Recently enjoyed Chicago Detours-Tour (95% indoors! in this freezing weather). Our tour guide Amanda, was very informative. I am looking forward to returning to Chicago to experience more tours with Chicago Detours. I highly recommend this tour company!! read more

We had a great experience with Jen and Chicago Detours doing the Loop Architectural Tour. Unlike most of the "tourist trap" tours, this was fun, engaging and informative, while not feeling overly cliche. I highly recommend it for anyone visiting Chicago who wants to understand a bit more about all the buildings you see downtown. read more

I took the loop interior architecture walking tour, and I was not disappointed! Amanda is a wonderful guide! This should really be called an architecture-history-psychology-art-culture-tour, because such a variety of subjects is covered in two hours! This was such a fascinating tour that I was shocked when I realized it was almost over - I could have continued listening to her for the whole afternoon! Whether you're visiting from out of town or you're a Chicago local, it's definitely an exciting, educational, and affordable way to spend a couple hours! read more

I took the Loop Interior Architecture Tour today and enjoyed it tremendously. Our tour guide Alex was very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and personable. He did a great job mixing architectural context information with little anecdotes about Chicago politics and history, making each stop truly memorable. He also used ipads to show pictures and short movies which added a nice, interactive element. Although I have lived in Chicago for several years, I learned a lot of new things and saw the insides of buildings that I usually only pass by. As a special perk, we all got a map of Chicago's Pedway System which will definitely come in handy during the winter! All in all, a real good experience which I can only recommend! read more

A few months ago, I got an incredible Google Offer for a Chicago Detours Public Tour for $8. I was finally able to take the Good Times Historic Bar Tour yesterday and man oh man was it totally worth the $8. Our tour guide and founder Amanda, took us around part of the city offering the group details about the architecture, people and food that were once and currently in the city. She opened my eyes to aspects of Chicago that we were once completely oblivious to us. On this tour, Amanda discussed the Tribune Tower, Intercontinental Hotel, Billy Goat Tavern, Phil Stefani's 437 Rush, and Lawry's Restaurant. We also got to try some amazing drinks and foods from some of these places. I now officially love the Billy Goat Lager, Stefani's calamari, and Lawry's pretzels. The food and drinks were an additional cost, at $16, the amount included three appetizers shared with the group, two beers and a sample beer. The tour was complete with videos and pictures on her iPad. I can't wait to take another tour from the group and refer the company to my friends and family. read more

I did the LOOP tour on a Wednesday morning. It was really nice to avoid the hassle of crowds and tourists midweek and I ended up getting a private tour. Amanda was very helpful, insightful, and gave me plenty of tips about the loop that I would of never known such as the Pedway system underground. I was inspired by her passion to share history with others, and am definitely doing another tour soon. I highly recommend it! read more

The Loop tour was fascinating covering aspects of architecture, history and culture. There were more locals on the tour than visitors. An amazing way to experience downtown Chicago!!! read more

We did the interior architecture tour last weekend and it was wonderful! Really informative, and from an interesting perspective. The two hours flew by : ) loved it! read more

I have lived in the city for four years and cannot get enough of its rich heritage and present day brags. This tour was a perfect blend of both. We learned new information about old places, and the in-laws from Oklahoma enjoyed the casually-paced stroll through beautiful neighborhoods.History was made personal on this tour. Edgy and fun. read more

I took some visitors from Texas on "The Loop: Explore Without Freezing" tour in March. I am so glad I did! It turned out to be one of the best tours I have been on in Chicago and even though I had been to several of the locations on the tour before, this was a whole new perspective that I really enjoyed. My visitors loved the tour as well and we got some ideas to further explore some of the locations during the remainder of their visit. I highly recommend Chicago Detours! read more

Amanda was a GREAT tour guide. She was really knowledgeable and entertaining. I was running late and she even called me to make sure I was finding the group ok! I will definitely be taking more of her tours! read more

