Well worth the money. Nice to do on a fine day, gets you out walking and I like that we go off the beaten path and away from the cars on Micghigan Ave. I would do this again and even though I have lived here for over 5 years, it is always interesting to know and learn about the city you are in. read more

Excellent tour. Our guide, Susan, was fun, entertaining, friendly and very passionate. She provided so much information, but was not overwhelming. This event is a delight and would recommend it to anyone visiting the city. I plan on going on other tours they have as they come up. You will not be disappointed. read more

We took the Jazz and Blues Tour. The tour was a fun way to see the city, but also informational. Amanda does a great job.

Chicago Detour's "Loop Interior Architectural Tour" was a fantastic experience - definitely something I would recommend to anyone who is looking to do for a 1st time Chicago visit and even for a local who may not necessarily get the time to appreciate the living history of the city's built environment. I was back visiting Chicago for a few days & I am so glad I took the time to do this - such a wonderful way to soak up the city. Our tour guide, Marianna, was an incredibly intelligent, witty, and energetic person who was well versed in the history of art & architecture and kept the experience engaging, educational, and fun. The two hours went surprisingly fast. It was just the right amount of walking at a pace that allowed the group to appreciate all of the things we saw and learned about without being over stimulated or exhausted by the end of it. She took us to a variety of architectural spaces that touched on different aspects of the city's history and delved into the way in which architecture can be an incredibly insightful and unique lens for exploring history. From the most modern to some of the oldest structures in the city, each one we explored had a story that was equally fascinating and important in order to understand how the buildings interact and knit together their own unique history of the city. Having lived in the city of Chicago for several years, I realized that I had never taken time to reflect on the built environment in the way that this "detour" had me thinking. I loved every minute of it & would definitely suggest it if you're interested in a more unique "tour" experience that gracefully weaves together a story of the city's history and expands your ideas of what architecture can do. read more

Had a great time with Chicago Detours today. Went on a fun and really interesting historical tour of River North. The trip was centered around various restaurants and bars and the contributions each made to the neighborhood and the city in general. Our tour guide, Elizabeth, was super knowledgeable, engaging, and made it a really nice couple of hours. I would do the same tour again and I'm looking to sign up for more of their events! read more

Historical Pub Crawl: Elizabeth was an excellent tour guide. Fun and entertaining! We tend to drink a lot when visiting Chicago and found this to be the best way to see the sites, learn a little and indulge in some dranky drank (y'all). Oh the things you will learn! You'll end the tour with a slight buzz and the need to keep going so make sure to bring your party hats and buckle up because this party/car metaphor is gonna make you want to get hammered. Where was I? Oh, yea....so if you get Elizabeth and she tells you at the end of the night that "You were such a great group and I wish I could have you guys in my group every time!!" then she's just using that line to get in your pants aka to pull cash out of you pockets but it's for a good cause so let her in them ;) Straight up this ish gets the D$ seal of approval...and that don't come lightly. -Out read more

Very good brief tour of pedway. Out tour guide was very energetic and shared interesting stories and made sure everyone was enjoying themselves. It only covers a small segment of the pedway but includes important landmarks like the temple, chase tower, Marshall fields, Chicago cultural center. I'm a local but appreciated the succinct tour. Def recommend ! read more

My friend and I did the walking bar tour. The concept is great but the reality lacks so much. The primary problem was with our tour guide who sadly was the business owner as well, Amanda. She began the sign in process by being very curt and behaving exasperated by her guests (where were they? hurry up with that I-pad already, we need get going. were most of you waiting in the lobby? I keep wondering where everyone was since I had a full group but no one was here on time, etc.). She informed us the original guide who was scheduled to give the tour had been in an accident so she (Amanda) had to fill in at the last minute. Seems like that ruined her Saturday night. She corrected people in the group like a 3rd grade teacher would correct students. She was very unpersonable and played these prescripted games with us that were supremely uncomfortable and felt very disingenuine. Her overall demeanor came across as completely irritated that she had to be there that night with us. Now for the actual content- not great. She really sold herself as imparting information to us that we wouldn't hear in the billion other tours we could have chosen. NOT TRUE AT ALL. Very superficial information was given to the group regarding architecture (of which she told us she had a master's degree); nothing interesting was revealed about the drinking culture or jazz/blues culture. She did take us by the 437 Club but it was closed so a huge let down. We just stared at it from across the street and discussed the remodel of the windows and front door entrance (yawn). I wouldn't recommend this tour to anyone. I still LOVE the idea of this tour over all the others (boat tours, Segways, walking arch. etc.) but someone with more enthusiasm and actual depth of knowledge about the drinking and music culture is sorely needed in order for this tour to meet one's expectations. Also- be prepared to spend $20-22 more when you check in for the actual alcohol. The only reason I gave this tour 2 stars over 1 was because my friend and I met a new great person during the tour and spent the rest of the night having a fabulous time with him! read more

