Travel back in time through the streets of Grand Rapids as your comedic tour guide tells you stories of crime while walking through the Downtown, Monroe North, or Bridge St. Outdoor Refreshment Areas.
The hosts at GR Crime Tours bring both history and comedy to their storytelling, making for a walking tour unlike any other! We offer public tours and can also customize a private group tour. Book your private tour by contacting us at grcrimetours@gmail.com
We are an open and affirming establishment and work to celebrate each individual that attends and hosts the tour.
GR Crime Tours is committed to providing a safe environment, especially during the current pandemic, and we ask that our guests share the same respect.
This 2-hour walking tour brings guests through the Downtown Grand Rapids Refreshment Area. Featuring over a dozen stories of crime, mystery, and urban legends, guests will be transported back in time to a buzzing River City whose brick streets cover some ominous secrets.
GR Crime Tours offers private tours for a fair price! These specialty tours take place downtown, and include some of the best stories from all three tours. Tours run about 2 hours, and time and day of the week can be arranged to fit your group's schedule. Email grcrimetours@gmail.com to book yours today!
Follow the Grand River on this hour-and-a-half walking tour past the old furniture factories, historic bridges, and river-side parks. But don't be fooled by its beauty...this up-and-coming neighborhood hides sinister tales along its banks.
TICKETS NOT AVAILABLE
A lot of people say the West Side is the best side, and with its diverse neighborhoods, booming food and drink scene, and rich history, it's easy to see why. But this hour-and-a-half walking tour might uncover that while Bridge Street is thriving, the history of crime still lingers.
TICKETS NOT AVAILABLE
We are dedicated to the safety of our guests and hosts, and are following the guidelines set out by the CDC.
GR Crime Tours will provide guests with a safe and professional walking tour of Grand Rapids Outdoor Refreshment Areas while providing comedic stories of history, crime, and urban legends.
GR Crime Tours continues to seek ways to support and connect local artists, businesses, and individuals.
We celebrate the diversity of our tour guides and guests, and work to find ways to continually celebrate and support LGBTQ+ individuals, POC and indigenous peoples, immigrants, and individuals with disabilities
In the case that you need to cancel, there are three options:
1. We can transfer your ticket (one time, free of charge) to a future date.
2. We can transfer your funds to a Gift Card to be used on a date of your choosing.
3. You can request a refund through Eventbrite. Eventbrite will keep your processing fees.
Cancellations must be made before 7 pm on the day of your tour or your funds will be processed. No refunds will be available after the tour has started.
The Downtown walking tour spans about 2 miles and takes approximately 2 hours. All paths are accessible for a variety of physical abilities, but please let us know if you have any concerns that we can help to accommodate.
Tour guides will make frequent stops to tell stories as you explore the Downtown area.
Please let us know during the tour if you need to leave for any reason (we won't judge!) so that we don't worry that the next crime story will be about you!
The tour passes by one public restroom, and some of the drink stop establishments will have restrooms available for customers. All the more reason to grab a drink!
Yes! If you're 21! Learn more about the Grand Rapids Downtown Refreshment Area here.
Our public tours are 21+, but we offer specialty private tours that cater to all ages. For more information, email grcrimetours@gmail.com.
Please feel free to email us at any point if you are uncomfortable with attending the tour based on weather conditions. We ask that you email as early as possible. However, we will do our best to cancel any tours due to unsafe weather conditions 12-24 hours in advance and notify you through email. Tours could be cancelled due to winter storm warnings, dangerous cold conditions (temperature, wind chill, etc.), high wind speeds, or pouring rain.
Beyond being a true-crime lover, Eirann Betka-Pope is a producer, director, performer, teacher, writer, improviser, artist and activist in Grand Rapids. They are the founder and president of Funny Girls and former owner of The Fuse Box, and represent one-half of Betka-Pope Productions. They teach classes at both The Comedy Project Training Center, and The Grand Rapids Civic Theatre School for Theatre Arts. In their spare time, they enjoy travel, being outdoors, hunting for ghosts, and cooking. Eirann brings a passionate love for both history and dad jokes to each walking tour.
Ginger Ambrosia is a drag performer who has been twirling around for about 5 (ish) years now. She is inspired by stand up comedians like Joan Rivers, and often says that her drag character would be the love child of Ronald McDonald and Kathy Griffin. Originally from the south, Ginger Ambrosia has been a unique voice in the Grand Rapids drag and comedy scene since 2015. While she’s no crime buff, Ginger enjoys watching Law and Order SVU and Scandal to make sure her drag-tective skills stay sharp. Ginger is sure to make you laugh until you die; but don’t worry, she’s harmless. The only crime she’s ever committed is being drop-dead gorgeous.
Simone Stanford is a Grand Rapids native well versed in our city streets and the stories they hold. She is an improv/sketch comedian and writer, though most nights you can find Simone slinging food and drinks at your neighborhood pub. As a true crime fan, Simone finds comfort in podcasts detailing gruesome crimes as well as courtroom footage on YouTube- because nothing is more soothing than the cross examination of a serial murderer. In her free time Simone enjoys time with friends, walking through the woods, and consuming gross amounts of reality television at home. Simone also believes in ghosts and is wiling to explain how her deceased Grandpa talked to her through Siri that one time.