The Lake Fireworks tour was excellent. Gabby was our guide and she was excellent and very…read moreknowledgeable. The tour combined fireworks, history, and architectur. The whole family loved it.

Took a quick trip to Chicago and the one thing I heard from everyone was to do an architecture boat…read moretour. Decided on Wendella and absolutely loved it! The tour guide had a good mix information, comedy, and quiet. I showed up a few minutes before boarding and easily got a good seat. 90 minutes was the perfect length!!

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.

This was something my wife really wanted to do when we went to Chicago a couple weeks ago during…read moreSpring Break, and I am glad she did because I absolutely loved it. We got the home/studio tour and our guide, Marie, was phenomenal. We also paid extra for the self-guided tour of the neighborhood which comes with a map of about 10 homes or so and a device you carry to play pre-recorded information about each home. I think we paid about $40/person and I consider that a fair price.

I'm not the biggest Frank Lloyd Wright fan in terms of his style, but I can admit he was ahead of…read morehis time. It was interesting to learn about him and the creative choices he made for his house and studio. I think his style definitely had an influence on the Chicagoland area, so the history is fascinating. The tour guide was great!! We were in the area doing the Ernest Hemingway house tour, and decided why not make a day out of it and do this tour too. It was very close and we were able to walk here from Hemingway's house. This tour is also an hour long guided walking tour through his house and studio, which is attached ($20 for adults). We purchased tickets there inside the gift shop located behind the house. There were two women working behind the counter, and idk if it was just my bf and I, but one of them scoffed when my bf tried to pay cash instead of just calmly letting us know it's card only. I also don't know why it takes two people to sign customers up for a tour--just kind of an odd experience lol. Anyway, there was no space for the next tour so we had to wait an hour, which was fine. We walked around the neighborhood and looked at the various other Frank Lloyd Wright style homes.

A beautiful day on the Lake Michigan. Had a blast on Veteran-owned FIREBOAT-TOURS today! Such a fun…read moreafternoon soaking up Chicago's history and architecture from the water. The itself was comfy and solid, and it's pretty cool to think this fireboat served the city's fire department from 1937 to 1981. Lucky us, we caught a perfect day light winds and clear blue skies. Thank you to Cliff, our tour guide, who had serious knowledge of Chicago history and a fun vibe was fabulous. The bartender, magic manning, was a total character, bringing good energy and making sure everyone had a good time. In fact, the whole crew was super welcoming and made the experience even better. Next time we are going to try the sunset cruise and do this all over again.

This fireboat tour was spectacular! My friend and I both had a wonderful time and can't recommend…read moreit highly enough. The length of 2 hours was perfect so we didn't feel rushed. We motored around near Navy Pier and on the river. While I'm generally not into architecture, the buildings were beautiful and interesting to learn about. I expected that the tour would include a recording of the information about all the sights, but the person narrating the tour did so live. He came up and chatted with all the passengers a couple of times. We felt very well cared-for. Word to the wise though, it can get a bit chilly so wear layers if possible. Highest recommendation!

We took a Saturday morning architectural cruise with Chicago line cruises. The check-in process was…read moreextremely organized, as was the boarding. We had great seats on the back of the boat and the staff was very helpful. After the safety briefing, we got underway. The guide was so knowledgeable about the history and the architecture of Chicago. Highly recommend! They offer free water, lemonade, and soft drinks, as well as alcoholic beverages for purchase. The tour guide was so funny and offered spare hats to the men who had limited hair on the boat to keep them from getting sunburned!

Focus on the two- and three-star non-paid reviews on this page. Chicago's architecture is not to be…read moremissed, especially from a river vantage. Three of us did the 90-minute evening cocktail cruise. Had little expectations of limited cocktails (and that low bar was the case), but was really looking forward to the tour, it had been over a decade. We sped through the river (on pace with many other tour boats) with the motor-mouthed guide NEVER pausing for a question and continuing to speak to buildings way out of sightline. Very poor timing. Left feeling exhausted and got very little in the way of true knowledge of the buildings. Shop around, there are a lot of other architectural tour companies.

