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Mobile Tours

Mobile Tours offer conference attendees a unique chance to explore the host city. As space is limited, we kindly request that attendees sign up for only one mobile tour to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate. All tours will be departing from the Pontchartrain Room, Lobby Level unless other wise stated. Those who plan to attend a bike mobile tour, will need to complete all applicable waivers before departing. Bike mobile tour attendees will be asked to review and sign the Wheelhouse Detroit waiver, unless otherwise stated.  Each biking tour, unless noted otherwise, will have 20 geared bikes available for use; attendees are not required to bring their own bikes to participate. To view all available tours, please scroll down or use the menu below to navigate to each time slot.

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Monday, August 12, 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM*

*BIKE: Windsor Tour (This tour will approximately run from 9:30 AM - 1:40 PM) 
Hop on a Bird Canada e-bike and experience the best of Windsor on a leg of the Trans Canada Trail (TCT), the longest network of multi-use recreational trails in the world. Begin at the Hon. Herb Gray Parkway trail, which is Ontario’s first trail that has been incorporated into a major provincial highway project.  Learn about the unique features embedded in its design, including its ecopassage, where you can see efforts taken to protect and preserve species at risk, learning about the unique flora and fauna that call this area home.  Cruise along parkland, with views of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge, home to the future international multi-use trail which will connect into local trails on both sides of the border.  Then traverse to historic Sandwich Town for lunch, and wind along the scenic Riverfront trail, through the Sculpture Garden while enjoying views of the Detroit River.  There will be guest speakers along the route to enhance the experience. 
  • Route Map
  • Length: 9 miles
  • Know Before You Go: 
    • Bus transportation will be provided from and back to the hotel. 
    • A valid passport is required as identification for the U.S.-Canada border crossing
    • This tour will run into the lunch break and lunch will be provided to participants
    • Helmets will be provided by Bird Canada
    • Two waivers must be completed before a tour participant can load the shuttle bus:
    • Tour participants will meet at the Registration/Help Desk
Thank you to our tour partners: 
  • Tourism Windsor-Essex Pelee Island for sponsoring lunch
  • Urban Systems for sponsoring the shuttle
  • Bird Canada for providing the e-bikes & helmets
  • The City of Windsor for organizing
Bird Canada Logo   City of Windsor Tourism Logo  

Urban Systems Logo

   Walk Wheel Windsor Logo

 

WALK: Detroit’s Downtown Open Spaces and History 

This tour provides guests with a fascinating glimpse into the heritage and layered history of the storied architectural and urban design legacy of downtown.  The tour highlights the historic importance and recent revival of public open spaces in Detroit.  We will review a selection of buildings and spaces that span a wide variety of styles and histories. Along the way, guests will explore Detroit’s walkable downtown through iconic open spaces like - Woodward Avenue, Campus Martius Park, Spirit Plaza, and Grand Circus Park – learning about the activation and placemaking efforts at the ground level of the city. 

WALK: Downtown Ferndale
Ferndale is an inner-ring suburb just over 10 miles northwest of downtown Detroit via Woodward Avenue. The city has been a longtime leader in implementing road diets, streetscapes, traffic calming, and separated bicycle infrastructure – all of which have led to a resurgent, vibrant, and diverse destination in Metro Detroit. This tour will primarily focus on the business district improvements, including the recently installed two-way cycletracks on both sides of state-owned Woodward Avenue.

  • Route Map: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47127606
  • Length: ~2 miles
  • Know Before You Go: Bus transportation will be provided from the hotel to Downtown Ferndale

Monday, August 12, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

BIKE: East Riverfront Greenways
Join us for a bike tour of the Dequindre Cut, Dennis Archer Greenway, the Detroit Riverwalk, and Elmwood-Central park. This network of greenways and trails connect Elmwood Park, Lafayette Park and Eastern Market with the Detroit riverfront, showcasing a variety of greenway typologies. The Dequindre Cut is a below-grade rail trail extending from Mack Avenue to the riverfront, we will make a stop at Eastern Market on this portion of the tour. The Dennis Archer greenway, once part of a series of walking paths within residential projects in Elmwood Park has been recently upgraded with landscaping, seating areas, safer crossings, security, and lighting. We will also pass through Elmwood-Central Park to learn about future trail improvement projects in the area.

