Private Chicago History Museum Tour
Description
Our private walking tour of the Chicago History Museum offers a personalized, in-depth experience led by expert guides who bring Chicago’s vibrant past to life through captivating stories, insider insights, and exclusive information tailored to your interests.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Guests on tour will explore the rich and diverse history of the city through engaging exhibits and artifacts. Highlights include the story of the Great Chicago Fire, the city's role in the civil rights movement, and displays on iconic Chicago innovations like deep-dish pizza and blues music. Visitors will also see Abraham Lincoln artifacts, vintage fashion, historic photographs, and immersive dioramas that bring the city's past to life.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(24)
It was a great tour ... I am out here from Australia completing treatments in health and medical, and went to chicargo for the weekend . I couldn't recommend it enough
Thank you so much for your wonderful review, Jai! We're delighted to hear that Bernie made your weekend in Chicago so memorable, especially with you visiting all the way from Australia. We hope your time here offered a welcome break amid your medical treatments, and we're so glad the tour was a highlight of your trip. Here at Chicago Museum Tours, we're incredibly proud to have Bernie on our team. We hope to welcome you back again soon!
I booked a three-hour Chicago History Museum tour with Bernie while I was in staying at my favorite hostel HI Chicago for a few days. We started at the Lincoln Park and moved on to the history museum nearby. Bernie is passionate about Chicago and its history; he will literally convince you to feel like a Chicagoan even after leaving the United States. Bernie genuinely cares about visitors’, especially foreigners’, appreciating the most striking historical moments that shaped Chicago as the greatest city of America: the founding of Fort Dearborn, the Great Fire of 1871, the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and the Century of Progress Fair of 1933 – the four Fs represented as stars on the city flag. Covering nearly 400 years of history, including the place where Abraham Lincoln faced trials and tribulations of the Civil War. Bernie gave an outstanding history of the rapid industrial growth, the Gilded Age and the 20th-century reinvention of Chicago. We learned so much about the accomplishments and contributions of some key figures in history: Pritzkers, Daleys, Obamas, and more. We also learned some of the backstories and how those combined activities contributes to Midwestern society as we now know it: social initiatives started by Jane Addams at the Hull House, business innovations of the ingenious Marshal Field, the numerous contributions of musical genres of jazz, blues and gospel rooted in the sorrow, resilience, and spiritual expressions of African Americans. Highly recommend this tour and will definitely book another when we return to Chicago. Lively. Historical. A gift of destiny for a curious global citizen from any corner of our planet. Even for somebody like me that visited Chicago multiple times for periods longer than a week!
Thank you so much for this extraordinary review! We are truly moved by how deeply Bernie's passion for Chicago history resonated with you, and we love that you walked away feeling like an honorary Chicagoan. His ability to weave together nearly 400 years of history — from Fort Dearborn and the Great Fire to the World's Fairs, the Gilded Age, and the remarkable contributions of figures like the Pritzkers, Daleys, and Jane Addams — is truly a gift, and it's clear he gave you the full, rich story of this incredible city. We are especially touched that this tour stood out even after multiple visits to Chicago. Here at Chicago Museum Tours, we're incredibly proud to have Bernie on our team, and we cannot wait to welcome you back for another tour on your next visit!
I learnt a lot about the history of the town. The guide was so good. I highly recommend
Thank you so much for your kind words, Matthieu! We're delighted to hear that you learned so much about Chicago's history and had such a great experience with your guide, Bernie. Here at Chicago Museum Tours, we're incredibly proud of the experiences we get to share. We hope to welcome you back again soon!
Highly recommended. I grew up in Chicago & learned so much new stuff. Our guide Bernie has a wealth of knowledge! You could spend hours in the museum.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We love hearing that even as a lifelong Chicagoan, Bernie was able to teach you something new — that's truly the highest compliment a guide can receive! His wealth of knowledge about this incredible city never fails to impress. Here at Chicago Museum Tours, we're so proud to have him on our team. We hope to welcome you back again soon!
I was lucky to get Bernie as a tour guide for a few hours on a Saturday morning. His knowledge of every aspect of Chicago history was excellent and I got far more out of the museum than I could have just waking around myself. Highly recommend this tour!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review, Justin! We're thrilled to hear that Bernie's encyclopedic knowledge of Chicago history made your Saturday morning at the History Museum so much richer than it would have been exploring on your own. That's exactly the difference a great guide makes! Here at Chicago Museum Tours, Bernie's passion for Chicago and its extraordinary story is something we're incredibly proud of. We hope to welcome you back again soon!
Had a tour with Bernie who was great and very knowledgeable!!
Thanks Austin, glad you like the tour! Join us for another tour soon.
I thoroughly enjoyed the history museum tour and Bernie was an excellent guide. He shared quite a bit of his expansive knowledge on the walk from the Hostel to the L station. It was a great introduction to the museum and I hope to return on a future visit.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that Bernie made your visit to the Chicago History Museum so enjoyable — and that his knowledge and enthusiasm shone through even on the walk to the L station! That's Bernie all over — the tour never really stops! Here at Chicago Museum Tours, we love introducing guests to this wonderful museum and we very much hope to welcome you back for a return visit soon!
Bernie was a great tour guide! Would recommend to anyone interested in learning about Chicago’s history.
Thank you so much for your 5-star review. Glad to hear you enjoyed your time touring with Bernie. Please come back and join us on another tour soon!
It was really awsome. I spent a great time here.
Thanks Marketa, so glad you had a great time touring the history museum with Maeve.
Friendly Professional tour I highly recommend this tour
Thank you so much for your 5-star review. We are so happy to hear you enjoyed your time touring the History Museum with Maeve. Please come back and join us on another tour soon.
