'Wendella Tours & Cruises' has been in existence since I was a kid, and I am in my 60s now…read more Everyone visiting Chicago should take this tour of the Chicago River and it's surrounding architecture at least once. Everyone who lives in Chicago should take this tour many times, because when family and friends visit Chi-town, they MUST be taken on this tour. Then the more friends and family coming to see you, the more time you take this tour with them. - It's Obligatory. So every time a visitor comes town, I treat them to an afternoon tour on Wendella Tours & Cruises. It's not just that Wendella offers an amazing service - it's that this service is necessary in order to understand Chicago's unique architectural heritage.

Every time someone proposes to go on a Chicago River Cruise I groan. Why would you want to go on a…read moreboat for an hour when I can see the buildings perfectly fine from here? I've already done the cruise, why would I do it again? I end up going along with the group and doing a cruise, and I love it every time. On the river is the best way to experience the skyline of Chicago. You get to see the best of the best and hear history behind it. Even though this is a tourist trap, it is one of the few that I've been on that I actually think it is worth it.

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)

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.

Just did the 60-minute architectural river tour departing from Navy Pier this past weekend and it…read morewas a fantastic experience. Our guide Ruby was awesome - engaging and funny with a perfect mix of architectural history and fun facts that kept everyone entertained. Right before docking at the end of the tour, the captain turned the boat toward the river entrance for a minute so everyone could take photos in front of the skyline, which was a nice touch. The biggest selling point for me was that all of Shoreline's tours are dog-friendly. I brought my pup Shadow along and they even gave her a treat as we were boarding. A couple tips: getting your tickets on Groupon will save you a couple bucks off retail, and bring your own water if it's a hot day - beverages on the boat are pricey. Great guide, amazing views, and pet-friendly. Highly recommend!

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!"

Took the Art Deco tour yesterday, what a great way to learn about some of the history of Chicago as…read morewell as the gorgeous buildings!! Our guide was knowledgeable and kept the tour interesting. Unfortunately I flew out yesterday afterwards, but will definitely be back to check out the Center as well.

Entry to the museum is only five dollars if you show them your ticket from the First Lady boat…read moretour. The ground floor has a short eight minute clip with information about the city. There is also a great display of the city as well as a Wrigley ballpark exhibit. Unfortunately, the upstairs is currently being renovated, so there was not a lot to see this trip. They have a great gift shop.

It was my first trip to Chicago and everyone was telling me to do the architecture river boat tour,…read moreand they were totally right! Our tour guide was Nathan and he was very personable, funny, and informed. The tour was more beautiful than I imagined. We also went at 6:45pm which was definitely worth it to see the sunset. The tour started out in daylight and ended in twilight, it was glorious.

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.

This was one of the cheaper tour options, so my expectations were low - but Josh did an outstanding…read morejob! Very informative and entertaining.

The guide was very knowledgeable and the experience was laid back and very enjoyable. Drinks were…read moretasty. I was impressed with the navigation as well, there was an amazing amount of water traffic. We did the tour from the lock to east and west of the Chicago river. Loved seeing my hometown from a different angle.

Prepare to get wet, most fun archechure tour of Chicago River. I was most impressed by how massive…read morethe draw bridges are. This is a guided tour with a knowledgeable guide. This is a large speedboat ride , not a big boat tour.

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).

Had so much fun on the 90 minute architecture boat tour! Hillary was interactive, so well informed…read moreand full of jokes. Tour went by so far with how fun and informative it was!!

We came for a trip and wanted to learn more about the architecture in Chicago…read more David was our tour guide and he was super knowledgeable! The tour was wealthy of engineering information. We left on time and came back as timed. It was great value for our group of 5

I always have the best experience with CE boating I've used them for my annual boat experience for…read more3 years in a row they always come through! The boats are very nice and fit a decent amount of people ! 10/10!

From the owner: We are closed for the 2025 Season and will return for the 2026 Season. We will welcome you back…read moresoon to book your private boat rental with CE Boating in Chicago. Cruise Lake Michigan, pop bottles, relax, and celebrate. Limited spots.