We had a wonderful tour lead by the amazing Elizabeth! Thank you for the lovely afternoon. Highly recommend :)

Elizabeth was our guide and her energy and knowledge were superb. Elizabeth has the heart of a teacher and shared fascinating facts about architecture and the history of the city while being playful, thoughtful of the group dynamics and respectfully aware of the spaces we visited. This was a delightful way to spend a couple of hours. I was able to see beautiful architecture, see buildings I've passed before in new ways and learn interesting facts about a city I love. I would highly recommend and if you're lucky enough to have Elizabeth as a guide you're in for a real treat! read more

We took the Historic Chicago walking bar tour. It was ideal for our family, including older members who don't fancy too much walking or need a regular break. The bars visited were varying and interesting, we particularly enjoyed the Billy goat tavern! Our guide, Morgan, was energetic and engaging, we couldn't fault her. I'd definitely be interested in taking other tours with Chicago Detours! read more

We took the Pub Crawl tour & really loved it. Our tour guide, Pawel, was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, & engaging. We loved visiting our various stop, especially the Billy Goat Tavern. The one stop that was lackluster was the Marriott. The tour group is using this spot, I believe temporarily, as a previous stop recently closed. However, my husband regularly stays @ the Marriott for business, was a little bummed when we learned it was one of our three stops. That being said, the beer & the appetizer @ the Marriott were both very good. Bring cash with you so that you can prepay your tour guide for your drinks ($20 for beer, $22 for wine - per person). Vegetarian options for appetizers are available (@ the Billy Goat, three people split one grilled cheese, while the other 7 guests split several cheeseburgers, I would recommend providing at lease one more grilled cheese for more than two people). We met some great people on this tour, all looking for a good time in Chicago. Money well spent! read more

Had a great time on the Loop Interior Architecture tour today! As a Chicago resident, I was familiar with most of the stops, but learned something new at each one along the tour! Alex did a wonderful job pointing out details that I had never noticed before, and the videos and photos on the iPads added a fun layer to the tour. I am looking forward to checking out more tours from Chicago Detours. read more

We loved this tour. My husband thought Elizabeth was the best tour guide we have had on a food tour. I other words he found her believable and accurate. Loved the interaction on the tour as well! It was fun to share our experience when we got back to Sioux Falls. I will definitely book another tour with this company! read more

Chicago Detours Loop Indoor Architecture and Pedway 2 hour tour is one of the best tours I've taken. Pawel, the tour guide is not only a delightful presenter but informative as well. Seems he has done his research. I will definitely look into their other tours. Thank you.... Shirley read more

I did the World Fair of 1893 tour with a friend and what's funny is my friend wasn't even a bit excited about it. We came out of the tour with sooo much new knowledge and my friend said he was glad I made him go! Fun games and snacks throughout the tour were awesome too! read more

I took the 1893 World's Fair Tour with Bars and as soon as the guide told us she'd moved to Chicago to get a PhD in urban history, I knew we'd hit gold. Marie was really knowledgeable and fun. I learned a ton and had a great time. read more

We booked Chicago Detours for our family reunion last year. I hate that it's been a whole year and I'm just leaving a review, but it's been a busy year. Ultimately, the Jazz and Blues tour and lunch at Pearl's Place was one of the highlights of our reunion. My kids and I still have our harmonicas and have fond memories of our harmonica lessons as we drove down Lake Shore Drive. We have so many great memories from the tour and we learned a lot. It was a pleasure working with everyone and customer service was awesome! If you're looking for a unique, informational, and educational tour, Chicago Detours is the company for you! read more

Enjoyed the well-planned and narrated tour by BEN. Architectural Walking tour had interesting sites and stories that bring to life the design and structural vibrancy of the City of Chicago. Will definitely try another Chicago Detour event. read more

If you like history and beer, you'll love Chicago Detours Historic Chicago Walking Bar Tours. My husband and I went on this tour and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The tour guide was smart, charismatic and fun. Even though I was the only one on the tour who was born and raised in Chicago, I learned a great deal. This is an easy way to see the full gamut of taverns from an underground burger joint to a four-star hotel. read more

