I would absolutely do this again in a heart beat! My boyfriend and I had such a great time walking…read morearound Naperville and learning its history while enjoying a verity of different dishes, some of which I wouldn't have thought to try if I were out exploring by myself. Mike was an incredible tour guide! Funny, personable and knowledgeable!! We had so many laughs our group. By the end of it, we all felt like friends who had know each other for years. We even said it would be fun to have a reunion tour. It was a memorable day, one I will cherish for a long time to come. This is an absolutely must do if you're in Naperville! Doesn't matter if you've lived here your whole life, or just passing through. You won't regret the experience

I was a suburbanite long before I became the savvy city girl that I am today. In the time of…read morecurfews and strict parental rules, downtown Naperville was the next best thing to hanging out in the city. Yes, I understand, a distant second place! So, when I saw the Groupon for this tour, I had to seize the opportunity to reacquaint myself with a big part of my childhood. First of all, Naperville has come a very long way from what I remember it to be like. It's now a bustling suburban downtown with a wide variety of eateries both chain and local, shopping and service oriented establishments. It automatically made me very excited about what I was going to learn that day. This tour has a great balance between history and food. Mike, the tour guide is passionate about what he does and it's clear from his historical accounts about downtown Naperville. The tour stars out at the old Kroehler Furniture factory which has long since been re-purposed as condos and retail space. From here begins the leisurely two mile walk (comfortable shoes are a must for this tour) into the historic district of Naperville to feast on the beautiful architecture that has allowed it to acquired its historic status. Food stops on our Sunday tour included: 1. Orazio's Pub, which started doing toasted subs long before Quizno's came around and a hearty bowl of peasant style potato soup. 2. Quigley's Irish Pub, which is the actual pub from Dublin, Ireland! They dismantled it and brought it all the way here. I fell in love with this place and can't wait to go back for the Reuben egg rolls. They were AMAZING!!! 3. LeChocolat du Bouchard, where we actually met Cathy Bouchard who gave a very interesting mini lecture on the history and health benefits of the super-food Cacao. I loved it so much that I can't wait to attend a full seminar at her chocolaterie. What stood out as much as her passionate lecture was the Mexican Hot Chocolate. OH. MY. GOD. It left me swooooooooooning!!!!!!!!!!! That's reason enough to go back there. It was a warm day when we took the tour and I still gulped down every last drop of my drink! 4. Twisted Olive (even though this was only supposed to be a Saturday stop), where we sampled flavored olive oils I didn't even know existed. We were pressed for time here, but I would love to go back and purchase the habenero and cilantro olive oils. I really feel like they might take some basic recipes up a few notches! 5. Cookie Dough Creations, to sample actual cookie dough ice cream and cake batter. This was good, but a little too rich for my tastes. I actually couldn't finish my tasting portions of the two items. 6. Giordano's for a slice of heavenly stuffed cheese pizza. From here, the tour ended and you could continue exploring on your own or do anything else you pleased. The only negative comment I have about it is in the day and age of dietary restrictions, vegetarians and vegans, Mike should have really inquired if my friend and I had any restrictions he should be aware of because we were attending a food tour after all! So, I was sad to not sample the subs or soup at Orazio's because they were pork based, which I do not eat. From what I could tell, everyone else really enjoyed both items because they were gone in a flash. It was a great tour and I would recommend it to anyone who is in the area. Even if you're not, it's worth the drive to Naperville to participate in it.

This was a moms night out activity. The day after halloween so wasn't very scary. I am not one to…read morewatch horror movies coz I get spooked very easily. So when I heard how this walking your was going to be more of a history lesson, I was into it. some of the stories seemed a bit hollywood like. But the tour guide was a great story teller. If you like haunted experiences you might be a bit disappointed. The sites themselves are all tragic events like the St Peters church and the Naperville Metra station crash. So you would definitely feel the eeriness. The fun part is the EMF meters that go off on random things - like your phone, the wires under the sidewalk - sometimes even your own heart. But that's what made it fun - and the feel of energy that could be a ghost. We had a drink at Quigleys before the tour so that helped us be silly too. Beware ladies ten ladies room at quigleys is apparently haunted! boo

These guys are the best!!! And I must bow to their superior knowledge in the Occult and Esoteric. I…read moredid a couple of Psychic Fairs with them years ago and they were a virtual encyclopedia of knowledge in the Paranormal and Supernatural. They have stories that will actually raise the hair on your head, and from first hand experience also. If you've tried the others, now try the best!!! The knowledge that they expound is the most accurate in this field, and their information is always spot on. Believe me, these Tours are well worth the money, because you are getting the first hand experience of a lifetime!! You will never find anything better than this. This is your chance to experience the real deal. You won't be sorry!!!

