I was always interested in trying their Christmas trolley tour. My family ended up taking another…read morefamily's tickets last minute because they couldn't go. They don't offer refunds, but you can give or sell your tickets to someone else. You just need to give the company their name and phone number so they can inform the driver as they take attendance. Since things happen and people get sick this time of year that's a nice option. We got lucky and had a warm night for our Christmas trolley tour. It was 40 degrees, the windows weren't foggy, no rain or snow. Given our luck in weather, it made for an absolute fantastic time! Everyone also arrived on time so we were able to start a few minutes early and the driver took us to a few extra homes which I appreciated. Otherwise, they suggest that you bring a small towel to wipe the windows since the trolley is heated and the windows fog. I'm glad the trolley is heated. The company does a nice job mapping out which homes to go to. Earlier in the season there may be less decorated homes, but the weather might be better. Later in the season, I would imagine there's going to be more decorated homes. I appreciate that the company puts a lot of effort into their map and what homes they visit. The driver did a nice job taking us around and narrating. My favorites were the Taylor Swift decorated house and the decorations that are coordinated with music. In the past, we have driven around ourselves, but this just made it a lot more relaxing and was worth the cost. The cost does not include tipping the driver, so make sure to tip. The tour was an hour long, which was perfect for me but a little too long for my 3 1/2 year-old. Other reviewers mentioned wanting a 90 minute tour. If they could offer 60 and 90 minute tours I think that would be good options. Otherwise, the 60 minutes was perfect. Another idea: They could also offer a boozy tour later at night for adults only. Christmas bar hop tour?

What an amazing and informative tour of Naperville! We had visitors from the UK and they thoroughly…read moreenjoyed it. Annette Wehrli was a fantastic tour guide and historian!

I would absolutely do this again in a heart beat! My boyfriend and I had such a great time walking…read morearound Naperville and learning its history while enjoying a verity of different dishes, some of which I wouldn't have thought to try if I were out exploring by myself. Mike was an incredible tour guide! Funny, personable and knowledgeable!! We had so many laughs our group. By the end of it, we all felt like friends who had know each other for years. We even said it would be fun to have a reunion tour. It was a memorable day, one I will cherish for a long time to come. This is an absolutely must do if you're in Naperville! Doesn't matter if you've lived here your whole life, or just passing through. You won't regret the experience

I was a suburbanite long before I became the savvy city girl that I am today. In the time of…read morecurfews and strict parental rules, downtown Naperville was the next best thing to hanging out in the city. Yes, I understand, a distant second place! So, when I saw the Groupon for this tour, I had to seize the opportunity to reacquaint myself with a big part of my childhood. First of all, Naperville has come a very long way from what I remember it to be like. It's now a bustling suburban downtown with a wide variety of eateries both chain and local, shopping and service oriented establishments. It automatically made me very excited about what I was going to learn that day. This tour has a great balance between history and food. Mike, the tour guide is passionate about what he does and it's clear from his historical accounts about downtown Naperville. The tour stars out at the old Kroehler Furniture factory which has long since been re-purposed as condos and retail space. From here begins the leisurely two mile walk (comfortable shoes are a must for this tour) into the historic district of Naperville to feast on the beautiful architecture that has allowed it to acquired its historic status. Food stops on our Sunday tour included: 1. Orazio's Pub, which started doing toasted subs long before Quizno's came around and a hearty bowl of peasant style potato soup. 2. Quigley's Irish Pub, which is the actual pub from Dublin, Ireland! They dismantled it and brought it all the way here. I fell in love with this place and can't wait to go back for the Reuben egg rolls. They were AMAZING!!! 3. LeChocolat du Bouchard, where we actually met Cathy Bouchard who gave a very interesting mini lecture on the history and health benefits of the super-food Cacao. I loved it so much that I can't wait to attend a full seminar at her chocolaterie. What stood out as much as her passionate lecture was the Mexican Hot Chocolate. OH. MY. GOD. It left me swooooooooooning!!!!!!!!!!! That's reason enough to go back there. It was a warm day when we took the tour and I still gulped down every last drop of my drink! 4. Twisted Olive (even though this was only supposed to be a Saturday stop), where we sampled flavored olive oils I didn't even know existed. We were pressed for time here, but I would love to go back and purchase the habenero and cilantro olive oils. I really feel like they might take some basic recipes up a few notches! 5. Cookie Dough Creations, to sample actual cookie dough ice cream and cake batter. This was good, but a little too rich for my tastes. I actually couldn't finish my tasting portions of the two items. 6. Giordano's for a slice of heavenly stuffed cheese pizza. From here, the tour ended and you could continue exploring on your own or do anything else you pleased. The only negative comment I have about it is in the day and age of dietary restrictions, vegetarians and vegans, Mike should have really inquired if my friend and I had any restrictions he should be aware of because we were attending a food tour after all! So, I was sad to not sample the subs or soup at Orazio's because they were pork based, which I do not eat. From what I could tell, everyone else really enjoyed both items because they were gone in a flash. It was a great tour and I would recommend it to anyone who is in the area. Even if you're not, it's worth the drive to Naperville to participate in it.

