South Side Neighborhoods Tour Questions Answered
One of my favorite of our private tours is the Neighborhoods and Cultural Diversity South Side Tour, because I get to take people to explore some of the South Side neighborhoods where I have lived, worked and studied. Even being a history enthusiast and a Chicago native, I still need to research a question from my tour […]
Four Unconventional College Student Group Activities in Chicago
We often hear from guests that it’s tricky finding interesting college student group activities in Chicago. Our private tours are popular with university groups looking to explore the other side of the Windy City, beyond the downtown museums and attractions. So our Private Tour Coordinator Ellen knows a thing or two about recommending unconventional college student group […]
Cruise on a Piece of Local History with Chicago Fireboat Tours
Our team of Chicago tour guides recently got the chance to take a sunset cruise with our new partners at Chicago Fireboat Tours. We’ll be working with them to arrange private boat tour charters and guides for parties up to 127 people. That’s alongside our other private group boat tour partners, Anita Dee and Knockout Charters. A […]
Best Tours to Get to Know Chicago for New Chicagoans
We welcome you new Chicagoans to Chi-town. The Second City. The City of Big Shoulders. The City That Works. Urbs in Horto. The Windy City. Any city with that many names contains multitudes of experiences. It’s probably impossible to ever fully know Chicago, but Chicago Detours offers public tours that you can individually sign up for, […]
The History of Four Chicago Lighthouses
When one thinks of architecture in Chicago, lighthouses might not come to mind. But Chicago, long a preeminent American port, has an extended history with these vital, vertical structures. We research stories from Chicago history, architecture and culture like this while developing our live virtual tours, in-person private tours, and custom content for corporate events. You can join […]
History and Neighborhoods of Chicago Television Shows
Recently I was guiding a private group tour of Chicago, I was asked by a group of newcomers about television shows filmed in Chicago. On our Historic Chicago Walking Bar Tour, we mention movies filmed in Chicago, but I found that the history and neighborhoods of Chicago television shows were more difficult to discuss. So […]
Illinois Governors Conference on Tourism
Last week, I attended the Illinois Governors Conference on Tourism, a three-day meeting for tourism professionals who work at hotels, restaurants, tour companies, transportation companies, and convention and visitors bureaus. We get updates on anything and everything in Illinois Tourism, and speakers often try to stress that we must not forget what’s outside of Chicago. […]
Lost Chicago Drinking Poems
We lose things for all kinds of reasons – we’re absent minded, we drop them, or we just plain forget about them. One could make many cases for why drinking poems might get lost over time: 1. People were drunk when they wrote them, so they aren’t worth being remembered. 2. People got drunk after […]
Group Urban Excursions (aka Private Tours)
2022 Update: We no longer offer public tours and have kept this post as a historical record of our role in innovating in travel and tourism. Lately we’ve been bombarded by interest in our private tours of Chicago, and it probably comes along with the surge in interest in unique experiences these days. (FYI, we […]
Answers About the Pedway
We get a lot of questions about the Chicago Pedway system our private tours of downtown. So here are some more in-depth responses. We research stories from Chicago history, architecture and culture like this while developing our live virtual tours, in-person private tours, and custom content for corporate events. You can join us to experience Chicago’s stories in-person […]