Tom was a fantastic guide on the out-of-the-way city tour. We learned so much! He's incredibly…read moreknowledgeable and so generous in answering questions. We could not have asked for a better tour and are glad it was tip-based. Thank you, Tom!

I love the flexibility of this outfit. No down payment required, easy cancellation if needed, easy…read morerescheduling if needed, and the tour guide is friendly, energetic and cheerful. We did the gangsters tour and was full of interesting Chicago history and biographical accounts of gangsters. There's even a well timed bathroom stop at the Harry Carey restaurant/museum.

Very Welcoming and friendly. The woman at the front end walked us outside to show us the way to the…read morecanal . She mentioned the mule named Mo and said we would have a good time on the boat .

Café situated in at the I&M Canal Gift Shop. Everything (except for a couple bakery items) are made…read morefrom scratch in house by the chef. Food was phenomenal of course, and the servers were super helpful and accommodating! The place had wifi so you can connect and study/do work. Prices are extremely reasonable, I'd even put it in the "one dollar sign category".

Colleen was great during our Chicago interior architecture tour. We went to six different buildings…read moreand she had super interesting points to share during each stop. She was thoughtful in offering restroom breaks during the two hour tour. Would absolutely recommend this tour - I have been to Chicago multiple times and learned more on this tour than I ever did in my previous visits combined. Fun way to see the city and stay (mostly) warm since it's a tour of the interior of buildings :)

I have taken many tours in different cities at home and abroad. Chicago being the birthplace of the…read moremodern skyscraper has many stories to tell about the evolution of turn of the century architecture after the great Chicago fire. Locally we have a great city guide on our local PBS channel 11 who does a fantastic job at uncovering some of the best forgotten stories about our cities past. Of course, I am referring to Geoffrey Baer, whom I have watched on our local PBS many times over the years. So yes, I can say that I am a fan. But you know it's one thing to watch these architectural marvels on TV or in person. I decided to be a tourist in my own city by taking the Original Chicago Architecture Interiors Tour by Inside Chicago Walking Tours. How was it? I loved it. Many of the treasures we uncovered, I have walked by for many years without every going inside and seeing the marvelous interiors firsthand. We also went over the exterior of several buildings that I never stopped to think about the stories behind the buildings history. Yes, I took a lot of buildings for granted. On this tour we went over the timeline and historical evolution of some of some of the significant buildings in our downtown area. Of course, were not able to cover all of them because Chicago is blessed to have so many great buildings with a storied past. I highly, highly recommend this tour to tourists and locals alike. Some of the buildings that were covered were the Chicago Board of Trade, The Federal Building, The Marquette, The Palmer House, and the Chicago Cultural Center (and many more). If you decide to take this tour get ready to be wowed and enlightened about Chicago.

During Parents' Weekend at the University of Chicago, the university offered tours of the…read moreneighborhood through Chicago Detours. My wife did this tour a couple years ago and highly recommended it, but I wasn't especially interested because I had also gone to school here and figured I knew enough about Hyde Park already. However, she insisted that it would be worth our while and so I agreed to climb on the bus. And it was the absolutely right decision, because the tour was excellent. In fact, it wasn't just a tour of Hyde Park. It included the surrounding neighborhoods of Washington Park, Kenwood, Jackson Park, and Woodlawn. Since this was a UChicago sponsored event much of the information related to the University's investment and involvement in the area. Our tour guide and founder of Chicago Detours, Amanda, is herself a graduate of UChicago and thus she had some additional insight into the relationship with the community. Though the 75-minute tour felt a little slow-going at times, there was much to learn about the vibrant but sometimes troubled history of the area. Amanda has tremendous knowledge and the excursion was both fascinating and entertaining. I can imagine that Chicago Detours would have equally interesting tours of other neighborhoods in this diverse city.

Virtual tours are such a cool thing to do right now. I attended a Yelp Elite event that was a…read morevirtual food tour of Chicago. It was incredibly informative and a good balance of history and current trends. Looking forward to attending more virtual tours, like the World's Fair and the Cruise From Your Couch Boat Tour. I loved seeing the pictures of the in-person tours and can't wait to attend some of those too.

Bruce was a great guide on our Lincoln Park tour! Lots of info about Chicago's gangsters. Thank you…read moreBruce!!

