An Inside Look at a Tour Company and Guided Tours
A journalist interviewed me some time ago, and while not all the questions were featured in the article about guided tours, I thought it might give some good background on Chicago Detours and how our tour company came to be. What kind of services does Chicago Detours offer? Chicago Detours offers guided walking and bus tours […]
Vernacular Architecture of Chicago: Book Review
For this review of a book on Chicago architecture, we take a look at Out of the Loop, a collection of essays from the Vernacular Architecture Forum that explores Chicago’s architectural landscape from the view of our neighborhoods. Various scholars put together these essays in tandem with the tours that they offered for their 2015 conference. […]
Epic Anniversary Party and New Food Tour Recap
This past Saturday we had our 5-Year Anniversary Bash with the preview of our new Big Shoulders Historic Bar and Food Bus Tour. In short, it was epic. We started our new food tour and celebration with check-in at the historic Berghoff restaurant. Kicking Off at the Berghoff People mingled over drinks before we introduced […]
Celebrating Five Years in the Group Tour Business
We are pretty excited for our 5-Year Anniversary Bash on August 8. If you’d like to join us for this special celebration, you will get a taste of our new “Big Shoulders Historic Bar and Food Bus Tour,” which is the latest addition to our roster of tours for private groups. An abbreviated version of the tour will allow us […]
A New Farmers Market and the Old History of South Loop
Thursday marks the beginning of a new farmers market in the South Loop, an area of the city full of interesting history. Located at the Second Presbyterian Church, the South Loop Farmers Market will feature family farms, artists, food businesses, as well as children’s activities and a cultural performance program. The South Loop has gone […]
Best Books on Chicago Architecture
People often come on our custom private tours of downtown and Chicago neighborhoods and then get inspired to learn more. “What are some of the best books on Chicago architecture”? In our opinion, these are the quintessential books for learning about Chicago architecture, planning, and history. We research stories from Chicago history, architecture and culture […]
Woman-Owned Business Receives Phone Call From 1952
You won’t believe the phone call my employee received this morning. Our woman-owned business fielded an inquiry from the year 1952. Background on Our Woman-Owned Business First, let me give you a little background. As a female business owner, I don’t think often about the disparity of female to male business owners and the horrible […]
Architectural History Tours of Chicago with SAH
Architecture geeks of Chicago are drooling over the agenda for the Society of Architectural Historians conference in Chicago this April, including a special Chicago seminar and 30 very special architectural history tours of Chicago. Like any academic conference, the SAH brings together scholars to present their papers of new research. Within 36 paper sessions, around […]
Three Cool Architectural and Historical Holiday Things to Do
Figuring out how to pass all that free time at the holidays can be daunting. But have no fear, the Chicago Detours staff has created a list of the best holiday things to do around the Windy City. Christmas Around the World and Holiday Lights at MSI – EXHIBIT 5700 South Lake Shore Drive. – […]
Approaches to Studying Chicago History
As a student at North Central College I have had class with some excellent professors over the last two years. Being a history major, I felt it would be appropriate to sit down with one of my professors and mentor, Dr. Ann Durkin Keating, to discuss the study and presentation of Chicago’s history. How do […]
