Prairie Ave District Tour: Chicago's Historic Gems

Explore Chicago’s elite past on the Prairie Ave District Walking Tour. Visit historic mansions, iconic landmarks, and enjoy exclusive docent-led tours.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Chicago Athletic Association - The Unbound Collection by Hyatt - Meet your guide and kick things off with a tour of this historic hotel. Then we’ll head to Washington & Wabash to board the Green line train to the Prairie District.
  • Chess Records - After a brief stroll from the Cermak L station, guests will learn about the building that…
What's Included
  • Transit tickets
  • Church and Glessner House donation/fee
  • Local expert guide
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Food and beverages
Additional Information

This exceptional exploration of the Prairie Ave District is a must-see.
Experience the lifestyle of Chicago’s richest denizens during the turn of the century and witness its remnants today. This distinct Chicago exploration commences with a discovery of one of the city’s recently rejuvenated locations: The magnificent Chicago Athletic Association Hotel….

Location
Chicago Athletic Association - The Unbound Collection by Hyatt
South Michigan Avenue
Find your guide inside lobby, immediately to left
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(19 Ratings)
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Yolandamm3209ey
Sep 8, 2024
This Tour is Well Worth It!! - I highly recommend this tour! The guide was great, loads of information, many interesting tidbits of Chicago history.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jls522
Aug 13, 2024
Great tour! - My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We had never explored this part of the city before and Tom led our group around with ease. We covered a lot of ground during our 4 hour tour and there's still more to see. Tom is very knowledgeable about the city and can answer any question you may have. I highly recommend this company and we will tour with them again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brian_m
Apr 10, 2024
Great Tour of the Prairie Ave. District, and much more. Important part of Chicago History!!! - I've lived in Chicago/Chicagoland for 40+ years, and I always wanted a tour of the Prairie Ave. District. Much of the city's history - especially post-Civil War - is linked to this area. The tour did a great job of not only explaining the area, but also other important landmarks along the way (for example, Chess Records, Second Presbyterian Church, the Chicago Athletic Association, and the Palmer House). One of the remaining, original Prairie Ave. District mansions is Glessner House, and the tour here was excellent. BTW, the preservation of Glessner House is impeccable; they have done an excellent job preserving this home. The Prairie Ave. District tour includes a brief ride on the elevated train, which is something you should do while in Chicago. If you are new to Chicago, you are better off starting with a tour of the basics, like an architecture tour. But if you are a local, or a prior Chicago visitor, you should consider taking this tour to broaden your understanding of Chicago's important history.
Review provided by Viator
436bobz
Nov 5, 2023
Unique Tour! - Unique tour! I have lived in the Chicago area for most of my life, yet I learned so much about Chicago I never knew. Tom, our tour guide was enjoyably terrific! Great historical perspective - he even brings his iPad to show us vintage pics demonstrating before vs. current. One highlight that sticks out: we visited 2nd Presbyterian Church and saw 9 amazing refurbished Tiffany stained-glass windows. Not a dull moment. :-)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cynthiaee
Nov 4, 2023
A Great Tour - Tom was amazing. He was so knowledgeable and friendly. My sister and I want to take a personal “Under Chicago” maybe in the spring. Tim is me of the best tour guides I’ve met
Review provided by Tripadvisor
H8155rznicoled
Oct 2, 2023
Hidden gems! - Tom's tour was lovely. We enjoyed all the sites, hidden gems, and history stories! Such a wonderful time to spend the day. The meeting location and learning to ride the L were super fun too!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nicole_d
Oct 1, 2023
Hidden gems! - Tom was a wealth of knowledge about Chicago. The meeting location at the Chicago Athletic Association was so cool. Beautiful building, as were the others on the tour. Enjoyed the lesson on riding the L. We had a great time and really enjoyed all the places we visited.
Review provided by Viator
Derl98
Jul 4, 2023
Fantastic tour of Prairie Avenue District - We have found our L Stop tours to be much more in-depth than others we have taken. All while keeping them interesting and entertaining. We very much like the size of Tom’s tours. This really feels almost like a personal tour as opposed to being herded like cattle in a large group. We appreciate that we can hear the tour guide when he is talking instead of being at the back of large group trying to listen. We learned so much about the Prairie Avenue neighborhood. The two stops for mini docent led tours were a nice addition. (Though the docent at the church did not seem to know the details I might have expected about the Tiffany windows we were there to look at.) Riding on the L is always interesting and a good start for this tour. Tom does a great job mixing up the walking with a stop to explain something and then letting us explore on our own for a bit (in the Women’s Park) and then allowing time to sit down for a refreshment. This tour was fun, interesting, thorough while not being rushed. Great tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cecilia_h
Aug 23, 2021
Recomended - We like to know the history of cities we visit, and this tour gave us a glimpse of Chicago of the 1800s visiting homes, grand hotels and also simply strolling around places with a story. The tour guide was excellent.
Review provided by Viator
N425yhpaulam
Aug 16, 2021
A walk around the neighborhood - It was a beautiful day to walk around the neighborhood enjoying the architecture, and the cuisine of the area. Our guide was very knowledgeable and easy to communicate with.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 10 guests
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November 2024
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