St. Paul Secret Stories Bar Crawl – Hidden Tales & History

St. Paul has a shadier side. This three-hour bar crawl moves through historic downtown watering holes tied to bootleggers, gangsters, corrupt officials, and backroom deals. I like the mix of walking, local history, and one included drink. I also like that guides such as Camille, Dan, and Collin have earned praise for making the stories lively and adjusting the conversation to the group.

The main drawback is the price. At $79 per person, you get one complimentary drink, but additional drinks cost extra. The exact bar lineup may also vary, so you should book this for the stories and atmosphere rather than for a guaranteed tasting menu.

Key points to know before you book

• Pig’s Eye Parrant and prohibition-era crime: Hear how early St. Paul characters and bootleggers helped shape the city’s rougher reputation.
• Historic bars with criminal connections: Visit downtown drinking spots linked to gangsters, political deals, and unofficial arrangements.
• One included drink: Your ticket covers one drink during the route, with beer and cocktails available to buy afterward.
• Three hours on foot: Comfortable shoes matter, especially as the tour connects several downtown locations.
• A guide-led experience: Camille, Dan, and Collin have all been praised for their local knowledge, friendly style, and ability to tailor the tour.
• Adults only: Every participant must be at least 21 and should bring photo identification.

Why St. Paul makes a good setting for a crime-and-cocktails tour

St. Paul often plays second fiddle to Minneapolis, which is exactly what gives this experience its appeal. The city’s quieter image hides a long-running connection to bootleggers, visiting gangsters, political operators, and people who knew how to work around the law.

You are not simply walking from one pub to another. The route uses bars as story settings. A doorway, basement, brewery, or old commercial block becomes part of the tale. That approach works well for anyone who finds ordinary sightseeing tours too polished or too focused on dates and monuments.

The stories cover figures such as John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly, and the Barker Gang. You also hear about Chicago criminals who used St. Paul’s underground tunnel systems to avoid attention. These details give the city a different character, one shaped as much by secrecy and alliances as by official civic history.

The tour also touches on Pig’s Eye Parrant, one of the colorful figures connected with early St. Paul. The experience presents these stories as part of the city’s true character, including the uncomfortable links between law enforcement, local officials, and organized crime.

That tone is important. This is not a family history walk or a formal architecture tour. It is designed for adults who enjoy the less respectable side of a city’s past, preferably with a drink in hand.

Meeting outside Cossetta’s and getting started

You meet your guide outside Cossetta’s restaurant. Look for the guide in blue, and do not go inside the restaurant looking for the group. That small detail can save you a few minutes at the start.

The tour is usually offered in the afternoon and lasts three hours. Since the experience combines walking with stops inside bars, wear shoes you can comfortably use for the full outing. You should also bring cash, along with a passport or other photo ID.

The tour is conducted in English and includes a live guide. It is listed as wheelchair accessible, though the route involves walking between downtown locations and entering historic businesses. If you have specific mobility needs, it is sensible to confirm the route details before booking.

One useful feature is skip-the-line access through an express security check. The practical value depends on the day and how busy each venue is, but it can reduce waiting and keep more of your three hours focused on the tour itself.

Historic bars become part of the story

The bar stops are the heart of the experience. Each location has its own atmosphere and a connection to St. Paul’s less public past. Instead of hearing a story in front of a plaque, you hear it in the sort of place where deals, meetings, and quiet handoffs could have happened.

The exact sequence of bars is not fully fixed in the available details, so you should not expect a guaranteed list of venues. That flexibility may allow the guide to respond to opening hours, local conditions, or the interests of the group. It also means you should think of this as a guided history crawl, not a fixed pub itinerary.

The emphasis is on old drinking establishments and historic districts in downtown St. Paul. You may hear about bootlegger hideouts, gangster visitors, backroom political arrangements, and neighborhood legends that rarely appear in standard city tours.

That setting helps the stories land. A discussion of prohibition is more memorable when you are sitting inside an old bar than when you are standing beside a general-purpose information sign. The tradeoff is that the experience depends heavily on your guide’s storytelling, which makes the individual guide a major part of the value.

The guides make or break the afternoon

The strongest praise has gone to the guides. Camille has been singled out for her command of St. Paul’s history and local bars. Dan has been praised for his friendly manner and for shaping the tour around a participant’s interests. Collin has been described as both informed and fun.

That pattern tells you what to expect from the best version of the tour. You are not just listening to a script. You are likely to get a conversation, with room to ask about particular criminals, bars, breweries, or parts of St. Paul’s past.

Dan’s ability to tailor the tour is especially useful if you already know something about prohibition, organized crime, or Minnesota history. If you are new to the subject, a good guide can keep the stories clear and entertaining without burying you in names.

Still, the guide’s personality matters. A crime-history crawl needs a person who can explain the difference between documented events, local legends, and colorful claims. The supplied information promises expert local guidance, but it does not spell out how each story is sourced. I would enjoy the tales while keeping a sensible distinction between established history and barroom folklore.

Bootleggers, gangsters, and the St. Paul connection

The tour’s central theme is the way St. Paul became useful to criminals who needed distance, privacy, or cooperation. Stories about John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly, and the Barker Gang place the city within a wider network of Midwestern crime.

