Almost everyone you meet in Chicago who loves their city will ask when you tell them you are…read morevisiting from out of town, "Have you done the architectural boat tour?" People in Amsterdam will also ask if you have done a canal boat tour - and you have to do these when you visit these cities. Our docent volunteer guide, Steve, was excellent. He was very personable and extremely knowledgeable about the city's riverside buildings and its history. The boat staff was also hardworking and ready to help with any issues, from getting a drink at the boat's downstairs bar to handing out covers when the rain hit us. For what we paid, the 1.5 hour tour was more than worth it. I recommend sitting at the top towards the back, as you don't have to crane your neck as much when he points out places of interest. This was a truly wonderful experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Not what I expected overall but it was still a very educational experience. Scoring tickets to…read moreChicago's Architecture Center through our hotel, we used the tickets as a good time filler. Not a must see or do attraction but a great day filler activity as you explore the city. Loved the wealth of information they offer as it's valuable to understand Chicagos importance from the ground up! I thought it would be more about highlighting the amazing architectural buildings around the city but nothing like that. It's was more about the environmental impact the city has and the hurdles when designing buildings around town. The staff were friendly at check in and provided great service overall as they were kind and helpful. Small center that you may explore at your own pace and may or may not be worth the admission price. But scoring free tickets it allowed us to be selective in our day or day plans to include the activity to pay it a visit!

This area is very popular and for good reason. Located right off of Lake Opeka there are amazing…read moreviews, plenty of footpaths, a nice park, picnic benches, regular benches, and more. Be prepared for limited street parking on nice weekends, people will come out and bring their grills and camp out for a while. It's really a nice open area but always seems to be crowded, lots of families, people walking pets, bikers, people fishing. Lots of people doing lots of different things.

Absolutely beautiful!!! I needed a place to relax after my…read moreflight into Chicago. While I waited on my daughter's flight to come in (about 5 hours later). Next trip I'll be planning a picnic either when we land or before we fly out. What a beautiful and well maintained space. Filled with so much information and respect for America's heroes. Can't wait to come back!

Spring Valley has a Nature Center and also features the Heritage Farm. It's really a neat place for…read morea walk as you walk through a wooded area for about 5-7 minutes and then you see the farm houses with animal barns along with a few trails to follow. Spring Valley is a refuge of about 135 acres comprised of fields, forests, marshes, brooks and streams. Some trails are wood beamed while others are rocks and grass. It's a really enjoyable place to spend a few hours by yourself, with friends and family. Parking and entrances to the park are available on both sides 1) off Schaumburg Road 2) off Plum Grove Road.

I have been going here since the 80's and it is even better than ever now. I love taking my…read moredaughter for a hike to the farm after enjoying the nature center building. It is awesome how so many aspects of Spring Valley have remained the same while wonderful upgrades and additions have been made, too! Definitely a place that we will continue to visit throughout the year!

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.

Website says tours of the "factory on M-F, but there are no tours on Friday. We didn't go…read more Website needs an update

Never disappoints! Best carmel apples! Crisp apple and generous toppings! Everyone raves about…read morethem!

Jonathan, our tour guide, is a gem. Extremely knowledgeable, entertaining, and quick-witted. The…read moretour itself was fascinating getting to see real places with stories rooted in the prohibition era and learn about various enterprising figures of the time. Jonathan truly showed us a great time. The tour and time spent was the highlight of visiting Chicago. Can't recommend Prohibition Tours enough!

Fantastic tour, was highly informative, and historically based. The places we were taken to had…read morefantastic drinks! Highly recommend for history needs and drink afficicionados. I had the best old fashined I've tried while on this tour.

Just went on the tour today. Frank is a really nice man and the tour is Great fun. Entertaining and…read moreI was totally captivated by the stories. There's other "Mob" tours but this is one where the guy giving the tour was actually there. He grew up with all these people around him and his family. Along with his book which I also highly recommend, I would say the entire tale is fascinating and I cannot wait for it to be a movie. After the tour you really feel empathy for what this guy and his family was put through as a result of the mafia street life. If you're visiting the city, or if you are a local, take this tour, you'll love it!

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!

We chartered a bus during the COVID19 rush and we were very surprised with the attentiveness the…read moredriver had. He wiped down all luggage before it when in the coach. Everyone cleaned there hands when entering the coach. Driver and all riders were wearing mask. I felt very safe and appreciate the extra effort. Thank you!

Thru 1990's and 2000's was Chicago's premier tour operator. Wish they were still around. There was…read morenone better

We went on the architecture tour tonight. It was fun and informative. However, the amount of…read morespiders on the boat is ridiculous. When on the lower level you are hoping a spider isn't go to fall on you.

We bought tickets for a Sunday morning cruise (depart 10am) online and when we departed the boat…read morewas half full on the top level. We were blessed with perfect sunny skies and temps around 68-70 degrees the whole time. Our small group took up the one back corner of the boat and had a great time. The boat took us out through the lock into the harbor and then out around the breakwater into the open lake, around the lighthouse and then back through the lock (about an hour) to a nice cruise down river (30 mins). We turned around where the main branches come together at a Y. Along the way we learned about the history of the City, the great fire, why the lock exists, some local neighborhood history, reverse flow/pollution of the river, lots of building info/architecture new and old and about the lake. The lock and lake part of the trip was fun for the kids. I would recommend this type of tour if you have children so it keeps them a little entertained instead of hearing about buildings for 90 mins. The bathroom on board was clean. The bar area downstairs looked good, but we didn't drink or buy snacks. We walked from our hotel so I can't help you with parking. It's a couple flights of steps down to get to the loading area for the boat and the same steps back up to street level when you leave the boat. Last thing, when we got off our boat the lines for all the boat companies were long. If you hate lines, get the boat tour done early!! Thanks guys!

Man, this was the unexpected highlight of my recent 5-day trip to Chicago…read more Booked this on a whim through a Chicago friend... I wanted an activity to help show my cousin around Chicago for the first time so we did the Architecture & History tour, each in our own kayak. He'd never kayaked before, and it was a simple, fun, and safe little training session while we got going. Beautiful summer day and what a fascinating way to explore the city and see those buildings. Our leader, Matt, was a funny and gregarious guide and always directed us safely and helped create a vibe of camaraderie in the group. Super nice guy and just spouted knowledge about Chicago's history and the history of the Chicago river. It was such a sensory experience to get some exercise in while feeling the Chicago sun and hearing the water and factoids about Chicago ghosts and boats etc! I even had a chance run-in with an old friend I hadn't seen in years who happened to be walking along the Chicago Riverwalk at the very moment I was paddling down below. The whole thing was magical. Special thanks to Charlie who helped set us up with the right tour for what we wanted, and our tour guide Mateo H. for being the best we could have asked for. Trips are precious - sometimes they're a flurry of activity and you get home and begin to process the whole series of moments... this is a standout moment and I highly recommend this for anyone who is experiencing Chicago for the first time or - like me - experiencing it anew from a new vantage point. THANK YOU for a beautiful memory!

Great first time kayaking! The views were breathtaking and the staff member was very informative…read moreand kind to us. I will be doing this regularly. It's a great way to explore downtown Chicago and connect with yourself.