Private & GROUP EVENTS

Looking for a way to get your group out and about in Chicago with an expert guide? Let us help! We are proud to offer a variety of historical tours, events, and scavenger hunts for the Chicago community and beyond. We specialize in unique, resident-driven events designed to familiarize Chicagoans and tourists alike with the history of our neighborhoods. 

Ready to book? Browse some of our private offerings below, and submit an inquiry on the contact page when you're ready to work out the details with us! We pride ourselves on our low & flexible rates for community groups & nonprofit organizations — if you're working with a tight budget, make sure to let us know. Plan to reach out at least two weeks before your desired date so we have time to coordinate with our speakers to set something up. 

Don't see what you want below? We're always willing to learn something new! Our network of experienced tour professionals can design custom tours and events focused on particular topics, neighborhoods, or points of interest. Contact us to let us know what you're looking for, and we'll chat! Please note: an additional per-hour research and development fee may apply.

We do VIRTUAL EVENTS & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTs, TOO!

WHAT WE RECOMMEND

​CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY EXPLORATIONS
Learn how to decipher Chicago's unique architectural quirks, distinctive infrastructure, and topographic clues to make educated inferences about your surroundings.

Perfect for tourists and locals alike, this tour (and accompanying handout) distills years of study into a quick, interesting walk that will open your eyes to the beauty and history around you.

Highlights include:
  • Street numbering, re-numbering, and how to tell what's been where for how long
  • Building materials: what's terracotta, what's Chicago brick, and what do those materials tell you?
  • Architectural styles and the secrets to dating the buildings around you
  • Remnants of past tenants: who lived in your neighborhood, when, and where were they from?
  • And much, much more!
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We can organize a Cultural Geography Exploration in any city neighborhood, at nearly any time or day of the week, in any time allotment! Click over to our contact page to book a Cultural Geography Exploration for your group. 
SELF-GUIDED SCAVENGER HUNTS
Explore Chicago's neighborhoods with a competitive, interactive scavenger hunt! Loaded with historical tidbits, these events are equal parts informative and fun. We even provide a prize! 
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These Google-proof scavenger hunts are written by our neighborhood historians, and tricky enough to stump even the biggest know-it-alls around. Neighborhood familiarity will help you, but strategy is the secret to success! (Even tourists have been known to win with clever choices and smart teamwork.) 

Options: 
  • Downtown
  • Albany Park
  • Wicker Park
  • Lincoln Park
  • Edgewater
  • Uptown
  • Andersonville
  • ​South Loop
  • Pilsen
  • Beverly
  • ​West Ridge
  • Rogers Park
  • & more on request

Click over to our contact page to book a private scavenger hunt for your group. We'll drop off a package with all the required materials and directions for running the event.

