Chicago South Side Tour: Explore Blue-Collar Neighborhoods
4.5
21 Ratings
Chicago
Discover the blue-collar neighborhoods of Chicago's South Side on this engaging tour. Explore historical African American neighborhoods, visit iconic landmarks, and learn about the diverse communities that make up this vibrant area.
Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Hyde Park - Often referred to as the working-class sector of Chicago, this excursion showcases The Ford Factory, the steel mill districts, and the residential areas of the labor force. It includes many sites on the South Side, which is also where the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, resided. Our journey includes Bronzeville, a significant African American community with a rich history and an early commercial hub, as well as Hyde Park, the location of the prestigious University of Chicago. This is where the atomic bomb was conceptualized, and we’ll take you to that exact location! We’ll also take a look at life on South Lake Drive and the lakefront lifestyle. Chicago’s proximity to Indiana is unique, and we’ll explain this interesting relationship. The tour includes stops at Beverly Hills, Chinatown, and the densely populated Puerto Rican area known as “Little Village”.
  • Pilsen - The tour continues through Pilsen, a neighborhood with a strong Mexican heritage. Don’t cause any trouble, or you might find yourself left at Cook County jail, which we’ll see along the way! Wrapping up, we head back east through Little Italy and Greektown, both epitomes of the blue-collar spirit. We’ll even take a detour to a lime quarry in Bridgeport. Be sure to have your camera at the ready, because by the end of this tour, you’ll have a deep understanding of Chicago’s Southside, beyond just the downtown area.
What's Included
  • Onboard phone charging ports
Additional Information

Renowned as Chicago’s laboring heart! This expedition ushers you through The Ford Factory, the epicenter of steel manufacturing, working-class communities and several landmarks of the South Side, the residential haven of the 44th President, Barack Obama. Our journey embraces Bronzeville, an iconic African American district and early commercial hub along with Hyde Park, hosting the globally recognized University of Chicago (yes, we’ll visit the exact location where the atomic bomb was conceptualized!) Delve into the serenity of South Lake Drive, and get a glimpse of lakeside living. Discover the unique interplay between Chicago and Indiana, its neighboring state. Get a taste of Beverly Hills, Chinatown, and the densely inhabited Puerto Rican district ‘Little Village’. We’ll also traverse through Pilsen, a stronghold of Mexican heritage. Don’t miss our drive past the Cook County jail and the traverses through Little Italy and Greektown communities, each echoing its blue-collar spirit! Pay a visit to a lime quarry in the Bridgeport area. By the end of this expedition, you’ll be brimming with knowledge about Chicago’s Southside.

  • FOR GROUPS OF 12 OR MORE TRAVELERS, 7 DAYS NOTICE IS REQUIRED.
Location
The Chicago Theatre
North State Street
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.5
(21 Ratings)
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Rahima_b
Dec 19, 2023
The Best! - One of the best tours I've ever been on!!! Personalized to my preferences and Steve was such a gem. Very knowledgeable about the history, took pictures for me, and even took me to Juice Wlrds memorial site. Steve was very funny and gave me good advice as well. Amazing tour!
Review provided by Viator
Judy_t
Oct 24, 2023
Lincoln Park Baby! - Steve has a great knowledge of Chicago. He personalized the tour by taking us to places we asked about.
Review provided by Viator
Becky_l
Oct 21, 2023
A unique tour! - STEVE! What a Chicago treasure. He is full of knowledge and shared his city with us. The time went quickly and worth every penny. We saw so many corners of Chicago and had a great story teller to keep us wanting more.
Review provided by Viator
Donna_l
Jul 9, 2023
Loved it! - I took a couple of tours of the north side and the south side of Chicago with Steve Johnson and they were both terrific! Steve is a fabulous tour guide who provides lots of facts and interesting information. I highly recommend this tour for anyone who wants to go beyond the typical tourist attractions and see and learn about all aspects of Chicago. I loved the city, loved Steve as our guide and loved the tour!
Review provided by Viator
Johnny_d
May 21, 2023
Steve was very knowledgeable of all parts of Chicago. Definitely two thumbs up - Seeing both the south and north sides of Chicago and learning the history about both. Definitely worth my 4 hours!!
Review provided by Viator
Lizfriedman1
May 15, 2023
Very neighborhood focused - Have lived in the city a long time but have never really explored the south side. This was a great way to pack a lot of neighborhoods into a short time period.
Review provided by Viator
Angelina_c
May 11, 2023
Excellent Tour of Neighborhoods - Steve, the tour guide, was very knowledgeable, courteous, and kind. The tour of Southside and other neighborhoods is very important for making cultural connections.
Review provided by Viator
Helencg5327rk
Jun 1, 2023
The greatest tour ever until the tour guide made a derogatory and hurtful comment to my Husband, in his FACE! - This tour started out being absolutely amazing! the Tour guide Steve picked us up at our location, which was great! 4 other family members and I were here from Texas for a few days to visit. He was so knowledgeable about everything that he introduced us to. every point of interest was like opening Christmas gifts, we were just in awe and overjoyed at the special places that he took us to, we never imagined that we would take in so much history on that tour. I have pictures on top of pics that I brought home so show to family and friends. The disappointment came when we stopped at a museum and my sister heard the Guide (Steve) ask my husband if he had "Dementia" or something related to old age!! because he had trouble closing the screen on the car window and opening and closing doors. My husband does in fact have early onset dementia and he's struggling with it as well as all of his family who love him dearly. That hurt us all!!! No apology can fix this one, Steve need in depth training on what IS and IS not appropriate to say to people. This otherwise would have been a 10+ review for that Southside tour but this one made it a ZERO.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ladye_a
Nov 30, 2023
Not my cup of tea. - I texted 15 minutes before the tour, no response, I called 5 minutes before the tour was to start and Steve was unaware he had a tour today. Where was I right now and why didn't i call for a hotel pick-up, I said that was not offered on the Viator site. Would've loved that option. He is a very loud and fast talker, I will never forget how he kept yelling "Lincoln Park Baby". Each neighborhood we would have to answer the question of what type of housing we were looking at. I think it was condo, home and affordable housing. I don't care, I was looking at the beauty of the buildings. We would also have to Google each neighborhood house to find out what it sold for. I don't care, I'm not moving to Chicago. He also did not stop talking long enough for either one of us to ask a question. His driving is very fast and jerky. We don't have to go from 0-60 on each block with speed bumps. He would just stop wherever to point something out. The horn blowing was non stop. I was really scared when he slowed down on the interstate to show us something, we were well below 45 miles an hour. He pulled in front of an ambulance with lights/sirens and slowed down while turning to tell us something. My husband did say something this time. He kept wanting to make up for the morning mix up and give us another hour of touring at no cost, I couldn't take it. I was nauseated and had a horrible headache, I just wanted this to end. we only stopped to take pictures where he wanted. would've loved to stop and get out at Wrigley Field. Don't remember seeing the University of Chicago or hearing about the Atomic Bomb, I would have like that.
Review provided by Viator
Patricia_r
Sep 6, 2023
I went to the pick up... - I went to the pick up place 10 minutes prior , the tour operator never showed even though I had received an email saying: Confirmed. I tried to reach him, no answer . I had to hire an uber . Somebody called me an hour later to offer me another tour , not the original I paid for . I rejected . I’m still waiting for my refund !!
Review provided by Viator
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up to 5 guests
1 Adult
April 2024
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