Chicago History Tour–I Love to Play Tourist Locally!

Disclaimer:  I received complimentary tour passes in exchange for sharing my experiences on the tour.

Last Saturday, I played tourist in downtown Chicago for an afternoon.  There were no loud shirts, dark socks with sandals, or large cameras on straps.  (It’s November for heaven’s sake–winter coats and hats were the appropriate attire!)  My group included myself with my husband, teenage daughter, and my other teenage daughter (more specifically, my daughter’s BFF).  (She took my son’s place since he was participating in an Operation Snowball retreat that weekend.) We started at the Hyatt Regency for a Chicago History Tour.  This activity was conducted by Chicago’s Finest Tours. There we met up with Rick, tour guide extraordinaire! On this day, it was just my family that made up the tour group. The others who were supposed to join apparently got stuck in traffic.  (On this particular Saturday, the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival as well as other activities were taking place in the city. Traffic was not a huge surprise. ) We started outside.  This tour was a combination of outdoor and indoor walking. The indoor portion took place mainly inside the pedway (which, in an of itself, was new to me) and inside some Chicago buildings such as the Chicago Cultural Center.  

Rick told us that he would be taking photos of us at specific points along the tour (using our own phone camera) so that we would have special reminders of what we saw and learned during the experience.  He also told us that there would be a trivia challenge–we teamed up: girls vs parents. It was on! (The prize was a Starbucks gift card. The girls were DETERMINED TO WIN! I honestly think that they pointed out every Starbucks we passed on our walk from the parking garage to the tour starting point.)  A little bit of friendly competition can work WONDERS!  

In most of my other posts, I do try to share factual information and/or include links to other sites so that you can join me in learning more.  This time it will be different. I will share some of the photos from the tour, but the history and stories are so much more interesting to hear in person while you are on the tour.  (I don’t want to ruin anything for those who plan to follow my lead.) Some of the topics we learned about, though, include the origin of the city of Chicago, how the city grew and changed (it started as a swamp after all, and look at Chicago now!), the Fort Dearborn Massacre, tidbits about Chicago architecture, the World’s Colombian Exposition of 1893 (aka the Chicago World’s Fair),  raising Chicago, the Great Chicago Fire, the Chicago Cultural Center, and MUCH MORE. We also learned about pop culture, sports, politics, and more in connection with Chicago. Chicago is one fascinating city! (I already knew that, but the details were a lot of fun to learn!) Rick also had a book with visual aids that enhanced the tour and allowed us to better visualize, understand, and appreciate the stories he shared.   As a extra perk, there was a snack along the way as well–Chicago Kernel Gourmet Popcorn. Yum!

I highly recommend the Chicago History Tour, whether you are a local looking to be a tourist for a few hours or visiting from out of town.  My whole family enjoyed it. The girls stayed OFF THEIR PHONES! Personally, I enjoy learning history so much more now that I am an adult and don’t worry about stuff “being on a test.”  I believe that the kids were able to enjoy it more for that reason as well. We learned simply because Rick provided a fun, fascinating experience! (My husband clinched the prize for my team on a tie-breaker question, but gave the girls the gift card in the end, since we were closely matched. I think that Rick was giving them extra points, anyway.  They were cuter than the adults.)

I look forward to playing tourist again soon! I am always open to recommendations, or, if you want to be my guide around an area that you know and love, I am ready to watch, listen and learn!