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!

This cruise was such an educational and amazing experience and the highlight of my trip. It was…read morenice to learn about the extensive history of Chicago and its architecture. The trip was about an hour and a half and has a bar that serves a few cocktails and snacks. There was ample seating on the top deck and lower seats as well. We scheduled around 3pm which was a great time to visit. Access to the boat was easy to locate. I would recommend arriving at the stop earlier as seats are first come first served.

chicago architecture center boat tour on the "the first lady" was well done. very rainy day but a…read morechoice of remaining upstairs out in the open, where we were given a big umbrella which was nice, or some of our group went downstairs out of the rain. liz our docent was so knowledgable and informing, 11 out of 10 for her.

If you're in Chiago you have to do the Architecture tour at least once. If you're in Chicago…read moreduring the Summer as I was you can seek sanctuary in the air conditioned lower level. I wish the audio was a little bit louder on that level due to the sound of the fans and people talking. If you like my reviews, consider "following" my profile for reviews all across the SF Bay Area . Why "follow" someone? It causes the person you follow's reviews to tier to top when you pull up a business. I find this very handy when researching venues. Rod's Review grading scale explained. Essentially I personally base it on the likelihood of a return visit and I try to be stingy with 5 star reviews since they should be "special" in my eyes. Price/Value also play a role obviously but there are $ and $$$$ littered across my grading scale. 5 stars - "I'll go out of my way" (approx 6 % of my reviews) 4 stars- "If I was in the area I'd go here and would recommend", (approx 38% of my reviews) 3 stars "Maybe if was nearby", (approx 37% of my reviews) 2 stars -"Would likely not return, Only if you want to go", (approx 16% of my reviews) 1 star -"No thanks, even if I was hungry", (approx. 3 % of my reviews)

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.

This experience was fun. Cruising through the river while learning about Chicago's architecture was…read moreamazing. The boat was clean. So were the bathrooms. The view from the boat was stunning. Not to mention Jim, our tour guide. He was super nice. If you're reading this Jim, keep it up.

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.

Think Jeopardy-Chicago edition. Cliff is an excellent narrator and will give you information you…read morenever realized you wanted ...or needed. We learned about the architectural features of the beautiful buildings. The historical Chicago fires. Movie trivia. Why Chicago is really called " The Windy City" and why Manhattan got its name for good measure. Guess which building sits on a landfill. Why the lake is cleaner than its ever been. Experience a boat lock. The history the fire boat played in Chicago's history. Our party of 5 took the 3 pm trip on Memorial Weekend. It was a beautiful, beautiful day. Our boat was comfortable and not as crowded as all of the other tours we passed. It is a veteran owned business. Tours begin Patrick's Day through October! "May you have fair winds and fortunate seas!"

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!

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.

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.

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).

Hillary and the rest of the crew was awesome. Even my always having technology in his face 11 year…read moreold enjoyed the experience that Hillary did for the tour.

A great tour - and very well explained! My wife and I had a blast, and felt we received a great…read morewindow into the history of Chicago through its architecture and exploring the river. We were the first boat tour of the season for the tour guide Hillary, who did a great job of keeping things super fun and educational. We found this tour on Groupon and couldn't be happier with the value or the experience. This was probably our favorite thing we got to do in our brief tour of Chicago.

My grandmother and I were in Chicago for 3 days, and decided to do the walking prohibition tour on…read moreMonday. We were a bit apprehensive due to the weather - it was supposed to be very rainy with scattered thunderstorms. It ended up raining for only an hour, I'm so glad we did it! John, the tour guide is very knowledgeable in all things prohibition. We ended up being the only people who booked so it became more personable and conversational than a normal tour might go. We had a fabulous time overall! All 3 establishments had wonderful service and spectacular drinks! 100/10 would recommend this tour to anyone! You'll find it interesting regardless if you consider yourself a "history buff" or not.

Best tour I've ever been on. I recommend it to anyone going to Chicago. We learned so much and had…read morea great time.