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    Kayak Chicago

    4.1 (218 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 7:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    Cassie E.

    We did the firework kayaking. EXPERIENCE: They warn you to bring water and/or food because it's a long ride, and they aren't kidding. We got there at 7:30pm and we got back to our car at like 11:30 pm. My poor boyfriend did a shoulder workout earlier in the day and we definitely recommend against that since it's definitely a workout. It's very long and tiring. They give you training before you take off. It didn't feel rushed, so I wasn't nervous and I had never kayaked before. The views are fantastic. Be prepared for your phone to get wet because the paddles splash water into the kayak (they warn you about this when you sign up as well). I wished I had an action camera, but I was still able to take decent pics. KAYAKS: They have lights that go on the front and the back of the kayaks so it's easy to see. The lights kept going out for my time slot, but they said it was a brand new box that they just opened. So they didn't know it was going to do that, so I am not holding that against them. They have different types of kayaks and have some for folks that have a wider stature. CREW: The crew are very helpful, lively, and friendly. Some of them also do the tour guides so they are also very knowledgeable and were telling me about the history. There was a concert near where we were departing, so the crew texted us ahead of time to warn us to get there early to park and offered to help us find parking. They also let us know where the free parking was and yelled at people trying to charge for parking when they shouldn't be. I found them extremely helpful in terms of parking. When you are kayaking, they don't rush you if you are in the back of the pack. They go at your pace. They wear head lights so it's easy to see where/who they are. OVERALL: The pictures we got from the experience were great. I had a lot of people asking me how they could do it and what company I used. I definitely wish I had a DJI Action 4 (like a go pro, but better for low light scenarios). Just be prepared for a workout!

    Kayak Chicago
    Ernie H.

    Excellent crew really great lead guide - Matt. Equipment set up and orientation was thorough and help ease our concerns as first timers. So why 4 stars? Well you start around Goose Island which is NOT close to downtown. So you do a LOT of paddling just to get the Nuveen building. We turned around before the Marina Towers meaning we never got passed the Michigan ave and missed a lot of buildings and views. We also did not venture south of the river pass the nuveen building to see the civic opera or by the Sears tower. I almost get that because it would have been physically too much. Which goes back to the location issue and the distance just to get there.

    Kayaking at night
    Jim R.

    Kayak Chicago is such a great time! Great value too. My girlfriend and I took the City Lights Night Paddle tour. We were the only 2 people on the tour with the guide. It felt a little awkward as it was such a small private tour but Mike ("Magic Mike") gave us a tour we'll never forget! He was very knowledgeable about the city buildings, history of the Chicago river, goose island area and everything in between. We got to see the blue river cranes as Mike pointed them out. What a great experience :)

    Kayak across the city on the Chicago River during this energizing adventure tour
    Sabrina C.

    If you are nervous about going kayaking for your very first time - this is definitely the place to do it. After you fill out your waivers and your group arrives, you are fitted to the proper boat and ensured that you understand the basic instructions. The route that you will take starts to be explained and then you head off to the water! At the water, initially getting in your kayak can be kind of scary, but once you're in, YOURE IN! There are workers that are around to help you in for your initial boarding because it will be a little shaky. After everyone is in you spend some time getting used to how you steer your boat, then everyone takes off! The sights are so dope to see from the River. We did the a tour on the Chicago River that went into the early evening hours and were able to learn so much on our architecture tour. The guides were very knowledgeable and the two that we had were sure to stay along helping everyone, since there were different levels of experience. It was definitely a workout but absolutely something I will be doing again with this company!

    Kayak across the city on the Chicago River during this energizing adventure tour
    Julie L.

    Evan was the best! So funny and knowledgeable. He made sure everyone had a great time! Highly recommend this business!

    By the riverwalk
    Peter T.

    I took my gf and I to this place and did the Sunset Tour. We enjoyed it but we're gonna try the Fireworks tour next. We gave it five stars becuase the orientation was short and the staff was super friendly and funny (well 5th grade teacher funny - LOL). I liked how they were patience with us, especially sinced we never kayaked before and the views were amazing. Only thing bad is water smells nasty like a hamster cage.

    Starting/ending spot, with Wrigley research building in the back and our awesome tour guide in the front!
    Ivonnie S.

    We booked the architecture kayak tour for 2 through Groupon, which came out to be about $50/person for 3 hours, including a short lesson and getting on/off the water. Tl;dr: it was lots of fun and I'd highly recommend checking out this company, whether you're a tourist briefly visiting the city or a local who's never been on an architecture tour here. Some deets: the tours will happen rain or shine, unless there is potentially dangerous weather (i.e. lightning/thunder). Weather calls are made at the time that the tour starts, so I'd recommend showing up regardless of what the fickle weather report says. When we showed up for our 10am start time, it was starting to rain with a few flashes of lightning, so we couldn't go out onto the water and were feeling pretty disappointed. The staff were quite accommodating though, and we chose to wait it out a bit and see if the lightning died out. 45 minutes later, the rain had ended and they started the tour, yay! Our guide (sorry I forgot your name) inserted several dad jokes and interesting stories into the tour, including one about Dave Matthews and "Poopgate". Not sure if the boat architecture tours would be as entertaining haha. Plus, what's the fun in just sitting on a boat and passively listening for the duration of the tour? Might as well get in some good exercise - and then reward yourself afterwards with some of Chicago's deeelicious food! Also, if you're worried about the river water cleanliness, it's no chlorinated pool water, but the city has been cleaning up and beautifying the area recently and it's no longer as contaminated as it used to be. Just don't drink the water directly and wash your hands before eating! Last tips on things to bring: + A bottle of water to put behind your kayak seat! The tour goes at an easy pace, but it's still an arm/core workout + Phone or small camera to take lots of cool pics! They have Ziploc bags and waterproof boxes to store your phone while paddling + A change of clothes if you'd like; you'll probably splash a little bit of river water onto your legs and arms during the 3 hours + Leave everything else you don't need in one of the cubbies in the office, unless you don't care about it getting wet + Your excitement and sense of adventure! :) Have fun!

    Geese
    Molly A.

    I went with a group of ladies from Chicago and we all had varying levels of experience with kayaking (some had no experience, some kayak a lot) and we all really enjoyed the trip. The staff was incredibly helpful and walked us through the entire process. The route was easy to maneuver and it made for a really fun activity for us. I'd never kayaked before and it was such a good time that I was thinking about getting a ten hour punch card to use for the summer.

    Beautiful day in Chicago to kayak ...

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    Really loved Kayak Chicago. We had super helpful staff and we had a great time! The Kayak's were really nice!

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    Is there free parking?

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    Review Highlights - Kayak Chicago

    My hubby surprised me with the architecture tour on kayaks and it was the best way to spend a Sunday.

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    Chicago Architecture Center

    Chicago Architecture Center

    4.8(811 reviews)
    2.3 miThe Loop

    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)

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    Chicago Architecture Center
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    Amazing right?

    Kayak Chicago - boating - Updated May 2026

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