This was probably one of the best tours I've been on, and my fiancé (who has very high standards…read moreabout these things) agrees. We booked a tour for Saturday at 2 pm. There were some technical difficulties and the TV system on the bus ended up not working. Mr. Frank Calabrese Jr was very professional and good-humored about the situation. He offered everyone on the bus the opportunity to come back free of charge so that we may have the full experience with the photos he had been intending to show us. He proceeded to do the tour without the presentation, which honestly was great in itself. He is a very good story-teller, and had a great narrative. He had notes with him but only referenced them a few times to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. Everything was super authentic and off the cuff. I loved that we went around Chicago and we were able to get glimpses of how the city was like in the 60s-90s. What made this tour so great was that these stories were first-hand. It didn't come from someone who spent hours studying the history; this was his real life. He was very genuine about his experiences, and his anecdote about his kids at the very end of the tour made me tear up a bit. He even invited us to stay for happy hour at the Chop House to have a drink with him to talk. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone, regardless of whether you know the mob history or not. I personally didn't know too much, and still was captivated by his stories. He does have a book (which I definitely intend to read) and a movie in the works!

I'm a huge fan of true crime and Chicago history, so I'm surprised to say that this was my first…read morecrime tour ever. But everything happens for a reason, and it seems that reason was that I was meant to wait until the perfect one came along -- that, my friends, happened to be the Family Secrets Tour. I met Mr. Calabrese Jr. weeks ago when he presented some of his intriguing life stories at an event at Chicago Chop House, and I knew that evening that I had to book and experience the real deal, aka his bus tours. My friend and I booked a tour for a Friday afternoon recently that started at 2pm, and though there was a bit of a delay because our bus's TV monitors weren't working, Mr. Calabrese Jr. smoothly filled the time with some behind-the-scenes stories he said he usually doesn't share on the tour. I was hooked immediately. To be honest, before this tour, I had no idea the stories his family was involved in were so high-profile (I even talked to my family afterward, and they ALL knew every detail and were mad I didn't invite them! Sorry family!). But even while he showed us news clips, a lot of photos, and told all of his stories, he remained modest, which made the entire experience endearing. Mr. Calabrese Jr. is super charismatic and a great storyteller, and you can tell he genuinely loves telling his story and showing everyone around the neighborhoods where he grew up, and where big moments happened in history to people who were in "the life." I truly enjoyed this tour and I recommend it for anyone who wants an real, honest, non-theatrical recap of Chicago's mob history. The Family Secrets Tour is engaging and delightful. Thank you so much for captivating us, Frank! Can't wait to bring my family along some time!

It was super enjoyable. Learned a lot of history about the city of Chicago. Max is so energetic and…read morejust good time! You won't regret it. Take the tour.

Review for the WALKING TOUR: went with my family. The stories and the locations were not the only…read morehighlights, but the skill and presentation of the storyteller as well. Sophia was amazing, engaging and was full of energy/passion. We saw a deal at Groupon for $28 and we decided to take a chance on the activity. You don't go in any buildings, except one - the Palmer House Hotel. It was a good place for a break in the tour, though no scary stories were told about it. My feedback for the tour company is to add more stories if possible, I feel like there could be a little bit more added compared to the other tours I've been on. Parking: Use spot hero beforehand to find the best deal closest to Hoyt's tavern (meet up spot). Picked the spot near Dunkin Donuts for $10.99 and 5 min walk away. FYI: The tour does NOT circle back close to where they originally started. We ended the tour about 20 min walk away. So just keep that in mind. We were fine with it and even got to stop by one of our favorite Gelato places in Paris, Amorino on the way back. Discovered they have a store here along the walking tour.

chicago architecture center boat tour on the "the first lady" was well done. very rainy day but a…read morechoice of remaining upstairs out in the open, where we were given a big umbrella which was nice, or some of our group went downstairs out of the rain. liz our docent was so knowledgable and informing, 11 out of 10 for her.

If you're in Chiago you have to do the Architecture tour at least once. If you're in Chicago…read moreduring the Summer as I was you can seek sanctuary in the air conditioned lower level. I wish the audio was a little bit louder on that level due to the sound of the fans and people talking. If you like my reviews, consider "following" my profile for reviews all across the SF Bay Area . Why "follow" someone? It causes the person you follow's reviews to tier to top when you pull up a business. I find this very handy when researching venues. Rod's Review grading scale explained. Essentially I personally base it on the likelihood of a return visit and I try to be stingy with 5 star reviews since they should be "special" in my eyes. Price/Value also play a role obviously but there are $ and $$$$ littered across my grading scale. 5 stars - "I'll go out of my way" (approx 6 % of my reviews) 4 stars- "If I was in the area I'd go here and would recommend", (approx 38% of my reviews) 3 stars "Maybe if was nearby", (approx 37% of my reviews) 2 stars -"Would likely not return, Only if you want to go", (approx 16% of my reviews) 1 star -"No thanks, even if I was hungry", (approx. 3 % of my reviews)

This was one of the cheaper tour options, so my expectations were low - but Josh did an outstanding…read morejob! Very informative and entertaining.

