Guided tours of architecture, history, and culture. We offer private tours and public tours; walking tours and bus tours. Explore stories and places locals don't even know. Interact with Chicago architecture and explore well-known Chicago attractions as well as lesser-known sightseeing highlights. Not just tours, these are memorable Chicago events with an interactive dynamic and professional tour guides! Rated one of Chicago's best tour companies.
What’s New
Inside the Loop - New Time of Saturdays at 1:30pm.
Tours canceled for Nato: 5/18, 19, & 20.
Hear Exec Director Amanda & Rick Kogan on WGN Radio.
A Suburban Detour: Museums at Lisle Station Park
posted May 7th. I have lived in Lisle my whole life and so I have grown up knowing the suburbs better than Chicago. Though I had grown up in Lisle, I did not know we had a museum until a neighbor invited me … Continue reading →A Tour of the Inside of Tribune Tower
posted May 3rd. Whenever I would come down to the Loop and walk up Michigan Avenue I would always look north up Michigan Avenue and see the Tribune Tower rising above. Walking past the building, I would look into the showcase studio for … Continue reading →
Our unique and creative guided tours explore the city from multiple angles: architecture, art, history, food, and culture. More than a regular architectural tour, Chicago Detours' guests interact with historic Chicago photos, maps, documentary video clips presented on iPads or video screens. Learn about Chicago attractions through unique stories and engage with fun, educated tour guides who spark discussions and learning.
Public Tours
Our tours welcome Chicago locals and travelers our Windy City from January to December. Our signature architectural walking tour, Inside the Loop, gives an insider's look at a variety of architecture - from modernist architecture to classical - to the underground Pedway system. The perfect compliment to an architectural river cruise, this tour places architecture in its human context through stories and images presented on iPads. During your visit to Chicago, a fun special evening event during the week or weekend is the Good Times Historic Bar Tour. This tour is a pub crawl, an architecture tour, and a history tour all in one, and it attracts a fun group of people who want to drink while learning. Sign up for our mailing list for updates on our one-off tours, which can include a special tour of the Chicago Temple building, an in-depth Frank Lloyd Wright tour, and even a food tour.
Private Tours
Creating memorable private excursions is our specialty as a tour operator. Private tour guests will hear stories and see places locals don't even know with our architectural tours, jazz and blues bus tour, off-the-beaten path highlights bus tour, and historic bar tours by foot or bus. Our private group tours impress myriad special events groups: corporate events and team-building, birthday parties, company outings, and family reunions. We can customize tours to fit particular interests. Possibilities for custom tours: Chicago's green movement, a Private Architectural Tour of historic interiors, Chicago's landscape and architectural design of parks. We can arrange private transportation, meals and extra activities for your private group. Because our private tour guides have degrees from distinguished institutions and experience as teachers, their informed and lively presentation stimulates and engages travelers and professionals.
Educational Tours
If you're looking for ideas for a school field trip, we work with school groups looking for educational tours and fun activities in Chicago. Our Inside the Loop architectural walking tour gives a foundation for understanding Chicago architecture and history while avoiding the elements. Make your Chicago field trip fun and memorable with our interactive tours. Our Jazz and Blues tour by bus includes a live blues musician and music lesson. As a student tour operator, we can also offer hop-on tour guide services to give highlight tours of downtown Chicago, ethnic neighborhoods, and the South Side, including Hyde Park and Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. Our tour guides have background as teachers, so they ask students questions; incite youth to actively engage with viewing the city; and share fresh insights into architecture, history, and culture.
For an authentic, insightful, and fun experience, we hope you choose Chicago Detours as your Chicago tour guide, whether for one of our regularly scheduled tours or a private group tour during your visit to Chicago.
