We decided to do the architecture tour when my brother and niece came in to town. Despite being a Chicagoan, this was my first time taking the tour. Joe was our tour guide. He was awesome! He was very knowledgeable. He gave Chicago history with humor and was open to questions. We loved him. The boat has seating in an enclosed area and above it there is also seating in an open area. Chicago currently has a mask mandate and you must wear your mask in the enclosed area where you can find a full service bar, bathrooms as well as the seating. If you are seated above in the open area, you may remove your mask. You may purchase tickets at the ticket window or on their website. They do sell out so I recommend purchasing online. This was an hour and a half tour. It was entertaining while informative. We loved it. We will definitely be back.
This has to be one of my favorite touristy things to do when I visited Chicago. If you're a history buff, your going to love this. Our tour guide is one of a kind! Although it's an hour and a half I still feel like it's too short! The views of the skyline are like no other. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to experience this magical tour!
We took a 40 minute architecture tour at 7:30, so it was after dark. There are quite a lot of stairs to get down to the dock from Michigan Ave, so be cognizant of that if you have bad knees. There might have been a ramp somewhere, but I didn't see one. The boat wasn't full, so there was plenty of room to spread out and social distance. Everyone wore masks. Below deck, there were restrooms and a fully stocked bar. Our tour guide, Josh, was great. Very knowledgeable. Make sure to bring cash to tip him! Would love to go back and do the longer tour during daylight sometime.
I finally brought my family to visit Chicago after 12 years, and really wanted to show them the great history of my hometown. I figured, this tour would be a great opportunity to do just that, and thereafter, we could head to Navy Pier for a quick outing and the Saturday fireworks display. I booked the 90 min tour that began at 8pm. At 10:08, were still at the harbor lock, waiting to enter the River. Many passengers had requested to stay the extra few minutes on Lake Michigan for the firework display at 10:15pm, since we re running late to dock..Why not go the extra mile and really give a memorable experience? Well, that didn t happen, and we docked at 10:15pm, missing the firework display. I must admit that I was/am a little bummed about it. My 11 year old was really looking forward to the show. The tour itself was great, but I m a pretty punctual person and was expecting to be back way before then. Overall, our guide was great! Chicago at night is awesome! Running late, and not waiting the 7 minutes to see the fireworks was really disappointing.. I have to give it 4 stars.
We did the 90 min architecture tour with guide Bobby and loved it! We enjoyed learning about the history of Chicago as expressed through the buildings, learning about how some of the buildings and bridges were built, and see the spectacular skyline. We would definitely do it again! If we were with other folks not as interested in history or design as us, then I might look for a shorter tour or one that goes out on the lake.
highly recommended. The talk was very interesting. We went on the 90min architectural tour, Saturday at 12:00 pm. Although it was very cold we were entertained all the way. the boat offers drinks to buy for those who want to warm up a bit.
Our tour was at 10:45 Oct. 13, perfect weather at mid 70. The 90min tour of the river was excellent and we had wonderful guide, "Kaye". She is wonderful providing very informative details of the buildings along the river. We highly recommend this tour if you have the time.
Exceptional guide(Laurie). Informative and entertaining for everyone. Whether you are a tourist or have lived here your entire life you will learn something. Although an emphasis is given about architecture, it also offers some nice morsels for the history enthusiasts. I have taken this tour before. but so much has changed. I highly recommend
Great experience especially if bringing somebody from out of town. Some guides are better than others and definitely try to go on off times or during the week when it s less crowded. Drinks will take forever though since there is only one person working the bar.
Joe our tour guide was awesome. Funny, engaging, knowledgeable and took enough break time to allow you to absorb the architectural beauty around you. This tour was more reasonably priced than other tours along the river at $40 including all fees and taxes. Do yourself a favor and book ahead online on their website and you can just walk right up scan and get on the boat. I enjoyed sitting on the wooden benches along the front of the boat instead of in the seats. Provided amazing views both to and from the starting location. Bar downstairs with liquor available for the tour as well as clean bathrooms. I would definitely recommend Wendella to anyone going to Chicago.