I am thrilled at the opportunity to recommend Amanda Scotese and Chicago Detours for anyone seeking a unique, fresh and engaging Chicago tour experience. I initially discovered Chicago Detours via a Groupon promotion. I had recently relocated to Chicago and knew that the best way to get my bearings was to take a guided tour. I was impressed with Amanda's ability to provide a personalized experience in an interactive setting (which included iPads for pictures and videos) that encouraged dialogue and discussion. Her architectural and historical knowledge, patience, and passion for even the annecdotal details of the city were easily recognizable. Her attention to detail and the individual learning styles of each person in the private tour group showed that she was a skillful communicator. Overall, Amanda is an extremely hard-working, ambitious and personal. I certainly believe that she has what it takes to provided a memorable tour experience. I strongly recommend Amanda and Chicago Detours as a must do for any native Chicagoan, visitor or recent transplant. read more

I sent my 8 and 10 year old on the "Inside the Loop: Explore the Unexpected" tour with their grandfather during their recent school holiday break. They said that they did not really enjoy it. They were bored, did not really see a whole lot, and they were outside a lot. They did a lot of standing around while the guide talked. I was disappointed that i spent close to $60 on this, but on the positive side, they did get to see a part of Chicago that i have never seen before and did not know that it even existed. read more

I took the jazz and blues tour over the summer and was impressed with Amanda and her team. Not only are they knowledgeable and enthusiastic, but I appreciated the unique approach to storytelling. We boarded an air-conditioned bus, a welcome surprise on a very hot day, and traveled from Uptown to Bronzeville, stopping at spots like the Uptown Theater along the way. My favorite, and one that speaks to the quality of Chicago Detours, was an Ace Hardware on the southside. Until the late '50's it was known as the Grand Terrace, a favorite of Sun-Ra. Where the current owners have set up their office and break-room, the original stage mural still exists. The highlight of the tour was the harmonica lesson from a Maxwell Street local. It was completely unexpected and made for a bonding experience that one normally doesn't find on the tour circuit. As a Chicagoan, I more often than not take my surroundings for granted, so I highly recommend this not just to visitors, but to locals. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the city you live in. read more

Have been to Chicago several times and was looking for something unique to do on this trip and we came across the Chicago Detours 1893 World's Fair tour. Alex, our tour guide, led an interesting and engaging 3 hour tour through some fascinating sites associated with 1893 Chicago. The depth of his knowledge and his excellent rapport with the group made this trip a fantastic experience. Highly recommend! read more

1893 World's Fair Tour: on April 26, 2017 my husband as well as my brother-in-law and his wife were escorted by the owner of Chicago Detours [Amanda] on this informative and fun tour. it was a small tour group of 9. we had a great time and Amanda really kept the information flowing. we really enjoyed the tour although as others have mentioned it was "light" on the food aspect....but this is History and Architecture from that period and more than enough food for the mind and the soul. if you're looking for a foodie experience or a pub crawl this is not the tour for you. the tour gave me a greater appreciation for Chicago and if we're again in town I won't hesitate to book another tour with Chicago Detours. worth the $ and you get your walking exercise in as well. read more

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I attended the Loop Interior Architecture Walking Tour and although I've lived in Chicago for a bit now I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of information and educational facts I received during this tour. It was so much fun -it felt like going in an adventure right here in my own city. Chicago Detours did an excellent job at making the entire process (from obtaining tickets to checking in to actually participating in the tour) straightforward and clear. My tour guide was Alex B. and he did an amazing job and you could tell he was having fun leading the group. Alex was genuine speaking in his own words and not like he had memorized a script to lead a tour. I highly recommend taking this tour! read more

My mom and I took the "Good Times on Michigan Avenue Tour" ... and guess what? ... We had a GREAT time on Michigan Ave (and Gold Coast) with Amanda. She was extremely knowledgable, warm, open to questions, and overall, an excellent tour guide. The pace was nice, and perfect amount of time. The tour never felt tired or too long. Fun little quiz with delicious prizes at the end. We both loved it - Thank you, Amanda! read more

Had a great time on the "indoor" walking tour with guide Amanda. This tour took a different approach than most other walking tours in that it focused on some interior history and architecture as opposed to the exterior architectural styles that many tours focus on. The tour also features iPads which the guide uses to show photos and videos relevant to the tour. Overall a great deal for the price and we highly recommend giving it a try. read more

I was pleasantly surprised with this tour! It is great if you want to know the details of Chicago as it is now. The tour guide was great too! read more

