Chicago Tour - South Side
Description
The Blue-Collar side of Chicago many call it! This tour will show The Ford Factory, home of the steel mills, the blue-collar neighborhoods and many places on the South Side, home to the 44th President of The United States, Barack Obama. We tour Bronzeville! A historical African American neighborhood and early business district as well as Hyde Park, home of the World renowned University of Chicago (the spot where the atomic bomb was born and yes we show the spot!) We explore South Lake Drive and life along the lake. Chicago has a border with Indiana, we show how that special dynamic works. We visit Beverly Hills, Chinatown, and the large and highly populated Puerto Rican Neighborhood “Little Village”. We also pass through Pilsen, a proud Mexican community. Cook County jail, we pass by it too! We go thru Little Italy Greektown. It’s blue-collar! We visit a lime quarry in the Bridgeport neighborhood. After this tour you will know tons about The Southside of Chicago.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Blue-Collar side of Chicago many call it! This tour will show The Ford Factory, home of the steel mills and the blue-collar neighborhoods and many places on the South Side, home to the 44th President of The United States, Barack Obama. We tour: Bronzeville. A historical African American neighborhood and early business district as well as Hyde Park, home of the World renowned University of Chicago (the spot where the atomic bomb was born and yes we show the spot!) We explore South Lake Drive and life along the lake. Chicago has a border with Indiana, we show how that special dynamic works. We visit Beverly Hills, Chinatown, and the large and highly populated Puerto Rican Neighborhood “Little Village”.
We also pass through Pilsen, a proud Mexican community. If you give us any kind of trouble we will drop you off at Cook County jail as we pass by it too! Before ending we head back east, we go thru Little Italy Greektown. It’s blue-collar! We even visit a lime quarry in the Bridgeport neighborhood. Have your camera ready and know that after this tour you will know tons about The Southside of Chicago, not just downtown.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- FOR GROUPS OF 12 OR MORE TRAVELERS, 7 DAYS NOTICE IS REQUIRED.
Reviews(41)
If you’re visiting Chicago, the Heritage Tour is a must! Steve was our tour guide, and he made this the best tour I have ever been on. He was knowledgeable, engaging, and brought so much history to life. We learned about the rich heritage and culture of Chicago while visiting important landmarks and neighborhoods. Steve’s passion and storytelling made the experience both educational and enjoyable. I highly recommend this tour to anyone wanting to experience a side of Chicago that goes beyond the typical tourist attractions. An unforgettable experience!
Outstanding experience! Tour guide was assume, very knowledgeable and personable. I've been on plenty tour in my life but this one was special and the best.
Mr. Steve and this Tour were wonderful! He was informative, passionate and entertaining. The tour is told from a unique point of view that all of us (Black, White and all Other backgrounds) should appreciate. As a person who has done a fair number of tours in different cities (domestically and internationally), let me say .... I'm familiar with the sleek buses and slick bullet point itineraries. If you pack a little patience and understanding, you will gain so much from your time invested. And as a bonus, Mr. Steve drove me and my wife on a Sunday to the airport. It was essentially an extension of the tour the day before..... and so greatly appreciated. Alfred and Wendy (New Orleans, LA)
This was amazing tour I learned so much about black history and the great migration from Mr Steve plus he is extremely funny when he does not event realize it. It’s was informative, insightful and heart warming
I travelled to Chicago for the Christmas time. Unfortunately no one showed up for the tour. You don‘t treat people in this way. It appeared already dodgy to me that the trip just has 7 ratings. Luckily I got back my money. Definetly a poor experience for my last day in Chicago.
We tried to reach the Customer days before the tour. We could not.. we deeply regret the inconvenience
Great experience. Mr. Johnson provided an individualized tour which hit the highlights of the Southside of Chicago. I grew up outside of Chicago so I was familiar, but I wanted my partner who has never been to Chicago, to have a view of the Southside and Mr. Johnson delivered.
Great tour!!! They personalized everything for us. We saw former family homes, got great history!!! Well worth it. We all learned some fantastic facts and felt a connection
This was one of the best tours I have ever experienced. Steve was very knowledgeable and engaging. I learned so much on this tour. I highly recommend you make this tour part of your trip.
The only good thing about the tour was that you get to see many neighborhoods in Chicago that you wouldn't normally see if you're staying downtown. Tour guide is EXTREMELY annoying. He would be narrating and shout out certain words abruptly. He was not accommodating...he wouldn't allow me to switch seats with my friend (there was no reason why it would affect him in ANY way). He calls you a tough crowd of you don't laugh at his nonsensical jokes. He had us googling house prices at least 8 times...my friend suspected he worked with local realtors. He left the windows open with the AC on so we were still hot. I was expecting to see more interesting/historic southside landmarks than what we were shown. Worst of all he was racist, if you weren't a person of color he didn't want to hear from you. It was most definitely not worth the $125 price.
Steven Johnson is a captivating storyteller with an impressive grasp of history. He made the tour exceptionally enjoyable, balancing information with engagement without ever feeling rushed. His genuine passion for the subject truly shone through, which enhanced the overall experience. This was one of the best tours I have ever had the pleasure of attending.
