The staff here was perfect! They were knowledgeable, funny, kind, and helpful beyond words. We went in a tandem and have kayaking experience, which they respected by keeping suggestions to a minimum.
There were other people with little kayaking experience who were experts by the end of the day!
The employees are super friendly and did a great job going over instructions and registration. BUT we went to the Magnolia location. The river smells and it s mainly industrial buildings until you get a little further down. I d try a different location.
Kayak Chicago is the best! I felt like all of the guides were my long time friends as we were paddling through the "Canyon of Glass and Steel" in Downtown Chicago. The river location has free parking, lockers to store any gear, and everyone is just so nice. Definitely the best way to see the city and Kayak Chicago is definitely the company to go with!
Last summer I bought a daily deal for 2-hour kayak rental from Kayak Chicago. The voucher said to just show up and redeem, but that seemed a bit too good to be true, so I attempted to call/email to reserve spots for our small group of 3.
After 2 days I got an email response telling me the desired time was booked (ah, as I suspected), but when I replied and tried to confirm another time I never heard back.
There automated phone system put me in an evil auto-bot loop and I wasn't able to get ahold of anyone. Not impressed with their customer service.
Amazing place, we had such great tour guides that talked the whole way!
Amazing way to see the city, and going on the agricultural tour was a great way to learn about everything
It was okay. Everyone moved super fast and I was exhausted by the end. Wish the tour would have started further down the river so we could see more of the downtown city lights. The tour ends right when you make it to the nice part of downtown near the Riverwalk.
Of the 3 kayak tours, they are the Farthest away from downtown. You have to paddle about 2 miles through trash before you get into the city. The tour and guides where great, but the location is bad. I recommend using Urban Kayaks in the "Loop" or Water Riders (2 miles closer to city).
Free parking and they take walk ups, but best to call ahead an reserve a spot.
A great experience. Scott our guide was a top man, with some great facts and really interesting. A great way to see the city
This was the best day ever!!! So much fun, amazing prices & some really cool people! I would 100% recommend. The views are unreal.
My husband and I did the nighttime fireworks tour July 2016. We are experienced kayakers, and this was something we can check off the bucket list but never recommend to anyone nor would we ever do it again.
1. This is not for inexperienced kayakers. You are on the water for 4+ hours and if you are not somewhat athletic, you will absolutely struggle.
2. Prepare to paddle through garbage water. The Kayak Chicago start point is up the north branch of the river, so you will have to spend 45 minutes trekking through disgusting waste-filled water until you get to anything remotely scenic.
3. There were roughly 90 people on this Kayak Chicago tour. Absolute disaster. The leader did not have a bullhorn and there were too few guides for the massive group. In my opinion, this was a safety disaster waiting to happen. We also had to stop kayaking, wait for everyone to catch up, get into a huge cluster, then start proceeding again. This prolonged our trip. Also, because of the high volume of river traffic, there was quite a bit of wake. This visibly freaked some people out.
4. The fireworks were beautiful. I could have watched them from many of the actual real boats and had a much better time. This is the only part of the tour you can take any pictures since you have to keep moving the entire time because there is so much traffic on the river.
If you are an experienced kayaker, this trip will frustrate you. If you are inexperienced, this trip will frustrate you. You are better off renting kayaks by the hour out of a location in the immediate downtown area so you don't have to waste time kayaking through sewage.
Guys were great. I was lucky the Magnolia office was open today (before their official season) as they had a group trip scheduled. I could have taken a faster touring kayak, but because I had my cell phone and camera, I opted to stay in a more stable boat. Great way to see Chicago. Highly recommend this for both locals and visitors.
Great prices! Friendly! Sooo much fun!! And a beautiful view of the city while kayaking!!
I had a AWESOME time but feel bad because, I kept drifting from the crew and kept having to be saved at least 5x. But, Bubba and his the other tour guide made sure that although, I was behind that they didn't leave my side. I can't wait to come again and hopefully I will keep up and have Bubba again.
Kayak was too short for me, but the location is convenient
Best kayaking experience I have ever had! I have been kayaking for 10+ years and very much appreciate the courteous, knowledgeable staff that initiated my trip. I was with several others that had not kayaked before, and the instructors were extremely patient and informative when explaining the basics and the route we would be taking. We kayaked for 2 hours down the river and back, into the city amongst beautiful skyscrapers and unbelievable architecture. The river was surprising calm and we were able to navigate easily around other river traffic. If you prefer a guide in a larger group setting, they provide an architectural and fireworks tour as well. In addition, I have rented paddle boards with my family on the lake, which is another one of my favorite things to do while in Chicago. Breathtaking views of the city from Montrose beach. I highly recommend Kayak Chicago if seeking out something new to do while in the city!
