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Everything you need to know about chicago!

About: We bring curious people to explore, learn and interact on live, virtual events of Chicago history and architecture.
Want to attend a public event?
remote team building virtual events
Virtual Tours

How to Connect Teams with Virtual Events

If you’re reading this, then you know that team-building events are essential for remote teams. With the explosion in virtual event options out there, it

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January 16, 2021
team meeting outdoors
Detours News

A Transparent Review of Our 2020

We here at Chicago Detours annually take a look back on the journey our small business has taken over the year. The  reflection for 2020

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December 30, 2020
Detours News

Gifts for People Who Love Chicago

People who love Chicago appreciate gifts that show some Chicago pride and explore the stories of our city’s architecture and history. At least – this

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December 19, 2020
Detours News

We Want to Curate the Best Virtual Experiences about Chicago

When I wrote for the Chicago Detours blog last spring, it was about our “temporary transition” to offering virtual experiences. Months later, virtual experiences are

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December 7, 2020
holiday virtual event happy hour theater district 2020 shop local gift guide
Life

2020 Shop Local Gift Guide

We’ve made it through a year unlike any other and hope to help you ring it out in good cheer with our 2020 Shop Local

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November 23, 2020
Chicago History

About the Badass Women Journal

About the Badass Women Journal We designed the Badass Women Journal for the freaking fantastic folks of our future. We have been promoting women’s history

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November 17, 2020
Contemporary Chicago

How to Become a Virtual Tour Events Company

All of the sudden Chicago Detours is temporarily a virtual tour company! It’s a new and unexpected change for our small business, as are many

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May 3, 2020
1918-influenza-ward
History

Disastrous Decisions Impacted Chicago During the 1918 Flu Epidemic

The 1918 flu outbreak, both globally and in Chicago, is the event which most clearly antecedes today’s Coronavirus pandemic. Chicago suffered over 8,000 deaths due

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March 22, 2020
Chicago epidemic history raising streets
History

How Has Chicago Responded to Historic Epidemics?

How has the city of Chicago responded to previous epidemics in our history? The current Coronavirus pandemic has shuttered Chicago unlike any other event in

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March 17, 2020
Women's building Sophia Hayden 1893 World's Fair tour questions
Architecture

Four Female Architects Who Shaped Chicago

Female architects have shaped Chicago for generations, yet their work is frequently overlooked and under-appreciated. In Chicago, the architects mentioned in history books tend to

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March 11, 2020
Canal Street vertical lift bridge south side tour
Answers to Tour Questions

South Side Neighborhoods Tour Questions Answered

One of my favorite of our private tours is the Neighborhoods and Cultural Diversity South Side Tour, because I get to take people to explore

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March 4, 2020
Bessie_Coleman_and_her_plane_(1922)
Chicago History

4 Badass Women to Celebrate Black History Month

Black History Month has nearly ended, but we still want to take this chance to highlight some of the amazing black women of Chicago history.

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February 27, 2020
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How to Connect Teams with Virtual Events

January 16, 2021

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Ellen

Private Tour Coordinator and Tour Guide

There is no shortage of things to discover in Chicago—I love being an urban explorer and uncovering its hidden places. I have an MA in Public History from Loyola University Chicago, and I have worked as a museum educator and kindergarten teacher. My desire to learn new things fuels my passion for educating others, which I get to experience every day as a Chicago tour guide. I live in the northern neighborhood of Rogers Park.

“Our guide Ellen was exceptional and gifted with a great personal touch.”
Robert
GetYourGuide

Jen

Tour Guide

Whether you are a first-time visitor or a lifelong resident, the vibrant history and modern majesty of Chicago never ceases to amaze. I’m a graduate of Columbia College with an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Art. I’ve worked for many years as an educator at City Colleges of Chicago. As tour guide at Chicago Detours, I integrate my enthusiasm for culture and architecture with my passion as an educator. West Town/Noble Square area is home for me.

“Jen was a perfect storyteller and kept us spellbound for hours.”
Heather
TripAdvisor

Elyse

Tour Guide

With our Chicago neighborhoods, vibrant cultural institutions and nearly two centuries of larger-than-life stories, there’s never a dull moment here! I’m a fifth generation Chicagoan and a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. In addition to guiding tours, I’m a creative writer and amateur genealogist. I also enjoy the city’s dynamic theater scene. You can also read overlooked stories from 19th-century newspapers on my “Second Glance History” blog. I live in River North.

Anthony

Tour Guide

Chicago is unique as it always evolves into the future while holding on to the past. I’m fascinated by how people latch on to old architecture but happily pave over others. My background is in theater and performance and I’ve been a tour guide here for more than 10 years. Currently I’m finishing my Master’s in Public History at Loyola University because I love to teach the history of this scrappy city. I’m in the Edgewater neighborhood.

Marie

Operations Coordinator and Tour Guide

Chicago’s history is so fascinating, you could spend a lifetime uncovering its secrets…I’m willing to give it a try! I have an M.A. in US History from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and then pursued doctoral studies in Urban History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I love to learn new aspects of Chicago’s rich history and then share my knowledge as a tour guide with Chicago Detours. I live in Ravenswood.

“Marie was a bubbling fountain of information and contagious enthusiasm.”
Lorit
TripAdvisor

Sonny

Operations Coordinator and Tour Guide

As a fourth generation Chicagoan, I have been living and loving Chicago by bike, on foot, public transit or automobile. I am a graduate of UIC where through the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, began my eagerness to understand the nature, history and impacts of urban planning and development. It is incredibly rewarding to give back to this wonderful city by helping out in the office of Chicago Detours. I live in the incredibly diverse neighborhood of Albany Park.
“Sonny was extremely knowledgeable about all things Chi-town.”
Wade K
TripAdvisor

Alex

Content Manager and Tour Guide

Chicago has so many neighborhoods, buildings, and by-ways that it’s hard to go long without seeing something new, or something familiar from a new angle. I studied Cinema History for my M.A. from the University of Chicago. I’ve worked as a culture writer for various publications and as an educator of the humanities at the City Colleges of Chicago. I’m thrilled to share my love of this city’s busy past and unique architectural spaces with Chicago Detours. I live in the Chicago neighborhood of Lincoln Park.

“Alex was fascinating to listen to. He clearly knows his history and it shows.”
Katie K
Yelp

Amanda Scotese

Executive Director and Tour Guide

I’m an interpreter of personal stories from the past and the city’s landscape. I love to imagine what originally happened inside old unmarked buildings, and what forces have shaped their design. I studied Chicago history, architectural history, and anything Chicago-related through my M.A. in the Humanities at the University of Chicago. My love for stories was enriched by my B.A. in Literature from the University of Michigan. I’ve written travel articles for publications like Rick Steves’ Italy best-selling travel guides, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and The Chicago Food Encyclopedia. I live in the Chicago neighborhood of West Avondale.
“You can TELL Amanda is hyper-passionate about doing the research and getting the story that nobody’s heard before.”
Shelby F
Yelp

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