Booze Makes Minneapolis History Better

Discover the explosive history of Minneapolis with a drink (or four) in hand.

Tour Summary

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John Says:

“I’m fascinated by two things: History a nice glass of bourbon. After giving historic walking tours in over 30 countries, I stumbled upon a game-changing realization: These two passions need not remain separate.”

5/5

Spend three hours exploring a curated list of four of Minneapolis’ best bars. We won’t just be drinking there, we’ll be learning the story of the bar, meeting the bartender, and trying a new drink.

Once you’re settled in with your drink, I’ll have a story to share with you about what helped make this fascinating city what it is today.

The tour’s unnamed guest star is YOU. One third drinking, one third history and one third banter make this a thirst-quenching, educational, and social experience that has a little something for everybody.

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What's Included?

What to Expect?

Over 400 5-Star reviews.

We're rated #1 on Trip Advisor.
Come see what all the fuss is about.

"Just finished Bar tour with Hayden.. great guide, great knowledge and great bloke.... was a delightful experience in Melbourne and would have no issues recommending this tour for locals and tourists..."
Andrew Maher
"Was a great way to get out and walk around our great city and discover bars that you never knew where there. Hayden was terrific and really informative and had lots of fun. Would highly recommend taking a walk.'
Angela
Google Review
"We did the Melbourne bar tour with John and had an amazing time! John was so friendly, knowledgeable and really made the tour something different! Highly recommended, 10/10 would do again!"
Ethan Jones
"Thanks to Beau and the team for a great afternoon out. Dylan & I had the best time finding some amazing new places."
Natalie Aitken

Why Minneapolis?

For this tour to work, the city needed two key things — a best-in-class bar scene, and a fascinating and varied history.

Starting with the bars, Minneapolis is in the midst of a golden age of drinking. Long gone are the days of alcohol smuggling, speakeasies and temperance groups. No, today Minneapolis is dotted with distilleries, breweries and hidden havens for imbibing. Since the days of the lumberjacks, Minnesota has always put a premium on hand-crafting. Today’s embodiment of that is in our locally made beers and spirits. The care and craftsmanship put into these venues deserves to be seen, and it’s where we’ll be exploring on our tour.

As for our history, Minneapolis is not lacking. Running through Minneapolis’ history can be a dizzying experience, like reading a book by an author who should get gone through a few more edits.

This is a place where the French thought they were start a new empire to compete with New England. It’s a place the Dakota people tended to the land, foraging foods that modern Minnesotans appreciate so much. It’s also a place of unspeakable tragedy, where a massive industrial explosion on the Mississippi led to safer worker conditions. It’s a place that has been a shining beacon of hope for countless Scandinavian, German, Hmong, Viet and Somali immigrants who have continued the tradition of adding their culture to the modern Minnesota smorgasbord of what we call our state today.

There’s really no better place to combine a bit of learning with a cheeky pub crawl, and that’s why we do this in Minneapolis.

Other Information:

FAQs:

5/5

Tour Start Point:

Your tour begins at the in a small green space across from the Hewing Hotel — look for a brown sign that says “North Loop.”

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Gift cards are only redeemable for Depot Adventures tour offerings. Gift cards are not redeemable for any third party offerings, including but not limited to offerings from “Get your Guide” and “Viator”.