Fantastic way to spend an evening in a new town. My wife and I did the Historical Pub Crawl. Our tour guide was energetic, knowledgeable, punctual and all around awesome. Ipads were used to help illustrate the stories she was conveying, which was a cool feature. We visited a number of spots all within a few blocks of each other. I learned way more about Chicago than I had planned. Very interesting spots. Drinks were fun and the group as a whole was great. I really enjoyed everything about this tour and we plan to do another one when we visit Chicago again this summer. If you're thinking about a guided tour, I highly recommend Chicago Detours. It was a fantastic time. read more

We had a great time on the Architectural Pub Crawl this past weekend. Pawel is a great guide -- very knowledgeable and a ton of fun. A nice way to meet people, learn about the history and just an overall fun night! read more

I saw the Groupon for this tour and was very excited, because I was looking for something to do on a girls-day-out in the city. When I called, Amanda was very helpful but the schedule didn't fit our work schedules, so I thought that was it. But two days later, I had a voicemail saying that the regular schedule had sold out, so Amanda had added new tours that very week, and there was now one on the day I needed! I was so surprised and happy that she'd remembered and taken the time to call back and let me know that a new option had opened up, and she was willing to accept the Groupon for the newly scheduled tour too. Naturally, we booked the tour immediately. The tour was very fun, taking us to several places none of us had been before, and giving lots of great information about places that seemed familiar. Among the highlights--stopping in at the First Methodist Church across from Daley Plaza, where the stained glass windows include Chicago scenes next to biblical scenes; learning about how Marshall Field's was a player in the women's liberation movement and how the architecture encouraged particular behaviors; and the pedway!! I knew about the tunnels connecting the Red and Blue lines downtown, but there's so much more underground walkway than I ever knew about before. And so few people use it! It's time to get out of the snow and rain, people, and use the pedway. Now that I know about it, I may spend all winter just walking around underground. You can tell from the information presented that Amanda, the owner and creator of the tour, is experienced at giving people the inside scoop and off-the-beaten-path opportunity--she was a Rick Steves tour guide in Europe before bringing those skills to her home town. Wendy was our tour guide--she is new with Chicago Detours, but has obviously been a tour guide other places before. She was knowledgeable and fun, though obviously nervous and new. She told us she was going to keep her notes handy because there was so much great information, she didn't want us to miss any of it because she was excited and forgot something! As she gets more comfortable, she'll be really great--her background in architecture helps a lot as you learn from her about the architecture and the psychology of architecture in the city. Most of the "inside the loop" tour is just that--inside. We spent only a few minutes outdoors, which was perfect since it was wintry-mixing all afternoon. We learned a lot and had a good time. Also, you don't really walk very much, but there is a significant amount of standing--since there's only maybe half a mile of walking in two hours, you need to be prepared to stand and look/listen the rest of the time. Also, I LOVE LOVE LOVE that instead of tips for tour guides, they ask you to give whatever you would have tipped to a program that allows them to bring underprivileged high school kids on tours so they can get to know some of the cultural/architectural/historical highlights of such an important city. Awesome! If I could give 4.5 stars I would. We're not quite at 5 stars because Wendy was still learning and could have been a little more engaging--but I think she'll get there quickly. The iPads are a nice touch but I'd like to see more historical photos or videos, even. read more

I went on the inside the loop tour. Amanda, the founder, was our tour guide. The other group cancel so we got a private tour with Amanda! She was very insightful and knowledgeable about every aspect of the city. She cleverly used her iPad to show us pictures and videos. We got to see parts of the city we would have never explored on our own and learned a lot more than just about Chicago. Wish we would have taken the tour earlier in the week so we could have used our knowledge about the city throughout our stay. I would not hesitate to recommend this tour or do it all over again and I definitely recommend going on the tour early in your stay. Thanks Amanda!! read more

Four of us took the Loop Interior Architectural Tour with Michael as our guide. The trip was great. We are local Chicagoans so we were surprised at how much we learned. And, it was fun. Michael was great; very informative, enthusiastic, professional. I would recommend this to tourists and locals. read more

Interesting and interactive! Went on the interior architecture tour and learned a lot I didn't know about the city.