NEIGHBORHOOD TOURS

Neighborhood tours are our signature public offering. Developed by expert tour professionals alongside actual neighborhood residents, these tours are as authentic as it gets! See who we work with here. ​
  • ​​East Albany Park neighborhood -- history, landmarks, parks, and the homes of Ravenswood Manor 
  • West Albany Park neighborhood -- history, landmarks, parks, and the homes of Mayfair 
  • En Espanol: Albany Park neighborhood -- a Spanish-language tour of the area's western side 
  • Alta Vista neighborhood pocket -- history & landmarks 
  • Boystown neighborhood -- history, landmarks, and queer heritage 
  • Crilly Court neighborhood pocket -- history & landmarks 
  • Lincoln Square neighborhood -- history, landmarks, architecture, & local stories
  • Sheffield Neighbors neighborhood -- history, architecture, & landmarks
  • Lincoln Park neighborhood -- history, landmarks, & industrial history
  • Lakeview neighborhood -- history, landmarks, & industrial history
  • McKinley Park neighborhood -- history, landmarks, and an exploration of Chicago's Central Manufacturing District
  • Old Town neighborhood -- history, architecture, & the unique drinking history of this vintage 'hood 
  • Printer's Row neighborhood -- history, landmarks, & stories of the first skyscrapers ​
  • Roscoe Village neighborhood -- the history, landmarks, and former amusement parks of this North Center pocket
  • Uptown neighborhood  -- history, landmarks, and an exploration of the neighborhood post 1950
  • Wicker Park neighborhood-- history, landmarks, and historic mansions 
  • Edgewater neighborhood -- history, landmarks, and ghost stories galore 
  • Andersonville neighborhood -- history, landmarks, & small businesses
  • ​Prairie Avenue -- history, landmarks, and mansions
  • Near South Side -- history, landmarks, & stories of Motor Row, the Levee district, and public housing 
  • Gold Coast -- history, landmarks, and mansions
  • Motor Row neighborhood pocket -- history & landmarks
  • Rogers Park neighborhood -- history, landmarks, and stories of the Far North Side
  • West Ridge neighborhood -- history, landmarks, and stories of the Far North Side 
  • Chinatown neighborhood -- history, architecture, and urban planning in Chicago's most distinct enclave 
  • Pilsen neighborhood -- history, architecture, and decades of community activism 
  • West Town neighborhood  -- history, architecture, and the industrial heritage of the Kinzie Corridor 
  • Buena Park neighborhood  -- history, architecture, & landmarks
  • Old Irving Park neighborhood  -- history, architecture, & mansions
  • East Portage Park neighborhood  -- history, architecture, & small businesses
  • West Portage Park neighborhood  -- history, architecture, & small businesses
  • Hegewisch neighborhood  -- history, architecture, & landmarks of Hegewisch's southeast side
  • Beverly neighborhood  -- history, architecture, & stores of the far South Side
  • Bridgeport neighborhood -- history, architecture, & landmarks
  • Fulton Market neighborhood -- history, its industrial past, architecture, & current developments
  • Little India (Devon) neighborhood -- history, landmarks, and rich stories of multiculturalism 
  • Norwood Park neighborhood -- history, architecture, urban design, & landmarks
  • Ravenswood Industrial Cooridor -- history, architecture, & landmarks
  • Kinzie Industrial Cooridor -- history, architecture, & landmarks
  • Central Manufacturing District -- history, architecture, & landmarks
  • Stockyards Industrial District -- history, architecture, & landmarks
A note on scheduling and availability: we're a very small, all-volunteer organization... not a multi-million dollar institution with full-time staff. Most of our guides have limited weekday availability based on their personal and professional work schedules, and some may require additional compensation to conduct tours between 9am & 5pm (Mondays thru Fridays). Evening and weekend tour requests are much easier for us to fulfill. 
THEMATIC TOURS & EVENTS​
We offer walking tours, lecture events, and virtual seminars on all of the following topics, and many more! Check out some of our virtual lecture recordings for an even deeper look into the variety of history we cover.
  • Chicago Architecture Loop Tour -- the perfect tour for tourists! Learn about the history of Chicago and glimpse its most famous architectural treasures in and around the downtown Loop 
  • Mosaics in the Loop -- a brief history of Chicago, its architecture, and the glittering mosaics of the Loop. 
  • Queer History Tours -- learn about the history of Chicago's original queer & outlier communities
  • Badass Women of Chicago History -- a jam-packed overview of the Chicago women throughout history who left inspiring legacies
  • Great Lakes History -- stories of pirates, female pioneers, steamships, and water transportation in Chicago and the greater Midwest 
  • Railroad History -- learn how Chicago's quick adoption of the railroad led to our city's explosive 19th century growth
  • Scandal & Society Drama -- a short and hilarious look at the historic hijinks of Chicago's Gold Coast socialites, wealthy businessmen, and petty thieves 
  • Urban Planning -- explore the impact of the 1909 Plan, learn about urban renewal, and discover the legacies of Daniel Burnham and Jane Jacobs 
  • Jewish History -- this one-of-a-kind walking tour looks at the former synagogues, community centers, & Jewish-owned businesses of Albany Park's once-thriving Jewish community
  • Bar & Alcohol History -- Chicago's always been a city that loves to drink: from turn-of-the-century beer gardens, to Prohibition and beyond
  • Labor History -- learn about the evolution of worker's rights, strikes, and strife in Chicago and beyond
  • Industrial History -- discover the history of Chicago in manufacturing, business, finance, and industry: pianos, candy, meatpacking, toys, buttons, catalogs & more! 
  • Building Material & Skyscraper History -- curious about the role brick, glass, steel, and timber played in the evolution of our city and its architecture? This one's for you! Did you know we invented the skyscraper? 
  • South Side & Black History -- Chicago's vibrant South Side has a dynamic and under-represented history, profoundly shaped by our city's black community.
  • Immigrant History -- our city has been continually shaped by immigrants for generations. Learn about the different groups who moved here en masse and the legacy they've left. 
  • Political History -- Chicago politics are legendary... and notoriously corrupt. Dive deep into the Democratic machine, powerful gangsters, and awful aldermen. 
  • Indigenous History -- the land Chicago occupies wasn't empty when Europeans arrived in the 1600s. Learn about indigenous groups occupying the Great Lakes area.
  • Chicago Love Stories -- learn about the power couples of Chicago's past. 
  • Epidemics and Diseases -- discover the disgusting and dirty history of cholera, flus, fevers, viruses, and more.
  • Playboy & Publishing -- learn about the city's rich history of printing, publishing, and the birth of Playboy Magazine
  • Have a different topic in mind? Reach out and let us know! If we don't have it in our own repertoire, we are happy to refer you to other amazing tour professionals throughout the city or create something special just for you.
PRIVATE & GROUP EVENT FAQS
​Don't see your question listed here? Check out our general FAQ page or contact us directly.
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  • How much will it cost?​ That depends on a few different factors! Guided tours and lectures start at $150 per hour, plus an additional administrative fee of 7.5-25%. To help cover our organization's administrative costs and ensure history is accessible to all, we charge higher rates for private groups, corporate clients, and for-profit entities, and assess lower fees for small community groups and nonprofits like ours. Additional gratuity is always appreciated, and your donations are tax-deductible. Please contact us for a quote. 
  • Why don't you charge per person?​ It takes the same amount of work to organize a tour for five people as it does for forty, so we charge per hour instead of per head! That being said... a smaller group is easier to work with than a larger one, so we assess a higher base fee for groups larger than 25 people. 
  • ​Can we shorten, change, or alter an existing tour or event? We are able to keep our costs low by reusing content we are already comfortable presenting. Requests to modify existing content or develop new content typically accrue an additional fee for research, planning and development.
  • What is your minimum or maximum group size? We have no group size minimum for any programming. Maximum group size for walking tours is 40 people, but may be less depending on the guide's preference and/or the constraints of the neighborhood requested. There is no maximum group size for lectures or stationary events. 
  • What does my money pay for? The majority of your fee goes directly to your tour guide / lecturer. Our guides make between $150-250/hr, an industry-standard rate that compensates our talented presenters for the substantial amount of time it takes to prepare and present their content. Our lecturers conduct academic-level research, perusing digital and print sources as well as spending time hunting through digital and physical historical archives. All of our lecturers are trained, coached, or vetted by our organization to ensure quality, entertaining, and factually accurate presentations that represent diverse viewpoints and thoughtful interpretations of historical data and events. Our entire administrative staff is volunteer, so your administrative fee helps cover necessary organizational overhead and subsidize our pay-what-you-can public events. Fair wages and equity are important to us. Thank you for your understanding and support!