The experience also describes Chicago criminals using underground tunnels to evade the law. That is one of the more unusual subjects on the route because it connects St. Paul to crime networks beyond Minnesota. You get a sense of how geography, buildings, and local contacts could help someone disappear for a while.

The stories about corrupt officials and unofficial arrangements add another layer. This is not only a tale of criminals hiding from police. It also looks at the people and systems that may have made a safe haven possible.

That is where the tour has more value than a simple list of famous gangsters. You hear about the city around them, including bars, neighborhoods, officials, and business interests. The result is a less tidy picture of urban history, where respectable institutions and criminal activity could sometimes occupy the same streets.

Some names will be familiar from popular culture. The better reason to take the tour is to learn how those stories connect to St. Paul itself.

Waldmann Brewery and the drinking experience

Waldmann Brewery has received especially warm praise as a stop. It offers a useful contrast to the darker stories because it gives the crawl a strong local beer setting rather than making the whole afternoon about crime legends.

Your ticket includes one complimentary drink en route. Craft beer and premium beers are available, and the experience may also include cocktails at selected bars. Any drinks beyond the included one are your responsibility, so it is worth budgeting for that before you arrive.

Waldmann’s appeal is not simply the beverage. The setting adds a sense of place to the afternoon, and it gives you a chance to pause while the guide continues the conversation. If you prefer beer to cocktails, this part of the route may be one of the best matches for you.

One past suggestion was to include Schmidt Brewery, even though it is no longer an active brewery, because bars inside the old complex offer a drink and the building has plenty of local importance. The available details do not confirm Schmidt as a regular stop, so treat it as a possible idea for your own St. Paul visit rather than a promise of this tour.

What the $79 price really covers

The $79 fee sits above the cost of simply buying a drink at a bar. The value comes from combining admission or access at historic venues, one included drink, a three-hour guided route, and stories you would be unlikely to assemble on your own.

The price makes more sense if you plan to buy additional drinks anyway. It makes less sense if you want a low-cost walking tour and do not care about entering bars or hearing local crime stories.

You should also remember that the ticket does not cover a full flight of beers or several cocktails. One drink is included, and anything else is purchased separately. If you are comparing this with a brewery tasting, the formats are different. This is a history tour with drinking stops, not a dedicated beer education session.

I see the price as fair for the right audience: adults who want a guided evening-style activity, enjoy local bars, and value access to stories that are hard to find in a standard guidebook. It is less attractive for anyone looking for a large number of drinks or a fixed food-and-beverage package.

Who will enjoy this tour most

I would recommend this experience to you if you like city history with a darker edge. It suits visitors who prefer local stories, old buildings, and character-filled bars to major monuments and formal museum displays.

It is also a good choice for a first afternoon in St. Paul. The route gives you an introduction to downtown districts while showing you places you might otherwise pass without noticing. Afterward, you may have a better idea of which bars or historic areas deserve a return visit.

The tour works especially well for:

• Adults interested in prohibition and organized crime
• Couples and friends looking for an unusual evening activity
• Visitors who enjoy craft beer and historic pubs
• People who prefer a guide-led walk to a self-guided bar crawl
• Repeat visitors who want a less familiar side of St. Paul

It is not suited to anyone under 21. It may also disappoint you if you want a precise list of guaranteed venues, a heavy drinking session, or a tour focused mainly on architecture.

Practical details that affect your experience

Bring photo identification. The age restriction is firm, and the tour specifically asks you to bring a passport or ID card.

Wear comfortable shoes. Three hours can pass quickly in a bar, but the walking between stops still matters. Bring cash as requested, and plan for extra drink purchases if you want more than the included beverage.

The meeting point is outside Cossetta’s, with the guide wearing blue. Do not go inside the restaurant to find the group.

Booking remains fairly flexible. You can reserve now and pay later, and cancellation is available with a full refund up to 24 hours before the activity. That is useful if your St. Paul plans are still shifting.

The experience is offered in English and is listed as wheelchair accessible. Since historic bars can have different layouts, you may still want to check the practical details for your needs before setting out.

Should you book the St. Paul Secret Stories Bar Crawl?

Book it if you want local history served in real bars, with stories about bootleggers, gangsters, tunnels, and political corruption. The high rating of 4.8 from four published ratings is encouraging, and the repeated praise for Camille, Dan, and Collin points to strong guiding as the tour’s best feature.

I would skip it if you are mainly seeking a cheap pub crawl, a brewery tasting, or a guaranteed visit to specific bars. At $79, the storytelling and access need to matter to you.

For the right person, this is a memorable way to see St. Paul. You get one drink, three hours on foot, and a look at a city that has always been more complicated than its calm image suggests.

FAQ

How long does the St. Paul Secret Stories Bar Crawl last?

The experience lasts three hours and is usually available in the afternoon.

How much does the tour cost?

The listed price is $79 per person.

Is a drink included?

Yes. One complimentary drink is included during the route. Additional drinks are available for purchase and are not included in the ticket price.

Where does the tour meet?

Meet your guide outside Cossetta’s restaurant. The guide will be wearing blue, and you should not go inside the restaurant to find the group.

Is the tour suitable for people under 21?

No. The experience is not suitable for anyone under 21.

What language is the tour offered in?

The tour is conducted in English with a live guide.

Can I cancel or pay later?

You can reserve now and pay later. You can also cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.