DXF Announces Grand Opening: New Brand, New Welcome Center, New Offerings

Do you think you’ve been to every bar or restaurant downtown?  Join the Detroit Experience Factory’s (DXF) Checklist Challenge and see what you’ve been missing! On June 1st, DXF is bringing back  the Checklist Challenge to inspire you to experience the 303 bars and restaurants on DXF’s Downtown Bars and Restaurants checklist.

“I’m a lifelong Detroiter but there’s a lot of places I’ve never been. This was a great opportunity to explore home.” says Tania Mackey, the grand prize winner of last summer’s checklist challenge. “It’s also been great to learn about so many small businesses that you wouldn’t really know about unless you take the time to explore. And I take my son almost everywhere with me – it can be really kid friendly.” Tania visited 210 bars and restaurants on the checklist during the 90 days of our first DXF challenge. 

The Checklist Challenge is pretty simple: the individual who visits the most places on the checklist between June 1st and September 1st will win the Ultimate Detroit Experience Package valued at over $1,000. There will also be random winners selected for prizes throughout the challenge so even if you visit one place you can be a winner.  Participants will have to post a photo of themselves at the bar or restaurant on Instagram and use the hashtag, #DXFchallenge. For more details and to register visit www.weknowdetroit.org/challenge. 

Detroit Experience Factory took over 12,000 people on tours last year, a 20% increase from the previous year. Many of these tours were customized for private groups, companies and universities. This summer in addition to weekly walking and bus tours of downtown DXF will offer a new and expanded schedule of experiences open to the public. In addition to our existing schedule of public tours, new experiences will include a Discover Windsor Series, Entrepreneurial Opportunities Tour  in partnership with Build Institute, Neighborhood Tours in partnership with Bridge Magazine, Detroit Kids STEM Tours in partnership with the Michigan Science Center, Downtown Art & Architecture Tours in partnership with Pure Detroit, Residential Tours in partnership with Live Detroit and the Detroit Experience Series for Model D’s 10th Anniversary. 
For more information on DXF, to book a tour, or to schedule a customized experience, visit www.weknowdetroit.org, call 313.962.4590 or visit the Detroit Experience Factory Welcome Center, located at 123 Monroe St.

As a subsidiary of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, the Detroit Experience Factory uses interactive experiences and innovative resources to help newcomers and locals alike get more connected to the people, places and projects in Detroit. It operates Detroit’s community based Welcome Center at 123 Monroe and has taken 50,000 people on experiential tours of Detroit since it launched in 2006. 
Downtown Detroit Partnership is a partnership of corporate, civic and philanthropic leaders that supports advocates and develops programs and initiatives designed to create a clean, safe, and inviting Downtown Detroit. More information available at www.downtowndetroit.org.

NEW SUMMER TOUR SCHEDULE

Taste of Windsor Tour 
When:     May 21, 6pm - 9pm. 
Cost:     $35

Walk Detroit Downtown Tour
When:     May 23, 2pm - 4pm and every Saturday 
Cost:     Free

Riverfront Walking Tour with the Riverfront Conservancy
When:     May 25, 1pm - 2pm and every Monday
Cost:     Free

Downtown Art & Architecture Walking Tour with Pure Detroit
When:    June 3rd, 5pm - 6pm then every Wednesday and June 5th, 12pm - 1pm then every Friday
Cost:     Free

Renting on the Riverfront Tour with LIVE Detroit
When:     June 6, 10am - 1pm
Cost:     $10

Downtown & Beyond Bus Tour
When:     June 6, 11am – 1pm and every First and third Saturdays of the month
Cost:    $20

Experience Detroit: Downtown Rooftop Bar Tour
When:    June 6, 7pm - 10pm and Two Tours per Month on different days
Cost:    $15

Diego and Frida’s Detroit: Bus Tour
When:     June 13th, 10am – 12pm
Cost:    $20 

Cultural Center Walking Tour 
When:     June 13th, 11am - 12pm and every second Saturday
Cost:     $10

Tuesday Tasting Tours with M-1
When:     June 18th from 5:30pm - 7:30pm then every Second Tuesday
Cost:    $15


Jefferson East: Entrepreneurial Opportunities Tour
When:     June 20, 11am – 1pm, 
Cost:     $35 ($25 early bird)

Neighborhood Tour with Bridge Magazine: Milwaukee-Junction
When:     June 27, 11am - 2pm 
Cost:     $30

STEM Detroit Kids Tour with Michigan Science Center
When:     July 11, 10am - 12pm with planetarium show at 1pm
Cost:     $20 for adults $15 for kids

Walk Windsor Tour with Model D
When:    July 12, 1pm - 4pm 
Cost:    $20 


For more details on these and all of our tours, please visit www.weknowdetroit.org/tours .