So much fun to do this with my scary friends... they ended up having an amazing time as well so…read morethank you very much for a great time and experience

I would say I have an avid interest in the paranormal. I've always loved reading about ghost…read morestories, shadow figures, apparitions, orbs, and other phenomenons that challenge the logical mindset. When I saw that Haunted Hometowns had a ghost tour, I booked one and had a really interesting experience. The Tour itself lasts about 2 hours with different stops in the historic Naperville area. Diane is the owner and was our guide for the night. She told ghost tales of horror (did you know there was a huge train crash in Naperville?) as well as stories of history (we learned about the history of Naperville's buildings and its inhabitants). The coolest part of our tour was that one of the other people in the tour had an ovilus device. This uses energies for ghosts/spirits to manipulate words that appear on the screen. My EMF (electromagnetic field detector) which was quiet for most of the night started to go off at a random bush in the historic district. The other guy pulled out the device and the words "Map" and "Priest" came up. The area we were in was right by the old church which was really cool. All in all, it was a decent tour. The stories were fascinating but to be honest I was expecting more of a "ghost hunt" tour (like checking out an abandoned building- minus one star) as opposed to ghost stories at different locations. We learned a lot and had fun! Thanks again.

This was a moms night out activity. The day after halloween so wasn't very scary. I am not one to…read morewatch horror movies coz I get spooked very easily. So when I heard how this walking your was going to be more of a history lesson, I was into it. some of the stories seemed a bit hollywood like. But the tour guide was a great story teller. If you like haunted experiences you might be a bit disappointed. The sites themselves are all tragic events like the St Peters church and the Naperville Metra station crash. So you would definitely feel the eeriness. The fun part is the EMF meters that go off on random things - like your phone, the wires under the sidewalk - sometimes even your own heart. But that's what made it fun - and the feel of energy that could be a ghost. We had a drink at Quigleys before the tour so that helped us be silly too. Beware ladies ten ladies room at quigleys is apparently haunted! boo

These guys are the best!!! And I must bow to their superior knowledge in the Occult and Esoteric. I…read moredid a couple of Psychic Fairs with them years ago and they were a virtual encyclopedia of knowledge in the Paranormal and Supernatural. They have stories that will actually raise the hair on your head, and from first hand experience also. If you've tried the others, now try the best!!! The knowledge that they expound is the most accurate in this field, and their information is always spot on. Believe me, these Tours are well worth the money, because you are getting the first hand experience of a lifetime!! You will never find anything better than this. This is your chance to experience the real deal. You won't be sorry!!!

First time on the architecture boat tour on the recommendation of a bunch of friends who had…read morealready taken the tour in the past. Personally, I was pleasantly surprised. The words "architecture" and "boat tour" don't immediately spell a fun time in my mind. But this tour is 1) a pleasant way to see the center of Chicago from the water, 2) actually interestingly informational, as the tour guides are extremely on top of their game, 3) much more dense that you expect (these guys are talking non-stop), and 4) surprisingly good views, especially when you get all the way out into the edge of the harbor! Finding the place was a bit roundabout, but once we got there, staff were super friendly, and it was easy to get on the boat and off to our next stop afterwards. Parking suggestions on the site are solid too. I'm not sure whether I'd do it again, but I'd definitely recommend it as a must-do stop on any visit!

90 minute Architecture tour…read more It was a cloudy, windy, and cold day in June. Even with the clouds rolling in & out and blocking a lot of the views it was still interesting and our awesome guide, Bobby, was knowledgeable, funny, and kept it interesting and flowing for adults and kids. The tour starts on the river heading towards Lake Michigan. The ride into the lock was a little lengthy as we had to wait for them to fill it with boats first. Once we made it onto Lake Michigan it was very chilly, but I'd rather be freezing than sweating like crazy on a hot humid day. We were on a smaller boat which was nice. - upper deck: Seats long the outside and chairs in the middle. Only wish they had cushions. - lower deck: had some small seating outside and standing bar tables - lower deck: indoor restrooms and bar area - snacks, drinks available for purchase If rain is in the forecast bring paper towels to clean off your seats. I also saw some people with Wendella rain ponchos, but not sure where to get them? Really fun and beautiful way to see the city! Highly recommend!