Amanda started off the night upset because she had to cover for another employee. She was knowledgable but I thought because she was the owner that she'd be a star guide but she fell a little short on enthusiasm. She definitely seemed distracted. But, most importantly, I feel like the name of the tour "Historic Chicago Walking Bar Tour" is misleading. It is mostly a walking history tour. The Billy Goat Tavern was the only stop that was technically a "bar" (with historical significance). The 2nd stop had no historical significance (it was a hotel) and the food/drink had no significance. The last stop (The Hotel Intercontinental) was of historic importance but once again, the food/drink had no significance. However, there were stops along the way to admire and learn about famous Chicago architecture. Next time, I will be more careful when choosing what I want out of a tour. And, I hope Amanda will reevaluate the name of this tour as well. read more

This tour was amazing! We did the Jazz and Blues and Beyond Tour and the knowledge of out tour guide and friendliness were outstanding! Very easy to work with and catered to our needs. Just call and let them know what you want and they arrange everything! read more

Great tour and great tour guide! Amanda has clearly done her homework and she provided us with a great variety of facts, stories, etc. It felt like I was attending a fun and interesting college lecture - Amanda covered artists (Picasso), women's history (sales clerks at Marshall Fields), architecture (she's right - the high ceilings in a mall really do want you to see what else is there), religion (Methodist church) and politics. The use of iPads was a great addition as it supplemented the information she provided. I will recommend Chicago Detours to anyone visiting Chicago. read more

I went on the Inside the Loop tour with my brother through a deal on Groupon. Even though we got a deal, however, afterward I would have to say I would gladly pay full price for this or any other tour with this group. Amanda was our guide. I can't speak highly enough of her. I liked how she started by sharing with us how she got involved in offering tours like this. She said how she was a Rick Steves tour guide in Italy but felt like she'd like to come back to Chicago and offer people a more in-depth look at the many treasures around us right here in Chicago. The stops on the tour were well-chosen and she really took her time in telling the inside stories while never getting bogged down. She was witty, knowledgeable, and good at promoting an interactive vibe. The choice to use only four iPads in a group of about 16 was a good idea... it encouraged a team atmosphere and getting to know other people in the group. I'm pretty sure this was the idea. The video clips and pictures were well chosen, and the many anecdotes were perfect. I learned so much during this tour, while being stimulated to go and explore more on my own in the future. I taught high school for almost ten years, and as an educator, I have to say that Amanda was simply fantastic. She was never didactic and did not come across as a know-it-all; rather, she displayed great interest and by sharing it with us we caught the interest too. I am looking forward to the next time I can take another tour with Chicago Detours!. Highly recommended. What a great service offered to the people of this great city! read more

If the rating system went to 10 Stars I would give Chicago Detours a 10 Star Rating. When looking for a bus tour in Chicago that I could take my VPB/VP-26 Navy Flight Squadron Reunion Members on from St. Charles, I chose "Life of Chicago" (Off the Beaten Path) Tour by Chicago Detours mainly because I noted Yelp had it 5 Star Rated. I expected it to be good but it exceeded my expectations and was enjoyed by everyone on the tour and helped set the tone for a very successful reunion. Amanda Scotese was most helpful and enjoyable to work with and Elizabeth was outstanding as our guide. I hope to go on more tours with Chicago Detours and will recommend Chicago Detours to anyone. read more

Had a great time on this tour! Went to places that I wouldn't have gone on my own. Guide was a wealth of knowledge! For travelers not wanting to do the touristy things, this is the tour! read more

Been on two of their tours "HIstoric Bar Crawl" and "Cut to Cult". Great guides, great events, perfect balance of history and trendy...I've lived here my whole life, and learned a bunch of new stuff about Chicago. Highly recommended! read more

Found the tour through Groupon- AMAZING. went with my bf- it was AWESOME ! The Inside the Loop Architectural Walking Tour Literally right off the Monroe stop of the Blue Line- cross the st to the Chase tower and enter right inside. They even gave me a call when I was running a few minutes late to let me know they will remain in the Chase building for the first 20 mins of the tour and not to worry ! Just got done with the tour- tour guide Andrew was absolutely incredible - so energetic, full of great fun facts, really knows his architecture. Short walk but chock full of great information! I would have 100% paid the full price for this tour. They even give you discount coupons and goodies at the end! read more

