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Palmer House A Hilton

Palmer House A Hilton: Our most recommended tours and activities

Chicago: Gangsters and Ghosts 2-Hour Walking Tour

1. Chicago: Gangsters and Ghosts 2-Hour Walking Tour

See a different side of Chicago on a family-friendly guided tour and hear the tales of the ghosts that haunt the city. Explore the famous Chicago Loop district with your historian guide revealing the many interesting stories hidden behind each turn. Explore the Chicago Loop, known as the vice district during the 1920s and 30s, once the home of speakeasies, secret tunnels and bootleggers. See the places where gangsters such as Al Capone used to party, make deals, and carry out business. Visit haunted locations and old crime scenes including Chicago Riverwalk, Death Alley, and the Chicago Theatre. Peak inside the haunted Palmer House. Finish up at the Congress Hotel, one of the most haunted places in Illinois. Enjoy frequent stops along the way, including a refreshment stop and a restroom break.

Chicago: 3-Hour Private Speakeasy Cocktail VIP Tour

2. Chicago: 3-Hour Private Speakeasy Cocktail VIP Tour

Spend an evening visiting the Chicago speakeasies that have been open since the Prohibition Era in the 1920s, many preserved in their original conditions. With your own private group, enter by way of secret entrances and enjoy the same cocktails ordered by infamous Chicago gangsters and bank robbers at these venues nearly a century ago. Relive the glamor of the 1920s while listening to stories of the rampant racketeering and bootlegging of the era.   Alcohol is available for purchase at the three to four different speakeasy stops. Your private tour guide will make Prohibition Era drink recommendations and tell you the stories behind them. Travel around with your young, professional guide and be chauffeured in luxury transportation, ranging from a luxury SUV to a full-sized luxury motor coach.

Chicago: Treasures of the Golden Age Walking Tour

3. Chicago: Treasures of the Golden Age Walking Tour

This Historic Treasures of Chicago tour covers the most significant historic architectural landmarks in Chicago’s Loop. Your expert guide, trained by the Chicago Architecture Center, will focus on great cultural buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which harkened back to earlier time periods and were designed in revival styles such as Beaux Arts, neo-Georgian and neo-Gothic. Marvel at exteriors and interiors of dazzling beauty and startling originality, and get a glimpse inside some of the city's most beloved buildings.    The highlights of this walking tour will include the Chicago Cultural Center, home to the world's largest Tiffany dome; the iconic Marshall Field's department store, now Macy's on State; and the Palmer House, a beautifully restored hotel from the 1920s. 

Chicago: Guided Walking Tour and Food Sampling

4. Chicago: Guided Walking Tour and Food Sampling

From shimmering lights to decadent bites, Chicago puts its best foot forward for the holidays.   Experience the city come to life during this special time of year on a walking tour through the Loop’s iconic holiday destinations. Pass by Millennium Park's ice skating rink and massive Christmas tree, admire the shimmering holiday lights on State Street, and behold Macy's dazzling holiday decor and window displays. Treat yourself with some brownies at the historic Palmer House Hotel, where brownies were invented, taste the famous Chicago deep-dish pizza and hot dog, and tuck into the city's largest open-air Christmas festival, Christkindlemarket, for some seasonal shopping. Upon arrival, for an additional fee you can also enjoy a VIP Christmas adult beverage sampling package.

Best of Chicago: Skydeck, River Cruise & City Walking Tour

5. Best of Chicago: Skydeck, River Cruise & City Walking Tour

At Willis Tower, take the first elevator of the day up 103 floors to the Skydeck, the 3rd tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. On a clear day views extend to 4 States!! Back on ground level, it’s time to traverse Chicago’s Loop, alongside your local guide and see the city’s Art Deco architecture will be laid out before – or rather, above – you! Pass the magnificent Board of Trade Building and take in the statue of Ceres, Ancient Greek goddess of the harvest, looming over the skyline three stories high. The Loop may be a business district but it’s much more than that—including the birthplace of the world’s first skyscraper. At the Monadnock Building where your expert local guide will be waiting to take you on a journey through the city’s most storied structures Next, walk through the awe-inspiring lobby designed by Frank Lloyd Wright at the Rookery. Many elements here only an expert can point out, including the secret glass mosaics adorning the lobbies. You’ll listen to the history of the cast of characters that brought Chicago to world-wide fame, admire one of the world’s most historically significant doors and get a view of the largest Tiffany glass dome in the world. Millennium Park is the next stop where the iconic Cloud Gate can be found. After getting a picture in front of ‘The Bean’, it’s time to walk up Michigan Avenue for more architectural stories and history. The last stop of the day is Chicago’s iconic Riverwalk for a 90-minute architecture cruise, passing down the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Enjoy the snacks and refreshments available to purchase on board, and take in the day’s discoveries from the water.

Other Sightseeing Options in Palmer House A Hilton

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What people are saying about Palmer House A Hilton

Overall rating

4.7 / 5

based on 587 reviews

Awesome tour with an awesome guide ! Baylor’s enthusiasm and friendliness really sold it and she even managed to give me goosebumps with the way she told some of the stories! :)

Our guide Ty was super cool and handled the whole tour well. I'll definitely tell all my friends who visit Chicago to take this tour.

It was a very fun tour and we learned a lot about the city that we didn't know before. Lizzie was an excellent guide!

Conor was very knowledgeable and the tour was a great pace with lots of info!

Our docent was extremely knowledgeable and the tour was well worth it.