Haunted Chicago: Crime, Ghosts, And Capone Walking Tour

Join Magnifico Tours for a 1 hour 30 minute haunted Chicago walk covering crime, ghosts, and Capone. Prices start at $35, and the tour holds a rating of 5 from 400 reviews.

Overview

This is a ninety-minute walk through downtown Chicago built around the city's darker chapters: gangsters, ghosts, and the crimes that happened on the streets you pass. The route runs about a mile, starting at the corner of State Street and Wacker Drive and finishing five minutes from where it began. Stops include the Chicago River, River North, the Picasso statue, the Chicago Pedway, Millennium Park, and the Chicago Cultural Center, with time at each for the stories behind it.

Groups are capped at twenty travellers. Reviewers again and again praised their guides as knowledgeable, funny, and engaging, with several noting how much Chicago history they picked up along the way. The tour includes going inside famous hotels, though one reviewer wished the group could enter more of the places discussed rather than walk past them.

The tour works for visitors who do not know much about Chicago and its history, as one reviewer described it, and for locals curious about the city's past; another reviewer did it on a staycation and learned so much about the city. Families do take it; one reviewer's eleven-year-old son enjoyed it enough to keep talking to the guide afterward. Wheelchair and pushchair users can participate, and the surfaces along the route are accessible.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meet at State and WackerThe group gathers in front of the Chase Bank at 238 N State St, at the corner of State Street and Wacker Drive.
2. Chicago RiverThe first stop is the Chicago River, with admission included. The listing gives this stop 15 minutes.
3. River NorthThe walk continues into River North for 15 minutes, with free admission to the stop.
4. The PicassoA 15-minute stop at the Picasso, with admission included.
5. Chicago PedwayThe route passes through the Chicago Pedway for 15 minutes, with admission included.
6. Millennium ParkA 15-minute stop in Millennium Park, with admission included.
7. Chicago Cultural CenterThe last stop is the Chicago Cultural Center, 15 minutes, with admission included.
8. End point on WashingtonThe walk finishes at 78 E Washington St, a 5-minute walk from the starting point.

What To Expect From The Tour

Here is what to know before booking, drawn from the listing and from what travellers have said afterwards.

• Pace and fitness. The route covers 1.0 mile over 1.5 hours, per the listing. One reviewer said the guide walked at a comfortable pace. The listing states most travellers can participate.
• Inside and outside. The tour includes going inside famous hotels, so it is not entirely a street walk.
• Group size. The tour caps at twenty travellers, per the listing.
• Guide style. Reviewer after reviewer praised their guides as knowledgeable, funny, engaging, and full of energy. Several mentioned learning a great deal about Chicago's history, including its mob and ghost stories, alongside the city's architecture.
• Accessibility. The listing states the tour is wheelchair and pushchair accessible, service animals are allowed, and surfaces along the route are wheelchair accessible. It is also near public transportation for getting to the meeting point.
• Who it suits. Reviewers included both locals on a staycation and first-time visitors, and both said they learned from it. One said it made them want to learn more about the city. An eleven-year-old joined with a parent, per one review, and enjoyed it.

Common issues. The honest limitations: several locations are passed rather than entered, which disappointed one reviewer who wanted to walk inside. Gratuities for the guide are not included in the price, so budget for a tip if the guide earns one. The listing also notes the tour is not recommended for travellers with a cold.

Common Questions