Decade in Review as a Small Business in Chicago
We are gearing up to celebrate 10 years as a small business here in the fine city of Chicago. The end of the 2010s marks the end of our first decade! Amanda Scotese, our fearless small business leader, founded Chicago Detours back in 2010. In that time we have grown by leaps and bounds. We are finishing […]
Three Chicago Musicians of Maxwell Street
As the weather gets nicer, I get excited for the open air markets in Chicago, chief among them the Maxwell Street Market. With the Chicago Blues Festival just around the corner and our annual custom private tours in full swing, tour guests often ask me, “Who are famous blues musicians from Chicago I should know?” […]
Al Capone’s Chicago: 5 Sites He Actually Knew
Al Capone’s Chicago is a place of myth as much as fact. Oddly, it’s often reminded me of George Washington. Every sufficiently old building east of the Alleghenies claims that Washington slept there. Similarly, dozens of old buildings in Chicago seem to claim that Capone drank and/or killed someone there. With the 90th anniversary of […]
A New Phase in Chicago Jazz History in Bronzeville
Chicago jazz history in Bronzeville, like any history, will continue to evolve. Meyers Hardware, in Bronzeville, has closed its doors after 95 years in business. For the past six years, I’ve had the pleasure of taking groups on our Jazz, Blues, and Beyond Tour inside his hardware store to see relics from its incredible past as a legendary […]
Best Student Field Trips in Chicago
With so many options, how does a teacher choose what will be the best student field trips for their class? A field trip is such a memorable experience for enthusiastic learners. When I look back on my years in school, it’s the field trip days that clearly stand out to me. Whether focused on art, nature, […]
The Musical Chicago Story of the Mecca Flats
The loss of historic architecture, such as Chicago’s Mecca Flats, is not unusual in an ever-changing city. Some the great architecture of Chicago stands on sites of buildings that we would be sad to know are now gone – if we had indeed ever been familiar with their architectural spaces. After guiding one of our Loop Interior Architecture […]
Chicago Blues Festival – Special Tour
This Saturday, June 9th, 10:30am we are having a rare offering of our “Jazz, Blues & Beyond” tour by bus, typically only available for private groups. Featured on WGN evening news, the two-and-a-half-hour special interactive event includes a local musician and visits to both iconic and lesser known highlights of Chicago’s rich music history. The […]