2026 Preservation Detroit Historic Ferry Street Walking Tour - Weekday

Learn more about the people and institutions who made Ferry Street one of Detroit’s most historic neighborhoods.
About this Event

Preservation Detroit's summer weekday walking tour season returns for 2026. The day of the week and time varies by tour so please check each event listing carefully!

We will explore the street that originated with the Ferry Seed Company farm established in the mid-1850’s at the corner of East Ferry and Woodward to grow the seeds that were sold nationwide. Then came the prosperous residences in the mid-1880’s and the Merrill Palmer Institute in the 1920’s as well as population shifts to Jewish in the mid-1910’s and to African American in the 1930’s. Learn more about the people and institutions who made Ferry Street one of Detroit’s most historic neighborhoods.

Meeting place: The tour departs from the Josephine Ford Sculpture Garden on the College of Creative Studies campus at John R and E. Kirby.

Parking: Metered and non-metered street parking is available in the immediate area. Paid parking is also available at the DIA parking lot.

Items to note about our tours:

THIS IS A WALKING TOUR. All guests should be prepared to walk, sometimes on surfaces under construction, for more than two hours.

All tours take place rain or shine and are about 2 to 2.5 hours long. Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of the tour. Advance ticket purchases are available through the afternoon of the Wednesday before the tour. If there is a date missing from the tour page, the tour for that location/date is sold out.

Note: Some buildings may have restricted access. Restroom facilities may be unavailable along the tour route.

By purchasing ticket(s), I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms outlined in the following liability release: https://preservationdetroit.org/liabilityrelease