We did a two hour architecture in the loop. It ended up being a very small group, which was nice. The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable, nice balance of interaction and educational information. The stops were very beautiful. Highly recommend! read more

My company did this for us during a multi-day company meeting and it was great. I live in Chicago, and our pub crawl tour was very informative and nothing was repetitive or boring. Elizabeth did a wonderful job: she wasn't repetitive or boring. I would definitely do this tour again. read more

Elizabeth was our tour guide for the Big Shoulders Historic Bar and Food Tour. I loved learning Chicago history, hearing her family stories, and touring Bridgeport. I look forward to visiting Chicago again for another Chicago Detours event! read more

Two Chicao natives decided to go on the Historic Walking Pub Tour. The result: we saw some places that we've heard of but never actually visited. Pawel (Paul) had interesting stories and a ton of facts along the way. The interaction between Pawel and the group was excellent as well. I certainly plan on taking the other tours Chicago Detours has to offer. Recommend for both Chicago visitors and natives. read more

Chicago Detours Bridgeport Tour was absolutely the best tour we have ever been on! Amanda explained the rich culture and history exactly! My mother and father in law had experiences in all the places she mentioned and drove us by. We can't stop talking about this tour! Don't miss it when it is open to the public again!! read more

We were in Chicago for our daughter's wedding. A lot of relatives and friends came from overseas and we wanted to do something with the group during the days after the wedding. Chicago Detours appeared to be an excellent choice. Amanda combined and customized existing programs based on the group's interest and time schedule. Our group of 26 was pretty diverse with four nationalities and ages ranging from 13 to 60+). However, the variety of topics and views, combined with Amanda's stories and knowledgeable background information kept everybody 'on their toes' during the part-walking and part-bus tour. Even the coffee break and the lunch stop fitted right in the program and provided an extra 'touch' of Chicago. We're all looking back at a very enjoyable and informative tour day. read more

The Loop architecture tour was amazing. I loved our guide because she was such an amazing teacher. She not only had a wealth of information but she was approachable and gave it to us in a format that allowed us to really process, appreciate and remember the information that we learned. Very engaging and a worthwhile use of money and time! It was also just enough walking, but not exhausting. Fortunately we had picked a sunny day so the weather was not a problem; but even if we had not most of it was indoors. read more

Great tour! I chose the historic bar tour with Amanda. Amanda was a great tour guide, very intelligent and attentive to detail. Really enjoyed how unique, informative, and local the experience was. I've been living in chicago for a while around all the locations we toured and had no idea what interesting history/roles they all played in chicago culture. Would definitely recommend this tour to everyone. read more

The Chicago worlds fair tour was fabulous. Our docent Elizabeth was knowledgeable, engaging, interesting. I would definitely take another Chicago detour. I've made a number of trips to Chicago but learned more about the city in this 3 hour tour then I have an all my other trips combined. The presentation was creative kept our interest and was a great platform for learning. It was a nice easy walk combined with times to rest. read more

Chicago Detours gives back to the community by providing free tours to Chicago Public Schools students. This was a great opportunity for my students at Hancock College Prep. For many students, although they live in the city of Chicago, they rarely leave their neighborhoods and explore downtown Chicago. This tour provided them with insight into their city's history and culture and sparked a curiosity to explore more on their own. I highly recommend this Loop Interior Architecture Tour for student groups. read more

The Big Shoulders tour through Bridgeport was the MOST FUN! We booked this trip (four of us) while visiting Chicago from Baltimore. Our tour guide, Elizabeth was so engaging, funny, and knowledgable. The tour bus was equipped with TVs for showing commercials from companies who had factories in the neighborhood, we stopped at bars for quick drinks, ate cookies from a new bakery and an old neighborhood staple bakery, ate chicago dogs in the back of a convenience store (I promise it was more fun that it sounds!) and we dropped off at our original location - the Berghoff - convinient to the Washington Blue Line stop. Elizabeth shared many stories about her Dad who is from Bridgeport - by the end we felt like part of the family. Really excited to take another tour with them during my next trip! read more

I along with friends have done 2 of the tours that Chicago Detours has to offer. The holiday Drinks, Daleys and Dead Guys was alot of fun as well as informative. Amanda our guide for that tour was knowledgable and presented the information in a fun and interesting manner spicing up the information with "inside stories". We also did in August the Historic Walking Bar Tour. It was loads of fun! Our tour guide had a dramatic flair with story telling of the historic facts of the buildings and sights. I highly recommend Chicago Detours! My next tour will be the one of Jazz and Blues! read more