Shoreline Sightseeing

Reviews

• KK

  Katrina (Kat)

  2 days ago
  5.0
  We had a great experience with Shoreline Sightseeing! We used the Chicago CityPASS, but just a heads up—you still need to reserve your spot through their app, which was quick and easy. We arrived a few minutes before our scheduled time, and boarding started right on cue, which made everything smooth and stress-free. Our tour guide was fantastic—friendly, entertaining, and really knowledgeable about Chicago’s history and landmarks. We picked a time close to sunset, and it was absolutely worth it. The views and overall vibe were amazing as the city transitioned into evening. Overall, it’s a relaxing and enjoyable way to see Chicago. Highly recommend!
• JJ

  Jazzy

  4 days ago
  5.0
  Fantastic idea, I can't believe I've never done it before. Our for guide was amazing, boat crew were awesome, captain was great, perfect night! Went for the last tour of the day hoping to catch the sunset and was not disappointed! Beautiful day time and night time shots of the skyline with sunset shots in between. Highly recommend!
• GG

  Georgie G

  5 days ago
  5.0
  We did the 10.00 am tour, both Rodney and Eric were very nice, proper, with an excellent sense of humor. Eric's descriptions were very thorough and clear, he was very fluent without any difficulty whatsoever while he talks. Excellent sense of humor and a clear love for what he does and for the city of Chicago. well done. Definitely to do
• JS

  Jenny Sobolevski

  Mar 30, 2026
  5.0
  We took the 75 minute Signature Architecture Tour out of Navy Pier today. Our docent, Ashley, was engaging, informative, and polite but forceful when reminding the chatty people on the boat that many of us bought a ticket to hear what she had to say. We took five kids ages 4-14 with us, and even our babies were enthralled with the sites and knowledge. The buildings take on a different level of beauty when seen from the water. We couldn't imagine a better way to spend our time and money on a 75 degree, gorgeous Chicago day!
• MM

  MamaWalks

  Mar 24, 2026
  5.0
  Our tour guide challenged us to learn 25 new facts. Richard, this one's for you! 1) There is a Wrigley Building 2) It is covered in terracotta tiles 3) These are washed by hand annually 4) They change color to draw the eye up 5) The Wrigley Building is actually two buildings, but they are connected by a skyway to technically make them one building. 6) This was done to subvert banking law. 7) The late addition of the skyway was installed below roof level, so Richard did not have strong opinions on whether this feature should be classified as a spire. 8) Contextualism is a style that draws on local features like adjacent building heights and the curve of the river. 9) Art deco is a style that features strong lines, often using deep-set windows to accentuate vertical lines. 10) "Revival" styles are code names for "young America had no architectural style and drew upon Old World ideas as they started designing big, beautiful buildings" 11) The opera house is a throne 12) The back of the throne faces NYC, on purpose. 13) None of the downtown skyscrapers were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright 14) FLW did make fun of the "Three Blind Mes" who copied his style. 14.b) Architects have big egos and think they are very funny. 15) The Chicago river runs backwards! 16) This was done to prevent sewage from flowing into Lake Michigan where drinking water is drawn from. 17) St Louis was not jazzed about this. 18) This was achieved by building canals 19) The other Great Lakes states (and Canada) were not stoked about all the water flowing out of the lakes down to the Mississippi. 20) The locks on Lake Michigan were installed to stop/control the outflow. 21) There is only one lonely high rise right near the beach. 22) It was sited when a loop hole was briefly open in the zoning laws. 23) Oprah did not live there. 24) Shoreline Tours offices are there, though! 25) Inertial slosh dampeners and blow through floors are two of the three ways Richard described for minimizing the sway of the tallest floors of skyscrapers. Tldr; the tour is great, but the tour guide made it awesome with how very apparently he loved his job.