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.

Chicago Walking Tour - Elevated Architecture Downtown 'L' Train…read moreWe have previously taken the CAC boat tour and one of the surface walking tours (both of which were great), but this time we wanted something with a slightly different perspective while staying downtown. We chose the Elevated Architecture Downtown 'L' Train tour led by Andrew, our CAC docent. As no one else had signed up for the tour that morning, it became a private tour. Andrew was not only very knowledgeable about the architecture and friendly, but also, given that he works in planning at the Chicago Metro, was able to take us on an even deeper dive concerning the "L", its history, and some of the current challenges. As we were about 35' about street level for the tour, we were also treated to a different perspective of the building and their design/decoration, something that cannot be readily observed from street level. Thans again to Andrew for an information and entertaining tour above the streets of downtown Chicago-truly a unique experience.

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)

A great tour if you are interested in architecture, William Morris, the arts & crafts movement or…read moreChicago history. You must buy tickets online before your tour. Groups are held to a small size which allows for lots of questions and time to take pictures. There is only street parking but we had no trouble finding a spot. The tour guides are engaging and the tour goes at a nice clip but most children under the age of 10 or so would not find this interesting. After our tour it was nice to walk around the neighborhood to see other mansions that have avoided demolition or have been built to blend in. A very nice way to spend a day.

What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon!…read more Glessner House offers a peek into a Chicago familiar's history. It also surprised us with the genius planning by their architect. He seemed like a man I would have loved to know. The South Loop is so interesting and this beautiful mansion is a real jewel. The design and furnishings were a nod to the beauty in history. The docent was so nice. She offered information in a way that I could tell she really cared. She was sweet and pleasant and led a very enjoyable tour. I highly recommend visiting at least once - maybe more!!

We went on a tour at the end of April. The boarding process was easy. The staff was very friendly…read moreand helpful. They were always willing to answer questions. I received great beer recommendations from the bartender, and the guide was super knowledgeable. The boat is also FANTASTIC. It's really cool to be learning the history of Chicago while riding on a piece of Chicago history,

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!"

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.

Jim did an excellent job explaining the architectural history of Chicago. He was engaging and kept…read moreus entertained while we battled with the cold weather. The views were phenomenal and although the tour was 75 minutes, it felt shorter.

Visited Chicago three times and I've done the Architecture Boat Cruise twice…read more If you are visiting Chicago, this is MUST to be added to your itinerary. To give some details and not spoil the whole experience, the tour guide describes the different architectural facts that surround the Chicago river. It was truly the experience that markets Chicago as a great city.

Very amazing tour! Shows the punishments of the medieval times and the pain and suffering inflictedread more

Who knew there were so many ways to be tortured throughout history? That was my takeaway from…read morevisiting the Medieval Torture Museum in the heart of the Loop. Looking on their website, there are other torture museum outposts in Florida, California, Branson (MO), and Berlin, Germany in addition to Chicago. The Chicago location is on the compact side, but packs over 100 medieval artifacts into dimly-lighted, macabre space occupying two levels. My timing for visiting was right around Halloween. I purchased tickets online (can get a very slight discount buying online) for a friend's belated birthday. He had always wanted to see this space, and we had scheduled an outing here, followed by happy hour libations. My interactions with the front-desk/check-in personnel (a younger gentleman and a woman getting off of her shift) were pleasant and professional. The young man mentioned that he was studying art. I'm sure this museum gave him plenty of inspiration. To the side of the check-in/welcome area there is a souvenir shop. I didn't really see anything that grabbed me, but there were a couple of promotions taking place and the displays/signage were memorable and lighthearted, considering the grim subject matter. Before making our way to the exhibit, we cued up the audio guide on our phones. The guide is easily accessible through Apple and Android, although I wish I had brought headphones, as I quailed at blasting the sound through speakers with other patrons around. Fortunately, this is more of a selfie and photography-geared space, so there were no dirty looks as I would have expected in a traditional museum or gallery. This museum has something for everyone, whether one is an avid reader of all of the informational material around the exhibits (raises hand) or prefers a more interactive, hands-on experience and photo-ops to capture the thrills and chills. Among the most arresting items are a torture rack from 15th-century Spain and a life-size replica of Joan of Arc being burned at the stake. Over the sound system, occasionally dramatized screams and creaking chains play to heighten the creepy ambiance. All told, it took around an hour to peruse the space, sharing impressions and taking photos.

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!

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

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.