Bus Tours in Chicago

With its rich history and vibrant culture, Chicago possesses a virtually endless number of tourist attractions. With so many things to do, a trip to the Windy City often involves a great deal of travel from one place to another. Fortunately, the city has many bus tours to help you navigate an unfamiliar metropolis and see a lot of notable locales in a limited period of time. Further, the city offers a diverse array of bus tours that cater to all different tastes and interests.

Chicago Trolley's "Hop-On, Hop-Off" Tour

This signature tour of Chicago takes you to all of the "highlights" of the Windy City. Stops include Millennium Park, The Art Institute of Chicago, Shedd Aquarium, Navy Pier and The Field Museum. This tour is not merely a long bus ride through the city. You can get on and off the bus to visit whatever piques your interest. Buses on this line stop at all 18 locations every 15 to 20 minutes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The "Hop-On, Hop-Off" tour runs seven days a week except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and snow days.

Chicago Trolley's "Hop-On, Hop-Off" Tour
(Call in advance for information on pick-up locations)
Chicago, IL 60605
[phone]
coachusa.com/chicagotrolley

"Roots of Reform" Bus Tour

Hosted by the Chicago Architecture Foundation, "Roots of Reform" focuses on women and minority groups who worked for civic and social justice in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This tour of Chicago's West and South Side takes you to the homes, synagogues, churches and parks associated with these figures. Stops include Prairie Avenue (home of the Chicago Women's Club), Quinn Chapel (powerful abolitionist church), and the former location of the 1899 National Association of Colored Women. The tour lasts approximately 2.5 hours. Reservations are required.

"Roots of Reform" Bus Tour
Chicago Architecture Foundation
224 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60604
[phone]
architecture.org/tour_view.aspx?TourID=148

Bungalow Belt by Bus

Also hosted by the Chicago Architecture Foundation, this tour focuses on bungalows, those one-and-a-half-story homes populated by working class people in pursuit of the American Dream during the early 20th century. In the period between World War I and the Great Depression, over 80,000 of these buildings were constructed in Chicago. This tour explores the evolution of working class housing as well as the surrounding parks and factories in which these first-generation immigrants worked and played. This tour is offered in two separate parts, each of which last about four hours. The South Route includes McKinley Park, Gage Park, Chicago Lawn, Chatham and Green Bungalows. The North Route includes Ravenswood Manor, Galewood, and the Schorsch Irving Park Garden Historic District. Reservations are required.

Bungalow Belt by Bus
Chicago Architecture Foundation
224 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60604
[phone]
South Route: architecture.org/tour_view.aspx?TourID=15
North Route: architecture.org/tour_view.aspx?TourID=14

The Chicago Hauntings Ghost Tour

For paranormal enthusiasts, Chicago Hauntings offers a number of spooky bus tours. Its signature tour explores Chicago's haunted history including both the Fort Dearborn and St. Valentines Day Massacres as well as other supernaturally active sites such as "Resurrection Mary" cemetery and locations from Erik Larson's "The Devil And The White City." Reservations are recommended.

Chicago Hauntings Tours (Pick-up location)
600 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60654
[phone]
Chicagohauntings.com

References

• Explore Chicago: Tours and Sightseeing and Chicago