Guided Field Trips in Chicago from an Educator’s Perspective
As a tour guide with Chicago Detours, I very often find myself leading field trips in Chicago that focus on the city’s history, architecture, and culture. Most of my professional life, in fact, is working as an educator of some sort. I also teach courses about cinema, the mass media, and pop culture at Harold Washington […]
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 […]
Three Fun New Places to Visit for Student Groups in Chicago
Chicago attracts student groups from around the world. This outline of new places to visit was made specially for teachers, group leaders and student group tour operators. Since we offer student group tours of Chicago, we know what students like! If you’re planning a student group visit to Chicago, we hope this information on some new places […]
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 […]
Theater’s Architectural Relic Discovered on State Street
Architectural Relic at Demolition Site I found a pretty cool architectural relic yesterday. Clinging to the walls of the former Amalgamated Bank building on State Street are plaster details that looked distinctly like they were once in a theater. My guess was that over time the details on the bottom levels of this former theater had been […]
Four Ideas for Corporate Team Building in Chicago
Team building events can be a great time or a chore, depending on what your group decides to do. As someone who has worked for both a massive company and a small local business, I can tell you that getting to know my co-workers outside of the office is always worthwhile. Heading to the closest bar […]
Exploring the Chicago French Market
A few weeks back the Chicago Detours staff had a night out at the Chicago French Market. It’s a European-inspired market located near the Ogilve Transit Center in the West Loop, just a few blocks from where our Fulton Market Food Tour runs. We were invited as part of a VIP event to celebrate the unveiling […]
The Story Behind Chicago’s Downtown Office Space
We are currently in the market for Chicago downtown office space because we must leave Chicago Detours’ home for the past 5 years. We’ve been in the historic Bennett Brothers Building at Adams and Wabash. I’ve always like this cool retro ceiling in the lobby. Time for a New Space We have to move because of the changing […]
Four of the Oldest Buildings in the Loop
The oldest buildings in the Loop can be hard to find. Downtown Chicago is justly famous for its wealth of modern skyscrapers. Behemoths like the Willis Tower dominate the skyline and our attention. It always makes me feel like everything in the Loop sprang up in the middle of the 20th century. However, there are […]
Designing an 1893 World’s Fair Tour Unlike Any Other
Our new 1893 World’s Fair Tour with Bars launches on March 16th. This walking tour is a three-hour-long adventure featuring charming pre-1900s buildings, drinks, some light snacks, and games. Guests learn the history of popcorn while snacking on the Chicago-made Cretors brand. We ride in one of the last passenger elevators with a human operator. The tour looks […]
