Locals will have an opportunity to discover the history of southeast Michigan through a series of narrated bus and walking tours throughout Hometown History Tours.

Now throughout September, locals can take tours throughout downtown Detroit, Monroe, Downriver and Michigan’s Civil War Remembrance tour.

“Although I don’t live in Detroit, I was born in Detroit and I consider myself a Detroiter,” Karin Risko, tour organizer and guidebook author, said. “I think we have a wonderful history and I don’t think we really have capitalized on it like we should. That is the basis behind all of these tours, just promoting our wonderful rich history.”

The Metro Detroit Civil War Remembrance Tour takes visitors to famous Civil War interest sites like Fort Wayne, Elmwood and Woodmere cemeteries, Belle Isle and Campus Martius Park. Tours run on Saturday, Sept.17 and Saturday, Sept. 8.

The Monroe County and More Civil War Tour will take tour goers to outlying cities of Tecumesh, Dundee, Adrian and Tipton. The tour also makes stops through Monroe — the adopted hometown of General George Armstrong Custer. The tour features guest narrator, Civil War and Custer expert, Dave Ingall.

“I am a former history teacher and I wish I knew this much back when I was teaching,” Risko said. “Detroit and Michigan in general has played an integral role in shaping our history and I really wish I would have known that a long time ago.

Discover Detroit’s Midtown is a walking tour that takes a look into the art, architecture and history of downtown Detroit through local parks, restaurants and historic buildings. Some of the tour stops include the Hart Plaza and the General Motors building, as well as local gardens and restaurants. The tour runs on Thursdays through Aug. 29.

“Some of the things we see are iconic Detroit things … some are little corky things that people don’t really know about. We cover history, art, architecture and pop culture,” Risko said. “The walking tour emerged because midtown is in the paper all of the time … really there is all kinds of exciting things to do there, you really just need to take a walk around.”

Discover Detroit’s History is a bus tour, which takes a look at city attractions like Comerica Park and the Detroit Riverwalk as well as historic landmarks like the burial site of Rosa Parks.

“From Belle Isle to Eight Mile, it encompasses quite a bit,” Risko said.

Visitors can also choose from a range of guided tours that include sites like downtown Monroe and a General Custer’s Monroe Walking Tour, as well as tours of Downriver.

“For tourists I think these tours showcase a side of the city that they don’t really get to see … for residents, I think it instills a sense of pride,” Risko said. “We have contributed a lot to the building of America and I think if people know about that, they’ll become proud and stand a little bit taller and not get knocked down so easily every time something bad happens here.”

Tickets can be purchased online at http://hometownhistorytours.com/. Advanced registration and early bird deals are available. Step on service is available for tour groups with their own transportation, and booking for private tours is also available.

For more information regarding tour dates, ticket prices and other events go to http://hometownhistorytours.com/ or contact Karin Risko at [email protected].