Booking an architecture boat tour is an absolute must when visiting Chicago!…read more We booked our tickets through Citypass which I recommend doing early as this tends to be popular and spots fill up very quickly. Our guide, Charlie was super knowledgeable and very entertaining which made the experience even better! He taught us about the history of Chicago and we got to learn so much about the city's iconic buildings. Highly recommend this tour!

Quick take: Must do in Chicago…read more Definitely go on a river boat tour if you are visiting Downtown Chicago. The tour guide was awesome. The weather was so nice. Not too hot and not too cold. Very interesting history and stories about all the businesses and buildings along the river.

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.

One of the best things I did while visiting Chicago! I booked the 8:30 p.m. Tall Ship Windy sail,…read moreand it was worth every penny. We left around 8:30 to 8:45, and by the time the 9:00 p.m. fireworks started, we had a front row view from the water. It was absolutely incredible. The captain and crew were friendly, welcoming, and did an amazing job. The ship wasn't overcrowded, so there was plenty of room to walk around and take in the views. Watching the fireworks with the Chicago skyline in the background was unforgettable. After the fireworks, we sailed under the night sky with the sails up and great music playing. It honestly felt like I was in the Caribbean, except with an amazing city skyline all around us. I'm from New York and was in Chicago for work, and I have to say this was even more impressive than seeing the New York skyline from the water. I also own a sailboat, so I really appreciated how well the crew handled the ship. One of my favorite parts was that guests could even help hoist the sails. There was a full bar with a really good rum punch, and so many great spots to take pictures of the sunset and the skyline. The crew was also happy to take photos for people. If you're going, get to Navy Pier early and enjoy the restaurants and drinks before your sail. This is great for families, couples, or even if you're traveling by yourself like I was. It's a unique experience that you won't get on one of the regular tour boats. I would absolutely do this again the next time I'm in Chicago.

We had a lovely sail with Tall Ship! When we got the sails up and the boats motor turned off it…read morebecame so quiet and tranquil I couldn't have loved it more. For children I recommend this over the architecture tour because they tell pirate stories to the kids but it's not over a loud speaker. Much recommended!!

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!!

So we did this while out in Schaumburg, having gone to Enterrium and then axe throwing. THIS was…read moreHILARIOUS. So my husband and I are both 47 yrs old. The oldest folks there. There were youngsters taking the selfie game to the next level. Dressed up. Taking their time for the perfect shot. We are Gen X. That said, we just quickly went through each "scene" and took photos and then edited later. We had so much fun and were maybe there for 30 min. You pay the fee, they give you a ring light and a little remote thing and you use your phone. It's so easy and so fun! No matter what age you are - grab a bunch of friends and do this. The photos turned out great and we had tons of great memories and laughs!

This adorable studio is nestled within Streets of Woodfield and is just a hidden gem experience…read more We came in on a Thursday afternoon and had the entire studio to ourselves for a good hour! The associate at the front desk was super enthusiastic, friendly, and amazing. She guided us through the experience and how everything works. She set the tone by being very high energy, fun and helpful. The neat thing about this studio is that it's not just having your friends take photos of you in front of different backdrops.... It's actually having your friends be in the photos too!!! There is actual equipment such as a camera stand, enhanced lighting, and a clicker button provided to you which helps you take the photos. You can literally take as many photos as you want in an hour, and all these photos are taken with your own phone!! The backdrops are gorgeous, detailed and just so much fun. There was over 20 backdrops to choose from. We genuinely had as much fun exploring the different backdrops as we did taking the photos. We felt very safe in the studio. The associate wore a mask when she interacted with us and was constantly cleaning and sanitizing. All back drops were tidy and neat as can be. They even have changing rooms here!? No detail is overlooked The photos definitely speak for themselves and what a great value to get so many photos and have so much fun. Definitely recommend this as a fun afternoon date or activity with friends in the area.