Chicago - architectural and Historical Cruises, cocktail cruises at 6 or 8 PM

My son and I went on an architectural and historical cruise last night.  We went to the 6 PM as the time worked best for us, but on the cruise there were many couples!  If you pay a little extra, you can have cocktails included, plus there is already free appetizers, coffee, and lemonade.  Our guide, Chris Meister, is a local Chicago high school teacher, and he was clear and informative.  Plus, there were times after we passed the lock, separating lake Michigan and Chicago River, where they just played music.

This was my favorite activity that we did in Chicago!  We did another boat ride earlier in the week.  I won't mention the name as I only write about things I enjoy, but I will say that the experience was totally different.  On the other boat, I couldn't even understand the guide, the staff wasn't friendly, and there wasn't even half of the ambiance of this cruise.  I would highly recommend going on the Chicago History Museum's Chicago Line Cruises.  I wish we'd gone on this one the first time!

Through this tour we also learned that the gigantic ferris wheel at Navy Pier was first designed for the world's fair.  We walked to Navy Pier after we got off the boat.  It happened to be Wednesday night, which is the weekday night during the summer when they have fireworks at 9:30PM.  It couldn't have been more perfectly planned if I'd tried.  We ate at Bubba Gump's restaurant at Navy Pier, which my son loves (they also have a location in San Francisco).

Navy Pier and Fireworks:

Resources:

Architectural and Historical Cruises
Chicago Line Cruises
Chicago History Museum
North Pier Docks at River East Art Center
465 N. McClurg Court
Chicago, IL  60611
(312)  527-2002
www.chicagoline.com