We're big fans of food tours when visiting new cities. Actually, we're also just big fans of food. We took the Bucktown / Wicker Park food tour and it did not disappoint. Kent was great... funny and knowledgeable. Pros: we experienced the best hot chocolate I've ever had hands down (wifey agrees) and the unpeeling the layers of history and transformation of these neighborhoods was really cool. Cons: the falafel fell way short of expectation... not bad, but not on par with what we're used to. But for the money, it's a great way to see a unique neighborhood and sample a bunch of delicious food. read more

Weekend highlight was PedwayTour with Elizabeth. What and entertaining educational way to see the unseen side of the city. Highly, highly, highly recommend! read more

Had an amazing time doing the Historic Walking Bar Tour on Sat 1/21! It was fun, informative and delicious! Elizabeth was our fantastic guide; very peppy and intelligent. I loved the quizzes, treats, and tons of fun facts! Will absolutely recommend this to my friends visiting Chicago for the first time, like myself, or to locals who want something new and different to try out. read more

The Loop Walking Tour I took was great! Even though I've lived here for most of my life, I saw some places that I had heard of but never actually visited PLUS places I didn't even know existed. Great stories along the way. The interaction between the tour guide and the group was excellent as well!!! Definitely recommend for both Chicago visitors and natives! read more

Neil was our tour guide and he was AWESOME!! We did the Good times tour and just loved everything there was to see. Neil did a fantastic job giving us interesting details and pointing out historical and architectural points that were very interesting. I would absolutely do this tour again!! read more

Loved the Historic Bars tour! I can't wait to go on another tour, and I've lived in Chicago for 22 years! Will definitely recommend!

Great tour! I live in Chicago but brought my parents on Chicago Detour's Inside the Loop tour when they were here visiting. It was a great tour, all of us learned a lot, and despite being a 2hr tour it went by very fast. We saw a lot of really cool places, learned some very interesting history. It was a great way to learn about and see Chicago history. Had Elizabeth as our guide, she was very knowledgable and engaging. read more

I checked out a "bar tour" on one of the coldest Chicago nights I have ever experienced in Chicago - and despite the cold it was very enjoyable. A couple extra bucks made sure that every bar we went into had a beer waiting for me, which was a very nice touch. I've lived in Chicago for dang near a decade and everything I learned from our informative guide Elizabeth was new to me, and I saw some spots that I can't wait to bring my friends to. At the end of the tour I was provided with a stack of coupons and goodies for future tours and discounts and local businesses - which was a great touch. I rarely play tourist in my own town, but it really was a lot of fun. Check it out - fo realzzz. read more

Super good tour. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and took us to some great locations. If you're in Chicago for a brief time you should do this tour. read more

We booked a tour last minute, as we sort of stumbled on Chicago Detours while looking for things to do while my in-laws were visiting during the cold Chicago winter. I have to say we were really impressed and pleasantly surprised with how much we enjoyed our tour, and especially our tour guide Elizabeth. She was knowledgeable, friendly, and very enthusiastic. My in-laws thought the tour was the right amount of content and length and definitely enjoyed the historical aspects. We did the interior architecture tour but I could definitely see us doing some of the other tours that the group has to offer in the future. read more

This was fun, well-done and a great intimate, personal intro to Chicago's loop and architecture. Pawel, our guide, was so relaxed, easy, humorous, knew his stuff. We were a teeny bit late arriving, and I was impressed that he called us to see if we were on our way. There was a ton of information about architecture, great exposure to buildings we never would have entered on our own, and lots of history. The only negative for me was that we spent more time in the Ped-way than we needed to do -- you get the idea pretty quickly once you're down there. I would have like to see more above-ground stuff. On the other hand, given the fact that it was a cold wet day, it probably wasn't the worst thing that could have happened. All in all, I recommend this group and would do a different tour with them when in Chicago again. read more

We really enjoyed this tour. It was informative, interactive, and our guide, Pawel, was very knowledgeable. We would definitely recommend this tour! read more

Had such an amazing time on our tour! We saw some hidden gems that we would have never known were there. Alex was so informative and made the experience wonderful! If you are going on a tour this is the company to use! Alex was passionate about the history of Chicago and Architecture. Loved it ! read more

My husband and I went on a speakeasy walking history tour with Amanda-it was incredible. We both learned a lot and cannot recommend it highly enough! Even if you've lived in Chicago your whole life, you will learn something! read more