Chicago's Gold Coast Hidden History: A Self-Guided Audio Walk
Description
Amy Bizzarri, author of 111 Places in Chicago That You Must Not Miss, takes you on a fascinating self-guided audio tour of hidden historical spots in Chicago's gilded Gold Coast. Peep behind the gates of the original Playboy Mansion, walk along a wooden block-paved alley, sip a Faster Pussycat in Chicago's oldest piano bar and more as you enjoy a delightful walk through time in this exclusive Chicago neighborhood. The starting point is the Chicago History Museum, located at 1601 N. Clark Street. The tour is ready whenever you are and the audio plays automatically at exactly the right time and place using your smartphone's GPS and the VoiceMap mobile app, which also works offline.
Tour Options
Itinerary
While at the Chicago History Museum you'll want to check out the newly restored dioramas which depict Chicago's rise from a desolate frontier outpost to the bustling city of today. You'll also find the South Side Elevated Railroad. Its the first-ever elevated rapid transit line in Chicago and was used to shuttle fair goers to the World's Columbian Exposition. You'll also be able to view the deathbed of Abraham Lincoln.
For anyone looking to have chills sent up their spine, the International Museum of Surgical Science delivers. The exhibits here deal with various aspects of Eastern and Western medicine. The museum itself is housed in a 1917 mansion designed as a Chicago-style interpretation of the Petit Trianon of Versailles.
An outstanding Chicago night out on the town always ends piano side, sipping Lemondrops and singing along with the piano man into the wee hours at the Zebra Lounge. Hidden in the lobby of a vintage apartment building in the glam Gold Coast, the Zebra Lounge has been swinging with live piano players seven nights a week since 1929.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(7)
Our casual walk around the neighborhood suddenly became structured and organized with this very informative walking tour. We did it at the time we wanted and at our own pace, and very economically!! We discovered some places we will certainly go back to see with more time! I will look up this practical "tour guide" for other places I intend to visit.
Practical (you start and stop and your own convenience!) and economic way to visit the key things to see in the Gold Coast. Some of the sites could merit a visit in themselves which the virtual guide indicates, however you need to do this tour early enough in the day to be sure that these sights are open.
I discovered some new places to visit, like the Museum of Medical Science, and the Three Arts Building. I also coupled this tour with the Chicago History Museum, which is really cool. Overall, it is a very enjoyable walk, and you can do the tour at your own pace. Beautiful historical homes in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood.
Tour was informative. The use of visitor was klunky. Had to order the tour twice to use. Viator has committed refund one of the unneeded purchases. Walk and auto play needs some work. Price was right.
I wanted to take a walking tour, but in the time of COVID, that didn’t seem possible. Once I discovered this audiotour, I was hooked. I can’t wait to check out more. I’ve already recommended it to everyone I know.
I generally don't like group tours, so having this option is wonderful. It felt like having your own private tour guide. In this time of Covid-19, this gae us a nice way to get out of the house. The Zebra Lounge wasn't open, but just around the corner there was a street closed off to allow for outdoor dining/social distancing. The museum of surgery was open, and we spent time there as well as Restoration Hardware.
I really enjoyed learning the history of the Gold Coast and finding hidden treasures on this tour. The information selected was excellent, from the city's public graveyard and the Couch Mausoleum, which survived the great Chicago fire, to the wood plank street experiment on Astor. Lots of good history of the monarchs that built Chicago during the 19th and 20th Century. I liked how the old and new were integrated with suggestions to stop in the 3 Arts Cafe in the Restoration Hardware store (more like a museum than a store) and a drink in the Zebra Lounge. The GPS tracking lost track of me a couple of times and I had to zoom in on the map and figure out which way to go to continue the tour. This happened twice but I was easily able to turn around and find where I was supposed to be and then the track picked up where it left off. I would allow more than 50 minutes for this tour (the suggested time in the directions). If you want to stop and take a look around a few places I would allow 1.5 hours for this tour. I recommend this tour and know you'll enjoy it as much as I did.
