Baylor walked around town telling us all sorts of spooky and gruesome stories. Now, I've been to…read moreChicago several times, but I learned more about locations I thought I already knew! I recommend this tour with hesitation.

We went with Talia and had a superb time! She blended history and stories and facts with lots of…read morehumor and made it a wonderful 2 hours! It was cool to see Chicago's dark history with a lens of corrective measures and lessons learnt. Truly epic! A good amount of walking, so wear good shoes and carry a water bottle.

Definitely one of the must do while visiting Chicago!…read more Great boat tour with excellent docents. I ended up with a much great understanding of the Chicago buildings I was walking around or through.

My friends and I boarded the Chicago Architecture Center's River Cruise aboard the First Lady on…read moreThursday, July 23rd. We'd pre-purchased our tickets directly with the operator and paid for priority boarding. It took us a few more minutes to arrive than we'd anticipated, but it was easy to find the location the cruise departed from. Luckily, even though they'd already begun boarding the general admission folks, we were allowed to skip the line and our priority boarding was honored. Our guide's name was Russell and he's a volunteer docent. He was wonderful and his explanations were very interesting. It was a great way to get to know the stories behind the buildings and to see the city from a different angle. Highly recommend!

An atypical remnant of the Gilded Age, the Glessner House is a jewel in Chicago's crown. Allegra,…read moreour tour guide, did a wonderful job of weaving history, art, architecture and humor into her presentation. It is a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

fantastic tour and house!!! I learned a lot. great Chicago history and gilded age. highly recommend…read morethis tour. best to book in advance. smaller group.

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!

Route 66, also known as "The Mother Road", officially begins in downtown Chicago. The starting…read morepoint is marked by a sign & plaque on Michigan Ave, near the intersection of South Michigan & East Adams; across from the Art Institute of Chicago. The route originally ran from Chicago to Los Angeles, California

Route 66 starts, or ends, in Chicago at the intersection of Jackson and Jefferson and ends in Santa…read moreMonica, CA. Today, 85 % of the original roads are still drivable. "Get Your Chicks on Route 66."

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.

This tour was on the top 10 list of our things to do in Chicago. I researched all the boat…read morecompanies that offered the Chicago architecture boat cruises and Shoreline Sightseeing came out hands down #1 for us in tour length, type of cruises, accessibility and in price for what you got. Best deal. Our tour guide was happy, energetic, and very knowledgeable about Chicago because he was born and raised there. We chose the 75 minute, 4pm Chicago River tour and it covered a lot! We never lost interest and learned about Chicago's history. It is well worth it! Our Architecture River Tour boat departed from the dock at Navy Pier. We learned that their boats are the most accessible at this location. Their boats can accommodate wheelchairs up to 30-inches wide. Your wheelchair must be able to navigate a ramp with a 2-inch step at one end. I needed one that was kind to my knees. Best to call them for more details. They were very helpful whenever we called them. Their boats are both double-decker and single-level boats, and there is generally no protection from the sun, rain, or wind. There is a small bar on the main level. Restrooms are located on the lower deck, which is accessible only via stairs from the upper deck. Enjoy! It's amazing!

Sam S was a great tour guide!…read more Awesome tour! Great info, lovely views! The boat was large, comfy, onboard restrooms and bar.

Very interactive ! The walk through video was nice to hear more info ! Not as big as I thought it…read morewould be but still so much info