While the tour started out good led by Bruce and we were excited to hear about the Gangsters it…read morequickly turned into a very boring commercial for things within Chicago - pizza, hot dogs, theatre .... Bruce had a list that he kept referring to and items that he had to plug. It was a very disappointing tour -- and Even more so because I've been on FTOF all over the world and have never experienced this before, anywhere. Oh well. Weather was beautiful and enjoyed my time with my friends.

This place is a bucolic respite, and tour guide Ted Weber is funny, self-effacing and passionate…read moreabout both history and his garden. Great for all ages. Streator clearly doesn't understand the hidden gem in its midst.

Beyond amazing! Truly thought we were looking at the garden when we walked through the gate. To…read moremy surprise, I believe there were 12 more to walk through! Each one absolutely beautiful. Was very taken with the English Garden. I began feeling like I was in the Secret Garden book. Then came the house tour. Beyond taken back with what history not only of the home, but the famous people that had stayed there! Definitely a must do! The owner himself gives the tour & is so informative! Don't pass up if you're in the area!!!!!!

We were fortunate to get truly excellent weather to head out onto the lake for a boat ride with…read moreHarbor Country Adventures! We went on the Classic Lake Tour. Our tour guide was a retired high school history teacher and football coach with all sorts of interesting stories about the region. We passed Mount Baldy, the "living" sand dune that moves, at Indiana Dunes National Park and made it all the way down to a good view of the Century of Progress homes before making our way back. We also got to hear all about the ship, the Emita II, which is a historic ship from the 1950s, and about how it reached its current home. It was also very cute that Captain Jan had the kids come up and take turns at the wheel on the way back. There is a snack bar on the lower level of the boat, and there are restrooms on board. Free parking is available a little walk away - walk towards the Lighthouse Museum, as the dock is behind there. Definitely a great adventure!

Very enjoyable and comfortable experience. You get a different perspective of the shoreline and…read morelighthouse. Live music and drinks/snacks for sale. Only complaint is there was a group with a person who should have been cut off from being served any more alcohol but her friends bought it for her. She was extremely obnoxious and loud and made a lot of people on the boat uncomfortable, especially ones with small children.

Exploring Chicago [Chicago IL]…read more Taking the Big Bus Tours in major cities are always helpful because we don't have to drive everywhere to landmarks and places we want to visit, we just simply hopped-off then hopped-on again at the next bus. This means it's less headache maneuvering through traffic and looking for parking. We let the tour bus deal with all the driving and honking LoL! I've never heard so much honking in the streets. We did a full circle first then hopped off these major attractions: Stop #1 - Chicago Riverwalk Stop #3 - Millennium Park Stop #8 - Navy Pier Stop #10 - 360 Chicago Big highlights we experienced with the Big Bus Tours: Chicago Architecture Center Cloudgate "The Bean" Route 66 start Giordano's Pizza Famous Stuffed Pizza Lake Michigan Skyline Cruise in Chicago 360 Observatory Unfortunately, the Big Bus Tours had to modify their schedule due to the NASCAR Chicago Street Race weekend. We did not have access to #4, #5 and #6. We still enjoyed our tour of Chicago. Review #3811

Finding the first stop is annoying for their first run of the day. Their website said they open at…read more9 AM and the first bus leaves the first stop at 10 AM. Buses run every 20 to 30 minutes so I headed out early as to not miss the first bus. Their website shows a fairly large red sign that says Big Bus Tour here. They have an address of 98 E. Wacker Dr (across from Trump tower). The address on Google maps is just West of N. Michigan Ave. There is also a city bus stop here. The bus actually picks up on the East side of Wabash Ave. The bus arrived at about 9:45am. This is when they put out the bus sign. There is no stand or storefront that sells tickets here. The staff have handheld devices that will print your bus ticket. They really need to change their "opening" time on the website. If you want to sit on the top deck, get there early, that fills fast. I chose to sit inside the bus because of the air conditioning. I'm not sure what they do if it rains since some people will likely have purchased their ticket ahead of time and the tickets are nonrefundable. The afternoon was overcast so I sit at the top of the bus for the final three stops. I only got off at Navy Pier. The full tour takes about two hours. My other issue with this tour is the monotonous audio tour. The bus drivers are able to comment as well. I had two different drivers. Both drivers mostly let the audio tour play. They had a few comments and a couple jokes, but nothing really entertaining. I purchased my ticket through Groupon, which ended up being about $42. If you buy a ticket from their website, it's about $58 plus all the taxes. Chicago has so many taxes. If you search Google for hop on hop off bus tour Chicago, this company comes up even though their company name is different. Tip: sit on the left side of the bus. It seemed like 90% of the things to look at were on the left side of the bus.