Small Group Lake Michigan Tour

Discover Chicago’s skyline on a thrilling Lake Michigan tour. Capture stunning photos, learn history, and enjoy an adventurous ride on a US NAVY RHIB.

Duration: 45 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • McCormick Place - As early as 1927, Robert R. McCormick, a prominent member of the McCormick family of McCormick Reaper/International Harvester fame, and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, championed a purpose-built lakeside convention center for Chicago. In 1958, ground was broken for a USD 35 million facility that opened in November 1960, and was named after McCormick, who died in 1955.The 1960 exposition hall was destroyed in a spectacular fire on January 16, 1967, despite being thought fireproof by virtue of its steel and concrete construction.At the time of the fire, the building contained highly combustible exhibits, several hydrants were shut off, and there were no sprinklers on the main floor where the fire started. Thus the fire spread quickly and destructively, McCormick Place is the largest convention center in North America. It consists of four interconnected buildings and one indoor arena

  • Soldier Field - Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since 1971, as well as Chicago Fire FC of Major League Soccer The stadium’s interior was rebuilt as part of a major renovation project in 2002, which modernized the facility but lowered its seating capacity, eventually causing it to be delisted as a National Historic Landmark in 2006

  • Adler Planetarium - The Adler Planetarium is a public museum in Chicago, Illinois, dedicated to astronomy and astrophysics. It was founded in 1930 by local businessman Max Adler.The Adler has three theaters, space science exhibitions, including the Gemini 12 space capsule, and a collection of antique scientific instruments and print materials. In addition, the Adler Planetarium hosts the Doane Observatory, a research-active public observatory.

  • Navy Pier - In 1941, during World War II, the pier became a training center for the United States Navy; about 10,000 people worked, trained and lived there. The pier contained a 2,500-seat theater, gym, 12-chair barber shop, tailor, cobbler shops, soda fountain and a vast kitchen and hospital.

  • John Hancock Center - The John Hancock Center is a 100-story, 1,128-foot supertall skyscraper. Located in the Magnificent Mile district, its name was changed to 875 North Michigan Avenue in 2018. Despite this, the building is still colloquially called the John Hancock Center The skyscraper was constructed under the supervision of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM),[7] by SOM partners, Peruvian-US chief designer Bruce Graham and Bangladeshi-US structural engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan. When the building topped out on May 6, 1968, it was the second-tallest building in the world after the Empire State Building, and the tallest in Chicago. It is currently the fifth-tallest building in Chicago and the thirteenth-tallest in the United States, behind the Aon Center in Chicago which you will see later on.

What's Included
  • Life Jackets
What's Not Included
  • Bottled water
Additional Information

The ultimate custom sightseeing experience in Chicago! Enjoy the City from great vantage points and photograph the world-famous skyline from the water. We will grip the throttle for adventurous ride up and down the lake front on our safe and seaworthy US NAVY built Ridged Haul Inflatable Boat (RHIB). This experience is a unique way to see the city. This 45 minute tour is narrated by your Captain, a Coast Guard licensed operator, who will point out key points of historical significance and architecture while on your tour with 6 or less passengers on board.

Location
2601 N Cannon Dr Parking
North Cannon Drive
Proceed to "A" dock which is the most northerly dock at the marina. Your Captain will be waiting for you at the front gate with his life jacket donned.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(12 Ratings)
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Northstar17323603601
Aug 31, 2024
Awesome experience! - We have an amazing time with Blackhawk tours with Capt Ken! He was very friendly and knowledgeable. We will definitely recommend this business to family and friends in the future! This a fun unique experience to see Chicago from the water!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robbofamily31
Aug 17, 2024
Excellent Trip, would highly recommend - Excellent tour, Captain Ken was very knowledgeable shared lots of local info on history and architecture, but also make the tour fun and engaging for our teenagers. Hold on tight, be prepared to get wet and buffeted but so much fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shileen_f
Aug 8, 2024
Great experience - Amazing trip! Very knowledgeable captain and exciting as well. We would do this again At night a light jacket was needed. My pictures are wonderful.
Review provided by Viator
Britmorin
Jul 20, 2024
Evening sunset ride - We went for an evening ride with Ken! It was a blast! I highly recommend doing it! The city with the sunset was beyond beautiful! The ride was a lot of fun! He was very knowledgeable about the buildings and history. 10/10 recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Columbia75
Jul 18, 2024
Keep it up, you're awesome! - Thanks to Captain Ken, we had a great time as a family. Professional in every way, great sensations of speed on the lake, detailed tourist information on the architecture of the city. Keep it up, you're awesome!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jacob_b
Jul 12, 2024
Amazing experience - Very fun tour going up and down Lake Michigan. Will be doing it again sometime. Highly recommend it if you want to see the city from the water.
Review provided by Viator
Cheryl_j
May 31, 2024
Fun and entertaining - Excellent experience! Guide was so personable and very knowledgeable. Even though it was cold out, it was so much fun. It was even better because the water had just been dyed green for St. Patrick's Day!
Review provided by Viator
Theresab2035
Mar 18, 2024
GREAT experience!! Highly recommend!!! - I have been on many architectural tours from the Chicago River perspective, but this one was far superior. It was particularly interesting to be in the river after it was turned green for St Patrick's Day. We took our exchange student and his friend, and they said this was their favorite thing to do during our trip to Chicago. I highly recommend this excursion to anyone who wants to see Chicago from the river.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Samanthacr4255fi
Mar 17, 2024
The BEST River Tour EVER!! - This was THE BEST river tour I have ever done. I love how private and personal this tour is and you have the freedom to really do what you want especially with photo opportunities. We decided to go the day after the Saint Patty’s river dye to see the green river and it was the best decision I ever had. The coolest part about this that grabbed my attention is the small boat you get to ride on is actually a 7M RIB from the USS Laboon! My friend and I being Active Duty Sailors with a few years in and 3 deployments this immediately peaked our interest. We were so impressed with Captain Ken (retired USCG BM1) very knowledgeable and all around a great tour guide. Thank you for creating the coolest boat tour EVER!! See you in the Summer with the rest of NSGL Sailor’s!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joy
Mar 16, 2024
Up close and personal with the Green Chicago River 90 minutes after being dyed green. - We highly recommend this tour as it was limited to the amount of people. It surprised us it was just the 2 of us at 11:30 after the Chicago River was dyed green. Captain is very welcoming and friendly. He is really knowledgeable and you learn quite a lot of history and about the architecture. We had the best time and so glad we had this fun adventure. Also provides excellent directions and a video where to go when you arrive.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 6 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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