What an awesome day we had! A kayak is the perfect way to experience the city. My inexperience with kayaking made me nervous at first but the quieter location let me practice before I was with the busier boat traffic. The guides were right there encouraging me on the entire paddle. A must do for anyone living in or visiting Chicago.
This was my first time doing kayaking and turned out I was not that good at it. But the staff there were so kind and helpful, as one of them helped me so much all along the way. For beginners who would like to give it a try, you should definitely come here!!! Their staff will make you feel at ease, coaching you kindly all alobg the way and ensure your safety. I highly highly recommend!!!
Breathing views, awesome history and a good workout!
Fantastic tour guide. The entire thing is well planned out and organized. I would highly recommend taking a tour down the river if you are new to the area and want an up close view without the traffic.
Very fun and adventurous.
And very great teachers!!
I worked across from this place for years and never followed through on patronizing until this past Sunday. This was a great experience. Shout out to Cory, Bubba and Hootie for a great experience. The weather was great, the scenery was great and our guides were perfect. We did the sunset tour. If you are going with a significant other please don t do doubles if you really love them, listen to the guides and get your own kayak. Highly recommend this place.
Took a night tour which was fun, staff was super friendly everything with the business was great. Just wish they had a private parking or something.. my car got broken into and when we notified the staff member they said "yea sorry its happened before" which I wish they would of let us know in the beginning I guess then we could of made sure everything important was with us. So if you plan on going take an uber.
ETA: so I bumped it down to 2 stars because the owner decided to reply to my review with "its happened to me" okay great so you know the feeling of being violated with your private property. My shoes and wallets were stolen, and from the other review where he offered the other persons car was also broken into a free kayak ride and gave the same b.s excuse.. instead of getting cameras or security they choose to do nothing. The staff never once told us anything about the vandalism that happens, like I said it was a night ride, so guess what else they dont have lights so what guess what signs i didn't see, yea the one they claim to have. Im sticking with 2 stars because the staff was great the one female guiding us was fun and cracked jokes with us i have nothing but love for her. But because of this careless owner I will be taking my money elsewhere
Best kayak tours in Chicago! Most helpful and friendly staff you can find anywhere.
They do an excellent job instructing. Plenty of extra boats for large groups. Nice put in.
Great tour and the guide was very knowledgeable on the architecture!
Kayak Chicago did this awesome paddle down the Chicago River to watch the fireworks at Navy Pier. It was a great experience and they helped us navigate the busy waters of Chicago safely, which would have been difficult otherwise. I recommend it to anyone who would like to see the beautiful city of Chicago from a unique angle. The only thing I think that could have improved it was maybe a little info on the sights we were paddling though, though it was a huge spread out group so that would have been pretty challenging.
Disclaimer: It is kind of like a hike though in that you get a very rewarding experience through some minor/moderate physical strain. It will be less pleasant to those without some level of physical fitness.
Great company. We did the 3-hours architecture tour and the time literally just flew by. It was really fun and the guide was awesome. Will definitely go back for the rental.
You gotta try this !! We had an awesome experience, our guide was so patient with us and knowledgeable about the city's rich history. I highly recommend their architecture tour. To kayak through the city of Chicago is an experience you'll always remember! It drizzled the entire time we were on water but I still wouldn't trade it for anything.
Dave opened just for me, even though they had closed for the season two days earlier. I brought along my full winter paddling gear incl. drysuit and rented sea kayak, neoprene sprayskirt, PFD, paddle float, and pump. The tour to Downtown was absolutely rewarding. Highly recommended.
Had a wonderful time! Eric is an awesome instructor!
I have kayaked with Kayak Chicago several times and have always had an incredible experience. The staff is very friendly and knows what they're doing/talking about. It's a must for Chicago summers!
Went on a pretty standard tour of the river, all the way to Navy Pier and back to the dock. All in all it was about a 3 hour trip, which is more than I had mentally planned on. Exhausting but i'm told that's how kayaking goes. The views are great, its overall relaxing, and the staff was very helpful and watchful for our safety. I would do it again but from a different location. The duration is simply too much
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