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.

It really pains me to leave a negative review about any business. We took the Graveyard Stories…read morewith our Park District Group on Tuesday, Oct. 28. The "tour" included 3 stops. At the first stop we saw the dried up I and M canal where the only mention of ghosts was that the workers who died building the canal were buried in the canal. The highlight of this stop was the washroom in the old toll house. Second stop was a tiny graveyard next to a truck weigh station. We saw where Tom's family was buried. Last stop we saw the grave of a Texan who had been killed in the Civil War. There was nothing ghostly about this tour. Either the Ottawa area has nothing to offer in this regard and this tour doesn't need to exist. Or this tour operator should rename this tour. Not sure what I'd call it. As a history buff, I have taken other graveyard tours and they were far more interesting. One tour I took had graveside reenactments of the people buried there. In this case, it's hard to believe they charge $35 per person for so little information. What may be a well meaning venture to promote Ottawa's history was not a ghostly graveyard tour.

What a Wealth of Knowledge…read more Had friends visiting for the day and booked an afternoon tour with Awesome Ottawa. Some of the people could not walk long distances and Tom tailored the entire tour to be accomodating to them. We all learned so much and the time flew by. We all would do it again to see and learn even more.

Our tour guide, Ted, was great at providing history of the Chicago beer scene and the chosen…read morebreweries all provided different experiences (a flight at one, tour at the next and a tasting tap room at the last one).

The Barrel Run provided an exceptional experience. For my sister's 40th birthday, we arranged a…read moreprivate Prohibition Tour, which proved to be truly remarkable. Our tour guide, David, was an outstanding narrator whose extensive knowledge offered many new insights, even for those in our large group who reside in the Chicago area. Furthermore, Denise, who served as the primary point of contact for scheduling, was excellent; her communication was consistently thorough. I highly recommend The Barrel Run for anyone seeking a unique and memorable event.

Organized, committed, and sincere - these words describe the tour guides Ali Syed and Aamer Jaleel…read more 2 scholars Maulana Amjad and Mufti Azeem who give daily talks in Urdu and English respectively, 3 hot meals home cooked from the time we land, great accommodation in Aziziya during Hajj which is very close to Jamarat where we came on 10th zh and used private showers instead of public showers after removing our Ihraams, and great hotel in Makkah after the Hajj which included breakfast buffet. Ziyara in Madina included a local Madina resident who told us about 1400 sites in Madina which were still preserved today which was amazing. Highly recommend this group.

Yaseen Hajj & Umrah has provided great quality Hajj Service for the past few years. It has…read moreimproved significantly and for the price that Hajj services are packaged at, it offers a lot more. The packages are caterered to land into Madinah first, completely bypassing jeddah altogether along with the requirement of landing in the state of Ihram. With a direct red-eye flight from chicago to jordan, then straight into Madina, the amount of time 'wasted' at airport transit times are reduced only to two hours in Amman. We reach Madina just in time for Tahajjud, with the hotels being right across from the Haram. When it is time to leave for Hajj, we get into Ihram and make Niyyah in Madina then depart for Makkah via Jeddah. Although the American tents are located almost 40 minute walk from Jamarat, it is not too bad. They served food at three meals a day throughout. We got into Arafat before Sunrise, and found a very nice spot for our tents, which we stayed for the course of the day. Leaving for Arafah this early immediatly after offering out Fajr Salaah, this alleviated getting stuck in any traffic that we heard nightmares about, and we left Arafah after 10pm and on the way to Muzdalifah, the same was observed as we made it in only 30 minutes time. The group areas are divided by maktab, or tent numbers which we are assigned upon arrival to Mina, and this kept things very organized in terms of our occupied areas. On the 13th of Zulhijjah, we came back to Makkah and stayed at top five star Zam Zam towers, which was first rated, right across gate #1, bab abdul-aziz for four days. IN general from what was heard amongst other groups, this group really went out of their way to make sure our comfort was not jeopardized, and although Hajj, is Hajj, this group made it so one of our main pillars of Islam was offered in the best possible way. Highly recommended!