Great $$, Plenty of room on the boat and wonderful commentator! I would definitely recommendread more

Loved it! This boat tour was my favorite part of our trip!! The boat had plenty of room. Some…read moreseating was protected from the sun with an overhang and a bar. It also had an open area with bench seats that had a good amount of lean, so that you can see the highest points. The guide was awesome. I learned a lot about Chicago's history and architecture trends over the years. A lot of the buildings "front" side faces the river, so the view is very different from the boat. The boat ride was smooth with great views. I highly recommend!!!

Just did the 60-minute architectural river tour departing from Navy Pier this past weekend and it…read morewas a fantastic experience. Our guide Ruby was awesome - engaging and funny with a perfect mix of architectural history and fun facts that kept everyone entertained. Right before docking at the end of the tour, the captain turned the boat toward the river entrance for a minute so everyone could take photos in front of the skyline, which was a nice touch. The biggest selling point for me was that all of Shoreline's tours are dog-friendly. I brought my pup Shadow along and they even gave her a treat as we were boarding. A couple tips: getting your tickets on Groupon will save you a couple bucks off retail, and bring your own water if it's a hot day - beverages on the boat are pricey. Great guide, amazing views, and pet-friendly. Highly recommend!

Great tour! Our…read moreguide, Katie, was funny, friendly, and knew so many cool (and creepy) facts about Chicago's crime history. We hit everything from Al Capone and the Chicago Outfit to the Tylenol Killer and the crazy history of Streeterville. Loved hearing about speakeasies like The Bad Apple, the Rock n' Roll McDonald's drama, and wild stories like Johann Hoch and H.H. Holmes. Highly recommend if you love true crime with a side of Chicago history!

Booked the crime tour for 6 PM for two. Sophia was our tour guide. She was very entertaining and…read moreeducational. We were looking for something different to do and this was perfect. The tour lasted about an hour and a half. We did get off the bus for two stops, which was nice to stretch your legs. I would definitely recommend if you like history. My only complaint is the seats were not very comfortable.

Wyatt led a great Chinatown tour. A great selection of dishes from different parts of China…read moreincluding some really unexpected dishes. Our guide gave really interesting historical and cultural context and accommodated all food preferences within the group. I highly recommend this tour

We did the Chinatown walking food tour this past weekend and it was amazing!!! Highly recommend…read moredoing this even if you live in the Chicagoland area. Valarie was our guide and she was terrific! Took us to 5 really great spots that we will be going back to for a full dining experience. Valarie gave us a lot of Chinese history and how it related to food, and the people in our group were all friendly and made for an enjoyable experience. I couldn't recommend doing one of their tours more. Do it!!

It was my first trip to Chicago and everyone was telling me to do the architecture river boat tour,…read moreand they were totally right! Our tour guide was Nathan and he was very personable, funny, and informed. The tour was more beautiful than I imagined. We also went at 6:45pm which was definitely worth it to see the sunset. The tour started out in daylight and ended in twilight, it was glorious.

10/10 would recommend. Love, love, love this tour. Doug was the best tour guide, friendly and…read morefunny. The views are amazing. Great to see the skyline. Good information as to what we were seeing. Going through the lock was fun and unexpected. As a first-time visitor to Chicago, this is some of the best vies of the skyline.

One of the many Frank Lloyd Wright houses on our list, we bought tickets while in town…read more I will say apart from the house being somewhat contradictory to many attributes that make up a Wright design, the house was very nice. The tour however was probably one of the weakest I have been to. Our guide was forgetful and really didn't go over the basics with the house as we are accustomed to with Wright tours: commission of the home, Wright himself, change of hands with home, and while walking thru it- design aspects chosen inside the home. There's three levels - you only get to see two, and the second floor is currently an office so it is hard to get a real feel for the place. Easily the weakest tour we have been on

I love the work of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, so touring this house made perfect since…read moreas both were involved in its design. The mansion is located in a gorgeous corner of the Gold Coast and represents an important part of the city's architectural story. That being said, it's not the most impressive historic house I've ever been in. In fact, it wasn't the most impressive one I went in on that day. For me, the things that made this tour worth doing were the small details like the windows, doors, wood screen in the hallway, and the fireplace surround. There aren't many rooms and the furnishings are not original. The textured walls seem odd and the lighting has been altered in several places (like he sconces). The tour guide was very knowledgeable, but they don't know much about the original owners due to their private nature. The building is now used as offices, so the upstairs bedrooms contain desks and bookshelves rather than being set as they were intended. It takes some imagination when you walk though them. The house is only open two days a week - Wed and Sat. I bought tickets I advance, but you can probably get them in person most times. I'm glad I went, it the friend who accompanied me thought it wasn't as impressive as the other houses we toured that afternoon.

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.