WALK: Joe Louis Greenway Tour
Walk with us through a recently constructed segment of the Joe Louis Greenway and learn what happens when community-led design takes the lead. Explore the stories, landscape, art, and engagement that went into building the new greenway link between the cities of Detroit and Dearborn at Warren Gateway Park and its Unity Towers. Cross 2.8 miles of new, modern greenway with murals, rain gardens, native plants, and monuments to Detroit’s industrial heritage. End at the Greater Southern Baptist Church and meet community leaders along the way. Learn how they are using the greenway as a tool to breathe new life into their neighborhoods after years of disinvestment and blight.

  • Route Map
  • Length: 1.8 mile walk (2.64 miles total)
  • Know Before You Go: We will be driving part of the distance

Tuesday, August 13, 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM

BIKE: Belle Isle Park & Detroit Riverfront
The Detroit Riverwalk and Belle Isle tour links the downtown and central business district of Detroit to the largest city owned park in the United States via the nationally recognized Riverwalk. The Detroit Riverwalk is a reimagining of the Detroit River shoreline from the French ribbon farm settlements, then industrial uses, and now transforming to residential and recreational uses. The Riverwalk provides unprecedented access to the Detroit River that has been blocked for decades with industrial and brownfield sites. Purchased by the City of Detroit in 1879, the 982-acre park is operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Early planning for the park was done by Federick Law Olmstead. Additional stops in the Lafayette Park and Elmwood Park neighborhoods east of downtown Detroit.

WALK: Implementing the Livernois-McNichols Corridor Plan in Northwest Detroit
Streetscapes, greenways, and open spaces that center neighbors and local businesses are creating inclusive growth in the neighborhoods. Join residents, community organizations, and City staff in Northwest Detroit to experience and discuss how the Livernois-McNichols Streetscape plan, a strategy focused on addressing physical, social, and economic challenges across more than ten neighborhoods, has taken shape since its creation in 2017. We will travel up to the Liv6 Neighborhood Homebase on McNichols, tour Ella Fitzgerald Park and Greenway, and stroll the Livernois Avenue of Fashion before returning downtown. We’ll take in Detroit’s first sidewalk separated bike lanes, a linear park in the heart of a neighborhood, and experience the vibrancy of commercial corridors anchored by small, African American-owned businesses.

  • Route Map
  • Length: 1-2 miles
  • Know Before You Go: Bus transportation will be provided between Northwest Detroit and the hotel.

WALK: Stroll Detroit’s International Riverfront
Each year, 3.5 million people visit the Detroit RiverWalk. This former industrial riverfront has been transformed into a premier public space and voted the best U.S. riverfront by USA Today for the past three years. This tour will provide a panoramic view of the international border for the Detroit Riverwalk from Hart Plaza to the Michigan DNR's Outdoor Adventure Center, located at the southern end of the Dequindre Cut. Other notable riverfront destinations beyond this tour -- Valade Park, Mt. Elliott Park and Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park -- will be discussed as well.

Thank you to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy for leading this tour. 

Wednesday, August 14, 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM

BIKE: Connecting Southwest Detroit and Catalyzing Transformation.
Detroit is experiencing an explosion of re-investment and transformation. The integration of complete streets and greenways are central to this plan and are not only providing walkable and bikeable transportation options, but also supporting the development of new parks, helping to catalyze economic development, and converting Motor City to Mobility City. This tour will provide several opportunities to bike along interconnected networks of complete streets and greenways, stopping to explore key public spaces, Ford’s Michigan Central, Mexican Town, and the redeveloping Corktown.

WALK: Midtown
The Midtown area includes many smaller neighborhoods, with this tour focusing on Cass Corridor. We will highlight a community bike shop and two green alleyways. The tour begins with a QLine streetcar ride up Woodward Avenue, detailing its design and impact on local transportation. At the Community Bike Shop, we will explore Back Alley Bikes' facility and learn about their inspiring work in Detroit’s non-profit bicycle scene. In "A Tale of Two Alleys," we will discover the fascinating process behind creating two innovative green alleyways and delve into Green Garage's cutting-edge sustainability projects transforming the neighborhood.