Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cemetery, the final resting place for many of Chicago's most famous African-
American figures, including Jesse Owens, Ida B. Wells, and former Mayor
Harold Washington.
GANGSTER TOURS
Untouchable Tours,
or so-called “Gangster Tours,” 10924 S. Prospect Ave.,
Chicago, IL 60643 (
&
773/881-1195;
www.gangstertour.com), is the only bus
tour that takes you to all of the city's old hoodlum hangouts from the Prohibi-
tion era. The focus is definitely more on entertainment than a seriously historic
take on the era (guides with names like “Al Dente” and “Ice Pick” appear in cos-
tume and role-play their way through the tour). But the trip does give you a
pretty thorough overview of the city, in addition to the gangster hot spots. You'll
see O'Bannion's flower shop, the site of the St. Valentine's Day massacre, plus
much more. The cost is $24 for adults, $18 for children. The 2-hour tours,
which depart from the southeast corner of Clark and Ohio streets, run Monday
through Wednesday at 10am; Thursday at 10am and 1pm; Friday at 10am, 1,
and 7:30pm; Saturday at 10am, 1, and 5pm; and Sunday at 10am and 1pm.
GHOST TOURS
Another offbeat way to experience the real “spirit” of Chicago is to take a nar-
rated
supernatural bus tour
of cemeteries, murder sites, Indian burial grounds,
haunted pubs, and other spooky places. Richard Crowe, who bills himself as a
“professional ghost hunter,” spins out ghost stories, legends, and lore on the 4-
hour trip. Yes, there's plenty of shtick, but Crowe really knows his stuff, so you'll
get an informative history lesson along the way. Tickets are $35 per person, and
the tour begins at 7pm at
Goose Island Restaurant,
1800 N. Clybourn Ave. (a
short walk from the North/Clybourn El station on the Red Line). Two-hour
supernatural boat excursions
are available for $24 per person from July
through Labor Day weekend, and board at 10:30pm from the Mercury boat
dock at Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive. Reservations are required for each
tour; call
&
708/499-0300
or visit www.ghosttours.com. As you can imagine,
Crowe's tours get especially popular around Halloween, so you'll definitely want
to reserve well ahead of time.
NEIGHBORHOOD TOURS
It's a bit of a cliché to say that Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, but if you
want to see what really makes Chicago special, that's where you have to go. And
if you're a bit intimidated by public transportation and getting around a less
tourist-friendly area of the city, an escorted tour is the perfect way to see places
you'd otherwise miss. Sponsored by the city's Department of Cultural Affairs,
Chicago Neighborhood Tours
(
&
312/742-1190;
www.chgocitytours.com)
are 4- to 5-hour, narrated bus excursions to about a dozen diverse communities
throughout the city. Embarking from the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Ran-
dolph St., every Saturday (not on major holidays—call first; and not during Jan,
generally), the tours visit different neighborhoods, from Chinatown and historic
Bronzeville on the South Side to the ethnic enclaves of Devon Avenue and
Uptown on the North Side. Neighborhood representatives serve as guides and
greeters along the way as tour participants visit area landmarks, murals, muse-
ums, and shopping districts. Tickets (including a light snack) are $25 for adults
and $20 for seniors, students, and children 8 to 18. Several specialty tours are
also offered on a regular basis, including Literary Chicago; the Great Chicago
Fire; Roots of Blues, Gospel & Jazz; Threads of Ireland; Jewish Legacy; and an
