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.

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.

Braeden was a great tour guide providing lots of historical facts and lore with pictures too! He…read morewas honest, entertaining and knowledgeable! It's a fun and worthwhile tour!

Baylor walked around town telling us all sorts of spooky and gruesome stories. Now, I've been to…read moreChicago several times, but I learned more about locations I thought I already knew! I recommend this tour with hesitation.

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.

The museum has great models of Wrigley field and downtown. There is a video that discusses the…read moreevolution of the city. There are interactive displays that describe prominent buildings, architects , and architectural styles in Chicago. A good place to learn about Chicago architecture!

Entry to the museum is only five dollars if you show them your ticket from the First Lady boat…read moretour. The ground floor has a short eight minute clip with information about the city. There is also a great display of the city as well as a Wrigley ballpark exhibit. Unfortunately, the upstairs is currently being renovated, so there was not a lot to see this trip. They have a great gift shop.

I did the Birth of a Skyscraper tour with Mitch, and it was incredible!! I gained a deeper…read moreappreciation for Chicago's buildings. My partner even said that even though he passes by some of these buildings everyday, he didn't realize things until Mitch pointed them out! Mitch was engaging and friendly. He answered all of our questions as well, and I enjoyed his "storytelling format" of the tour. He also communicated with us about when and where we should meet. I highly recommend Free Tours by Foot for anyone visiting Chicago!

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

Noel, our guide was friendly and safety conscious. Navigating Miami is daunting but Noel gave clear…read moreinstructions and always kept an eye out for each participant. Right when we started to get sweaty (Miami in July is HOT!) we stopped and each location was air conditioned and exceptionally great bites (and drinks).

Gabe excellent tour guide. Well paced tour with appropriate information shared. Appropriate amount…read moreof food. Highly recommend!

Route 66, also known as "The Mother Road", officially begins in downtown Chicago. The starting…read morepoint is marked by a sign & plaque on Michigan Ave, near the intersection of South Michigan & East Adams; across from the Art Institute of Chicago. The route originally ran from Chicago to Los Angeles, California

Route 66 starts, or ends, in Chicago at the intersection of Jackson and Jefferson and ends in Santa…read moreMonica, CA. Today, 85 % of the original roads are still drivable. "Get Your Chicks on Route 66."

Super amazing experience. Carla was even more amazing and went above and beyond and took a picture…read moreof us and sent it to me because I was scared of damaging my phone so I did not bring one. That's where guys were amazing and for first timers we felt extremely comfortable and shockingly we did not flip over! We can NOT wait to come back! Reccomend the Historical Tour!

I am so happy to have had the opportunity to try this tour with some other Yelpers. Let me just say…read morethat I have tried A LOT of food tours (both Chicago Food Planet neighborhood tours and TWO chocolate neighborhood tours) and this one ranks up there in the top! Out of all the tours I've done, I learned the most of Chicago history here. We not only stopped off at food locations but also at historic landmarks (i.e. The Drake hotel). It was a rainy AND windy Chicago Sunday, but despite the weather I had an awesome time! Lynn did a really great job with our tour and handled the weather situation without difficulty. What a great easy going guy! We visited: --Pizano's Pizza (I may have found my new favorite pizza spot. The deep dish and thin crust pizza were delicious! I am still trying to figure out how they get that crust so crispy!) --Sarah's (The brownie was definitely good...I've never met a bad brownie, but it was not the best I've had) --Downtown Dog's (Good Chicago hot dog--stay away from those peppers!) --Heaven on Seven (The gumbo was really delicious! I may have to come back to try more food!) --Billy Goat Tavern & Grill (I've lived in Chicago for over 4 years and FINALLY made it to this place! Sadly, the cheeseburger was not good. But I enjoyed learning about the history of the Original Tavern and the Billy Goat. Definitely a Chicago tourist spot to visit, if not eat at) --The Purple Pig (I've been wanting to check this place out too!!! That strawberry ice cream IS DELICIOUS!!!!! It tasted like something from my childhood!!! Very nostalgic for me! The outdoor seating was very nice! I enjoyed visiting ALL the locations on our tour, but my favorite EATERIES were Pizano's, Heaven on Seven, and The Purple Pig. For $44 you definitely get your money's worth if not more. The tour guarantees enough for lunch, but I can tell you that you'll be filled up for dinner too!! LOTS OF FOOD to keep you full. I started cramping towards the end from eating so much!! Just a note for those that decide to come, I recommend NOT driving. Your parking meter will expire. The tour is longer than 2 hours and the tour does not end where it begins. Also, the tour is designed for sit down dining so that you will always have a nice comfortable seat and a nice ICE cold drink (so you're not drinking the warm water you've been carrying around). The tour is NOT rushed at all which I enjoyed A LOT. You can also shop during the tour stops too, which many food tours don't allow. The duration of my tour was from 11am to 2:45pm. I recommend keeping your schedule for the entire day open so that you don't feel rushed to get somewhere else. I would definitely recommend this tour to my friends!

Such a fun boat ride just chilling riding going in and around all the buildings and learning about…read morethe architecture and history all while taking Chicago in The staff was great and it was a nice ride and break from walking Lovely time

Such a great city for architecture, the very oldest building sitting next to the newest…read moreskyscrapers. I loved this tour...even though it rained and we had to spend part of the tour inside to stay dry without much of a view, it was still a great tour for the cost. We were warned to make a reservation cause the tours do fill up, and this was a holiday weekend. Do not leave Chicago without doing this!