Booze Makes Minneapolis History Better
Discover the explosive history of Minneapolis with a drink (or four) in hand.
Tour Summary
- Departs Daily
- Save money with our drinks package (optional)
- Small groups guaranteed
- COVID-safe measures in place
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.”
- Melbourne, Australia
- Departs Daily
- Discounted Drinks Package
- Small Group
- COVID-safe measures in place
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?
- 4 of the city's best underseen bars
- A local bar expert to lead you
- Optional drinks package for just $60, bringing you 4 top-shelf drinks (an $80 value)
What to Expect?
- Maximum group size of 12
- Bar's you'd never have thought to go to on your own
- Mateship
- A local Bar expert who will know exactly which bars to take you to
Over 400 5-Star reviews.
We're rated #1 on Trip Advisor.
Come see what all the fuss is about.
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:
Your tour begins opposite the Hewing Hotel, in a small grassy park with a sign that reads “North Loop.” For directions on Google Maps, click here.
- Weather-Appropriate Clothing
- Your Camera
- A Filled Tummy
- Money
- Comfortable Shoes
Cancel up to 24 hours prior for a full refund
FAQs:
While we advertise the tour as 3 hours, we arrive to bar #4 just before the 3 hour mark, so make sure to leave yourself enough time for one last round. We recommend scheduling an additional 45 minutes for mingling and revelry before heading home or to your next event.
Our bar schedule changes daily depending on which bars are open. We can’t tell you exactly where the tour will end, but it will be in the city centre and not ages from the start point.
Don’t worry — it will be super-easy to get anywhere in the city afterwards and your guide can help with directions. If you need more specific info, shoot us an email at info@depotadventures.com with your intended travel date and we can give you more detail.
In the city centre, a small beer costs $5-10 while a cocktail is in the $15-$25 range.
A great way to save money is to prepurchase your drinks — with our drinks-included package, we can negotiate more aggressive rates with the bars and save you big money.
Closed-toed shoes or sandals are important – some venues may not allow thongs/jandals/flip-flops inside after a certain hour.
Other than that — dress how you please! As long as you stay out of activewear and that stained t-shirt you normally only wear to bed, you’ll be fine.
Some like to dress up and continue the night after our tour completes, and some go more casual. Do what makes you comfortable. 🙂
We cap our group size at 12 people to ensure each person has the chance to have a personal experience with the tour guide and one another.
Of course! We are happy to host private functions on our personalised private tours. These are 3 hours tours we tailor specifically to your group’s requirements and interests. Contact us to book!
We pick four bars that are within walking distance, but occasionally we’ll have a 10-minute jaunt between some of our furthest-apart venues. Your walking distance would never be more than 1 mile.
Of course! Feel free to book on a public tour, or if you want your very own chartered tour reserve it here!
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
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.”
