The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition Inspired “America the Beautiful”
Few today know that the later verses of “America the Beautiful” include a reference to the White City of the 1893 World’s Fair. The Fourth of July always puts us in the mood for some patriotic history. One of our favorite stories of Americana popped up last year. That’s when while researching the 1893 World’s […]
The History of Chicago BBQ
Innumerable backyard grills will be fired up for summer holidays, like Memorial Day weekend and Fourth of July. In honor of that, I wanted to dive into the greatest possible use of a grill: barbecue. The history of Chicago BBQ is tied directly to the city’s history of industry and immigration. Taking a look at […]
Three New Museums in Chicago
The announcement and opening of three new museums in Chicago is shaking up the downtown cultural scene. After years of false starts, it seems that the Chicago Blues Museum will soon become a reality. Officially titled the Chicago Blues Experience, the new museum will open in 2019. Just this month, the American Writers Museum was […]
Should We Trash or Save the Thompson Center?
The James R. Thompson Center is only thirty years old, but Governor Bruce Rauner announced in the fall of 2015 that he wants it sold and demolished. Just this month, in January of 2017, he floated the idea of a 115-story skyscraper taking its place. That raises a question for us Chicagoans to consider: should we trash or […]
A Global Hub: the History of Chicago Transportation
A week ago, countless locals and visitors passed through Chicago during their Thanksgiving travels. According to a recent article, nearly a million people had a seat booked at O’Hare during the week of Thanksgiving. Whether they knew it or not, as they stood in line or waited for lift-off, those passengers were part of the […]
Ghosts of Black Fridays Past on Chicago’s State Street
Black Friday in Chicago always brings hordes of deal-seekers to the downtown State Street shopping district. The term Black Friday arose in the 1980s, but State Street, that “great street,” has been a shopping mecca since the days of the great department stores. What about the stores of holidays past, the ones that are no longer […]
What’s New at Navy Pier?
For our outing this month, the Chicago Detours team decided to head out to see what’s new at Navy Pier. Much like our Segway tour adventure in September, we wanted to change gears for a Chicago experience more frequented by tourists than locals. I’ll admit that my interest was also piqued because 2016 marks the centennial celebrations for Navy […]
The History of the Curse of the Billy Goat
The Curse of the Billy Goat. It’s one of the most infamous legends in American professional sports. On October 22, 2016, the Chicago Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers and won the National League pennant for the first time since 1945, arguably breaking the curse. So where did this Curse of the Billy Goat come […]
Designing a University of Chicago Tour
Special for the University of Chicago, we’ve just developed a new tour of the University of Chicago campus and surrounding neighborhoods. The University of Chicago hired us to offer this tour for “Family Weekend,” when parents, siblings and grandparents of undergraduate students come to Hyde Park to learn more about the student experience. While the […]
The Magic of Working in the Monadnock Building
The Monadnock Building is a favorite for many Chicagoans, and we are ecstatic to call it the new home for Chicago Detours. A landmark skyscraper built in the 1890s, the Monadnock has been through a lot. We research stories from Chicago history, architecture and culture like this while developing our live virtual tours, in-person private tours, and custom […]