Having time traveled forward from the Middle Ages, I was naturally curious to see how the modern…read moreworld remembers the many ingenious ways my ancestors attempted to ruin one another's afternoons. I expected a small collection of rusty devices and perhaps a badly painted mannequin. Instead, I found the Medieval Torture Museum in Chicago to be surprisingly expansive, covering thousands of square feet with more than 100 devices, scenes, and exhibits. The museum contains an impressive number of props, torture instruments, wax figures, and dummies arranged into realistic scenes. Some displays are interactive, allowing visitors to examine or carefully operate certain devices, and there are plenty of photo opportunities throughout. The exhibits can be graphic, but I wouldn't describe them as excessively over the top. They are gruesome enough to make you appreciate modern dentistry, hospitals, and the general invention of human rights. We found the subject matter fascinating, so we spent about two hours exploring the museum. We read all of the informational plaques, examined the displays, and took plenty of pictures. The audio guide adds additional historical context, and the museum also offers a ghost-hunting app, which is a wonderfully strange feature to use while standing beside an iron maiden. As a man who personally witnessed several of these devices in their original working condition, I can confirm that the museum's recreations are quite accurate. I even recognized one exhibit as the exact machine used to settle a dispute between two knights over a moderately attractive turnip. The museum is dark, educational, interactive, and thoroughly fascinating. It is not for everyone, especially those who are sensitive to graphic depictions of violence, but anyone interested in medieval history, true crime, horror, or the darker side of human behavior should find plenty to enjoy. I arrived from the Middle Ages expecting to feel nostalgic. Instead, I left deeply grateful for modern plumbing, courtroom procedures, and the fact that disagreements are no longer settled by placing someone inside a metal chair covered in spikes.

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!

I'm a huge fan of true crime and Chicago history, so I'm surprised to say that this was my first…read morecrime tour ever. But everything happens for a reason, and it seems that reason was that I was meant to wait until the perfect one came along -- that, my friends, happened to be the Family Secrets Tour. I met Mr. Calabrese Jr. weeks ago when he presented some of his intriguing life stories at an event at Chicago Chop House, and I knew that evening that I had to book and experience the real deal, aka his bus tours. My friend and I booked a tour for a Friday afternoon recently that started at 2pm, and though there was a bit of a delay because our bus's TV monitors weren't working, Mr. Calabrese Jr. smoothly filled the time with some behind-the-scenes stories he said he usually doesn't share on the tour. I was hooked immediately. To be honest, before this tour, I had no idea the stories his family was involved in were so high-profile (I even talked to my family afterward, and they ALL knew every detail and were mad I didn't invite them! Sorry family!). But even while he showed us news clips, a lot of photos, and told all of his stories, he remained modest, which made the entire experience endearing. Mr. Calabrese Jr. is super charismatic and a great storyteller, and you can tell he genuinely loves telling his story and showing everyone around the neighborhoods where he grew up, and where big moments happened in history to people who were in "the life." I truly enjoyed this tour and I recommend it for anyone who wants an real, honest, non-theatrical recap of Chicago's mob history. The Family Secrets Tour is engaging and delightful. Thank you so much for captivating us, Frank! Can't wait to bring my family along some time!

Candace is the best driver and tour guide. She made our ride entertaining and fun. She puts her…read morewhole heart in her job. She new passenger by name. We had trivia questions and prizes.

This company did not provide the services I paid for due to employees who have no idea what they…read moreare doing. if I could give zero I would. Specifically, I ONLY went back to Dubai to go to the Louvre in Abu Dhabi because it was not open on my first trip. I selected the tour that provided this and it was all set up for Sunday. Without asking me someone changed my tour ( I did not consent to this change) to Monday'; the museum is not open on Mondays. i was told this was a mistake but since I only went to see this museum this was a MONUMENTAL MISTAKE. I took off work, paid for their services and flew to Dubai for a specific reason. I did not get to see the museum, not because it was a holiday or it was under maintence but because some employee had no idea what they were doing. When I complained and asked for a partial refund since I did not get what I paid for, I was offered a free trip to Abu Dhabi when I come back to Dubai. This is unacceptable since i have no intention of returning to Dubai any time soon or know if I ever will. This is a very large company and while mistakes happen, the cost for me should not be so high. They screwed up a trip I carefully set up for my purpose due to incompetence and then refuse to accept responsibility. Be very careful in choosing this company for dream vacations because they could get messed up and then they will do nothing about it