour: Bebop, Boulevards, and Boomtown, 2 hr

Follow Detroit’s downtown streets into neighborhoods where jazz, blues, and Black-owned businesses helped shape the city’s story. This 135-minute walking tour connects landmark architecture with the people and cultural movements behind it.

Begin near Campus Martius, Griswold Street, and Cadillac Square, where Detroit’s architectural evolution comes into view. Continue through historic Paradise Valley, once a thriving center of jazz and blues, and hear about the musicians who built Detroit’s musical legacy. Along the way, learn how urban renewal and other changes affected Paradise Valley and Black Bottom, and discover stories of community resilience. A listening device helps you follow the guide as you walk more than 2 miles over uneven surfaces.

Meet inside the Capital One Cafe at 511 Woodward Avenue. For a closer look at the places, music, and history that define the city, join this Detroit walking tour and experience Detroit’s past on foot.