Chicago Highlights Driving Tour Questions Answered!

On our Chicago Highlights Detour 101 we take private tour guests to see a lot of Chicago’s primary tourist attractions which we discuss regularly. Chicago Detours tour guides like myself are all passionate about Chicago history and know a lot, but sometimes we still get stumped. So I dug into some tour questions we couldn’t quite answer […]

Discover the Traces of Military History in Chicago

victory monument bronzeville

For Veterans Day I want to highlight some of the traces of military history in Chicago. Both downtown and throughout the neighborhoods, buildings, place names, museums and memorials bear tribute to the brave women and men who fought for their country. So, in memory of the sacrifices made for the country by our veterans, here […]

Five Creative Ideas for a Chicago Girlfriends Getaway

Chicago Girls Weekend Getaway Restoration Hardware 3 Arts Cafe

A girlfriends getaway to Chicago is not foreign here at Chicago Detours. We are a female-owned and operated business. We know all about the importance of a good #girlsquad and a good girlfriends getaway. The best part of being in a girl squad, of course, is that they make the best travel companions. Who better […]

Best Neighborhoods for Historic Chicago Pub Crawls

We love good Chicago historic pub crawls. Just ask the guests from our Historic Chicago Walking Bar Tour. Or the 1893 World’s Fair Tour with Bars. Or the Big Shoulders Historic Bar and Food Bus Tour, which takes guests through the working-class neighborhood of Bridgeport for stops in historic bars. Seems safe to say that […]

Chicago Gay Neighborhood History

I started thinking about how Chicago being the “City of Neighborhoods” has intersected with the city’s LGBT history. Chicago’s Boystown neighborhood made history in 1997 when Mayor Richard M. Daley designated it the city’s official gay neighborhood. It was the first such designation in American history. Chicago gay neighborhood history stretches back over a century […]

Questions from the Historic Chicago Walking Bar Tour

Al Capone's Chicago the Green Mill

Our guides accumulate a lot of knowledge in the course of learning and guiding our Chicago walking tours. Still, we all get questions that stump us from time to time. Being responsible and honest folks, we never fib. Instead, we take the time to do research and discover more about Chicago history. So let’s delve […]

Seven Holiday Things to Do in Chicago

Maggie Daley Park ice skating ribbon holiday things to do in Chicago

It’s that time of year when snow is falling, lights are twinkling and you’re desperately searching for holiday things to do in Chicago. We get it. We’ve fallen into the rut of doing zoo lights and the same bar crawl every year. This holiday season you can be more creative with the activities you plan […]

For Columbus Day: Five Sites for Italians in Chicago

Chicago neighborhoods private tour Hull House

Next Monday, October 8th, is Indigenous Peoples’, er, Columbus Day. Here in Chicago, that means the annual Columbus Day Parade will go down State Street, sponsored by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. It also gives us a good opportunity to look at sites and ideas associated with the history of Italians in Chicago. […]

Learn About Edgar Miller, A Great Forgotten Chicago Artist

Edgar Miller wood carving studio

Edgar Miller is not a name that comes tripping off too many tongues in Chicago these days. I’ll admit that while I knew some of his work, I never heard his name until very recently. Yet 80 or 90 years ago his name was everywhere. Back then, you’d find a bubbling local arts scene with […]

Where’s the Historic Marker for the Infamous 1968 DNC?

Chicago 1968 DNC protests

The 1968 DNC (Democratic National Convention) is among the most infamous and miserable events in Chicago’s history. Cops beating protestors. “The whole world is watching!” Mayor Daley sweating bullets and cussing out politicians. The DNC felt, still feels, like the culmination of an era. Post-war America ended in a sweaty convention hall and the contentious […]

Ellen

Private Tour Coordinator and Tour Guide

There is no shortage of things to discover in Chicago—I love being an urban explorer and uncovering its hidden places. I have an MA in Public History from Loyola University Chicago, and I have worked as a museum educator and kindergarten teacher. My desire to learn new things fuels my passion for educating others, which I get to experience every day as a Chicago tour guide. I live in the northern neighborhood of Rogers Park.

“Our guide Ellen was exceptional and gifted with a great personal touch.”
Robert
GetYourGuide

Jen

Tour Guide

Whether you are a first-time visitor or a lifelong resident, the vibrant history and modern majesty of Chicago never ceases to amaze. I’m a graduate of Columbia College with an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Art. I’ve worked for many years as an educator at City Colleges of Chicago. As tour guide at Chicago Detours, I integrate my enthusiasm for culture and architecture with my passion as an educator. West Town/Noble Square area is home for me.

“Jen was a perfect storyteller and kept us spellbound for hours.”
Heather
TripAdvisor

Elyse

Tour Guide

With our Chicago neighborhoods, vibrant cultural institutions and nearly two centuries of larger-than-life stories, there’s never a dull moment here! I’m a fifth generation Chicagoan and a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. In addition to guiding tours, I’m a creative writer and amateur genealogist. I also enjoy the city’s dynamic theater scene. You can also read overlooked stories from 19th-century newspapers on my “Second Glance History” blog. I live in River North.

Anthony

Tour Guide

Chicago is unique as it always evolves into the future while holding on to the past. I’m fascinated by how people latch on to old architecture but happily pave over others. My background is in theater and performance and I’ve been a tour guide here for more than 10 years. Currently I’m finishing my Master’s in Public History at Loyola University because I love to teach the history of this scrappy city. I’m in the Edgewater neighborhood.

Marie

Operations Coordinator and Tour Guide

Chicago’s history is so fascinating, you could spend a lifetime uncovering its secrets…I’m willing to give it a try! I have an M.A. in US History from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and then pursued doctoral studies in Urban History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I love to learn new aspects of Chicago’s rich history and then share my knowledge as a tour guide with Chicago Detours. I live in Ravenswood.

“Marie was a bubbling fountain of information and contagious enthusiasm.”
Lorit
TripAdvisor

Sonny

Operations Coordinator and Tour Guide

As a fourth generation Chicagoan, I have been living and loving Chicago by bike, on foot, public transit or automobile. I am a graduate of UIC where through the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, began my eagerness to understand the nature, history and impacts of urban planning and development. It is incredibly rewarding to give back to this wonderful city by helping out in the office of Chicago Detours. I live in the incredibly diverse neighborhood of Albany Park.
“Sonny was extremely knowledgeable about all things Chi-town.”
Wade K
TripAdvisor

Alex

Content Manager and Tour Guide

Chicago has so many neighborhoods, buildings, and by-ways that it’s hard to go long without seeing something new, or something familiar from a new angle. I studied Cinema History for my M.A. from the University of Chicago. I’ve worked as a culture writer for various publications and as an educator of the humanities at the City Colleges of Chicago. I’m thrilled to share my love of this city’s busy past and unique architectural spaces with Chicago Detours. I live in the Chicago neighborhood of Lincoln Park.

“Alex was fascinating to listen to. He clearly knows his history and it shows.”
Katie K
Yelp

Amanda Scotese

Executive Director and Tour Guide

I’m an interpreter of personal stories from the past and the city’s landscape. I love to imagine what originally happened inside old unmarked buildings, and what forces have shaped their design. I studied Chicago history, architectural history, and anything Chicago-related through my M.A. in the Humanities at the University of Chicago. My love for stories was enriched by my B.A. in Literature from the University of Michigan. I’ve written travel articles for publications like Rick Steves’ Italy best-selling travel guides, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and The Chicago Food Encyclopedia. I live in the Chicago neighborhood of West Avondale.
“You can TELL Amanda is hyper-passionate about doing the research and getting the story that nobody’s heard before.”
Shelby F
Yelp

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