When you arrive the signs are very clear. We almost got looped in with the wrong time and the…read moreemployees were very helpful in ensuring we made it to the right boat! A side note there is a Peet's coffee right above this that you can stop in for a snack. They also have a full bar and snacks available for purchase on the boat which was a surprise to me! The bathrooms on board are super clean as well. Now, the best part was Scott! Our tour was engaging, fun, and very informative. You can barely feel yourself moving which is wild! I got a ton of great photos and learned so much about the city. I would do this exact tour again it was so fun. They do have lots of options to choose from!

I never write reviews, but the experience with Wendella Tours was bizarre and made me angry. AVOID…read moreTHIS TOUR GROUP. Me and my partner scheduled a 90-minute architecture tour for 06/24/2025 at 8:30PM (Total $90 for two tickets). We arrived early and while waiting, we received an email at 7:56PM saying there was an issue with their boat and they had to cancel the tour. We went down to the ticketing office and spoke with the employee. He explained there was an issue with their boat and it was impossible to refund our tickets at his ticketing office. He advised me that we could call the main office number and ask for a refund and then shrugged saying he wasn't sure if they would be able to. The employee stated he could reschedule us to 8:45PM (a firework tour - not what we wanted) or 9:00PM for the architecture tour. I advised him we would be fine with shifting our plans to 9:00PM. He printed me and my partner our tickets and we stepped aside to wait for an hour. We looked at the tickets and noticed that the 9:00PM tour was printed as only 45-minutes long, not the 90-minutes originally purchased. I went back up to the ticketing office and inquired about the discrepancy and asked for a refund on the difference, as the 45-minute tour was only $28 per ticket (Total $56 for two tickets). The employee again said he couldn't refund us for the difference. At this point I was upset because literally, what do you mean you can't refund the difference? After me being persistent (and a different employee also saying no refunds), they finally admitted they actually COULD refund me there, and then issued me a refund / receipt saying my card would be credited for the original amount in 2 - 5 days. I left completely confused by the interaction. How are YOU going to cancel on me, and then say "Oh no refunds" *shrug*. Umm you didn't provide the service I purchased... I would urge you to use literally any other architecture tour group.

We took the tour with Jim as the guide, and it was amazing, really cool information and…read moreentertaining. Highly recommend it

Jim was excellent on the Architecture Tour. We travelled from Sheffield, England, and this was our…read morefavourite activity of the week. Jim was passionate, funny, and knowledgeable. The route was stunning, a great way to see the city. Great value for money. He also let us know about the $7 tickets for the lake cruise that we wouldn't have done otherwise.

Excellent experience, it was a beautiful day, we went on Saturday May 9-2026. Bill was the person…read moregiven the information, he was excellent, knew very well all the history of Chicago and the buildings. We were a group of 4 and we sat on the front of the boat, it was a good choice.

I had an amazing experience! I went on May 31 and Ciara amazing! She went out of her way to help…read moreme find the perfect souvenir. She was knowledgeable, friendly and customer service was a 10 out of 10 she was what made the experience so great! If she wouldn't have gone on her way to assist me, I would've walked out without a souvenir!

Took the 8p Architectural Tour. Perfect time to do it and have the sun set during the tour. Our…read moretour guide was Eric, a 22 year old young man who was phenomenal. Would absolutely recommend and I also need to go again. A lot of information to take in. Very cool date night activity.

As someone who had never been to Chicago I was told that this was one of the "must do" things to…read moreget the full experience. Originally I was annoyed that it was going to rain the day that I did it, but that ended up being for the best because it scared a lot of people away. From the look of all the empty chairs they can pack a LOT of people on these boats. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed myself if it was so packed. It was nice that they had restrooms available because this is a lengthy ride. I learned a good deal and got to see some interesting sights. I thought it was worth the time we spent on it.

Highly recommend!…read more Easy to book online. Came in early June, 12:00pm reservation. I had booked a tour a year before but had to cancel last minute due to illness and they refunded me 100% the day before. Line started 30 minutes before the departure time so get there early if you want a specific spot. Chairs on top as well as some benches on the side. Seating area downstairs, bar, and complimentary water, lemonade, coffee/ tea. Nice bathrooms on board. Ed was an amazing tour guide, very knowledgeable and Chicago local who knows his history of the city!! Informative and funny! *Note: This is the only tour I've been on so I have nothing to compare it too. Some of the other tours looked bigger, I would probably try another one next time just to compare.

Chicago riverboat architectural historical tour on main branch of river. Time to cruise…read more Nonstop 90 minutes. Talk about the architectural sky scraper wonders. foremost. Mind blowing enormously tall. Alot of humor and details on rental price @$400,000 a year. Famous people like Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey lived here. Willis seats tower 100 stories tall 1,052 in the Windy City Sky! It's the tallest! there are 37 drawbridges on the main branch river. That's all the facts in my head could remember. The river is alive! The buildings taller than Sequoia redwood trees or Oregon Douglas Fir. Glass, concrete and steel in assorted shapes - seemingly alive like a living tree. I feel the energy of the river and the buildings standing tall. Worth the moolah.

Phenomenal architecture tours! We had Brad who is an architect who shared so much knowledge about…read morethe river high rises! The way he differentiated the architectural periods since the Chicago Fire taught us so much! If you have a choice of docents, try to get Brad!

Amazing views. Excellent speaker who knew all her histories…read moreon each and every building. She was amazing with her knowledge and facts on building. Service was great but it was cold. Overall wonderful time and amazing view. Highly recommend for the views and for relaxation with the family.

Captain Paul and team was AMAZING! We had a post graduation cruise for my daughter and best friend,…read morecruising into the sunset. The most memorable trip for my daughter, friends and family. Captain Paul was extremely flexible in making the most beautiful experience. We cruised on both the river, and saw the sunset on Lake Michigan. The experience of a private yacht for my daughter's celebration was priceless. Thank you Captain Paul for your hospitality!

I found this boat charter on Yelp! Spoke with Paul and the process to book was so seamless! He…read moreanswered all my questions promptly when wondering how to tip and if we needed to bring coolers. They supplied ice for our trip which was great! At the end of our time we were already trying to book with them again! With the new adjustment we were able to have 30 with proof of vaccines! Highly recommend them!

This was incredibly fun AND educational! Jaime was great reminder to bring cash for tips!read more

For 30 minutes whirling around the bay, the view of the city is nice and the weather is perfect in…read moreearly/mid October- just make sure to bring a windbreaker and you'll be set. Watch out for caps, sunglasses, and your phone if you're taking one of the faster boat rides as the wind element can definitely whip it out of your hand. Suitable for all ages, young children and elderly will likely enjoy this ride, the turns are wide so there's relatively little G force to worry about. Recommended if you're looking for a relatively affordable attraction on the waterside! Otherwise, you'll get about the same entertainment on the shore minus the lackluster commentary of the staff (designed to humor more the kids).