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Chicago River Architecture Tour Aboard a Historic Yacht
4.9
30 Ratings
Chicago
Explore Chicago’s iconic architecture on a historic yacht. Discover 50+ landmark buildings with expert insights. Book your intimate river cruise today.
Duration:
1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Chicago River - Cruise down the Chicago River and learn about 50 skyscrapers. Our award winning docents will explain the history and architecture of each unique building.
- Wrigley Building - Chicago’s most iconic building. Built in the Neo-classical architectural style by the Wrigley Chewing Gum company it was a modern marvel when first constructed in the 1920s.
- Chicago Riverwalk - Cruise by the bustling Chicago Riverwalk with all its bars & restaurants. One of the best places to people watch in Chicago.
- The Magnificent Mile - Cruise by Chicago’s most iconic street. The Michigan Avenue bridge will also be showcased while cruising by bustling with tourist and locals alike shopping on the Magnificent Mile.
- Michigan Avenue Bridge - Cruise under a half dozen of the Chicago Rivers world famous Bastille bridges. Beautiful to see from the approach and underneath. An engineering and architectural marvel all its own.
![](https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/attractions-splice-spp-720x480/11/ab/a7/ca.jpg)
What's Included
- Carbonated beverages
- Bottled water
- Snacks
- Beer, wine, champagne and cocktails available for purchase
- On-board restrooms
- Starbucks coffee provided free of charge
Additional Information
Navigate the waterway on a less packed, petite vintage yacht! Visiting Chicago? Experiencing the Chicago River is a necessity. With us, however, you’ll be admiring the architectural marvels of the buildings outlining the scenic river. We supply comprehensive descriptions of the design and heritage of over 50 meaningful buildings, concluding at the river’s end.
Location
465 N McClurg Ct
North McClurg Court
We meet at The Ogden Boat Slip at the end of the dock.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(30 Ratings)
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Frequentflier300692
Aug 12, 2024
A great small boat architecture tour! - The tour was very informative with a dash of humor sprinkled throughout. Took so many pictures of very cool buildings and amazing views. A small boat tour is the way to go.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rachel_a
Aug 11, 2024
Favorite Tour of the Trip - The tour guide was terrific - super informative, fun to listen to, and maintained control of the crowd so that folks could actually hear him. He also invited and answered random questions. The boat ride was smooth and beautiful. I’m so glad we opted for a smaller vessel so we could hear and see everything. This tour was my and my 16-year old son’s (!!) favorite!
Review provided by Viator
Brucerave
Aug 5, 2024
So Highly Recommended and It's Justified - Very glad I went even as a Chicago native. Guide extremely knowledgeable. They could be a little more explicit on the website on how to walk to McClurg Court off of Grand where we board the boat. There aren't enough street signs. I called them for help. Not only were they very upbeat on the call but one of the staffers came to meet me to ensure I was a able to get there in time to board. I was really impressed by that!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
E3945urjoans
Aug 2, 2024
Tour was excellent, after all!! - We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and cannot say enough great things about Captain Rumel. On the day we were scheduled, we had to disembark prior to leaving the dock due to a health issue. Captain Rumel was off duty and took us to some cool seating in a building, and stayed with us for about 30 min., so caring! He then made sure we got seats on the next day's tour that he captained. The staff was extremely attentive as well. Our tour guide was exceptionally knowledgeable, as a retired professor with many anecdotes and observations. So all in all, had a rocky start, but the finish was excellent!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeanne_c
Jul 27, 2024
Great tour - Lots of info shared, small boat experience was awesome plus free soda!
Felt very professional and safe.
Review provided by Viator
Brian_c
Jul 7, 2024
A Great Tour and View Of Chicago! - Excellent tour / trip our docent was incredibly articulate and informative - NEVER skipped a beat on the tour.
Would highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Meghan_w
Jul 6, 2024
Great! - Your guide was amazing! She was very knowledgeable! Great experience! Learned a lot! Five stars! Thank you!
Review provided by Viator
Nj-kas252
Jul 5, 2024
Must do tour when in Chicago - Excellent tour with wonderful guide who detailed the history of Chicago with information on the buildings along the route. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hailey_c
Jul 28, 2024
Very nice tour - Staff was nice and our guide was very informed on the city’s architecture. Beautiful boat and views!
Review provided by Viator
Curtis_w
Jul 23, 2024
Too educational? - On one hand, the narrator was extremely knowledgeable about Chicago architecture and history, and occasionally mixed in some humor. And, I could tell that some other passengers were thoroughly enjoying the entire tour and were sorry to see it end, so this is definitely a great tour for some. On the other hand, the narrator never took a breath, talking nonstop the entire time. Literally every single building we passed during the 90-minute tour was discussed, which was quite a feat. Having a narrator on the microphone the entire time also made it impossible to have your own conversations, if that's of interest. If you are extremely passionate about architecture and want a tour with maximum educational value through non-stop lecture, this is the tour for you. Regarding kids, ours enjoyed the ride for about the first half, but our kids found the nonstop narrating boring and it put them to sleep (one of them literally).
Review provided by Viator