Chicago River Self-Guided Walking Tour – Chicago, Illinois

EXPERIENCE

Discover the history of the Chicago River on a self-guided audio tour. Follow a loop to follow part of the riverwalk, starting and ending near the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum.

Hear about the river’s earliest days, from the Native People to the early settlers who built their homes along the riverbank. Find out about the brothels, crooks, and everyday workers that populated the harbor in the 1800s.

See many of Chicago’s best-known buildings, including the Wrigley Building, Marina City, and the Reid Murdoch Building. Discover how the river has gone from clean, to polluted, and back to fairly clean over the past 200 years.

Listen to the stories of the city’s two most tragic boat disasters, including the sinking of the S. S. Eastland in 1915. Take in one of the largest Vietnam Veteran memorials in the nation, near where this tour ends.

HIGHLIGHTS

Discover the history of the Chicago River on a self-guided audio tour
Learn about the city’s immigrant communities and railway infrastructure
See the Wrigley Building, Marina City, and the Reid Murdoch Building
Explore the city’s riverwalk and see the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Plaza

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