Chicago River & Lakefront Boat Tours

Made Me Want To Move Here So interesting and informative. Made Chicago sound like a great place to live. Got to see and hear so much about history and current life here. Highly recommended!!!

A + history tour A++ experience. Our guide, Cliff, was full of stories of the history of the city and its buildings and how the locks between the lake and the river work. The crew was gracious and friendly. 2 hours was just enough time to see it all. The fire boat history is also amazing.

Fabulous! Fabulous! We loved this tour - and we've taken a few other Chicago boat tours before, and this one is outstanding. The Narrator was awesome - quite informative and a great presentation regarding both the boat and the skyline.

Great intro to the windy city This was a great intro to the windy city. Went with some friends and a preschooler, and everyone enjoyed the ride. The tour guide Cliff was excellent - a nice blend of knowledge and humor. My kiddo enjoyed waving at all the other boats and people on the bridges!

10/10 Fantastic tour with friendly and informative guides.

Chicago by boat Great experience Gorgeous guide

Stunning!! Fabulous!! A MUST see experience! We had initially purchased the architect River and lake tour, however, the traffic and full parking lots made it impossible to get to our meeting point. We spoke with the staff and they were very accommodating, and agreed for us to join the evening tour instead!! We had a fantastic cruise, met some vey nice people, who knew the captain. We were introduced, and talked with Captain Lee while we were being brought back into the harbour. Manny, our newest friend and family, gave us a great deal with buying some merch! Thank you!! Seriously, if your considering this your, just do it! Great sights, friendly staff, awesome fireworks, and memorable souvenirs!!! C’mon down and support them, get fabulous pictures as well!!

Problems solved quickly by an exceptional team! I had an issue where I had booked the wrong day and Ray immediately rebooked me with an incredibly positive attitude. Ray was incredibly understanding and supportive of my blunder. My crew and I were looking forward to this event and without the support of Ray and team we wouldn’t have been able to make this happen. Would recommend everyone to book their boat cruise through Fire Boat Tours due to their exceptional service before and during the tour. I cannot say enough positive things about this team and their exceptional service!

Top River sightseeing Trip Was a brilliant trip full of information and history and going through the Lock was a great experience. Being on a boat that was also part of the Lake and River history made the experience even more enjoyable. Really got it all on this tour - history, architecture, and the Chicago Lake waterfront. Highly recommend this trip.

Packed with history in an entertaining way! Enjoyable cruise full of historical information not only about the Fred A Busse, but many different aspects of Chicago’s waterway and architecture from Fort Dearborn, to the Great Chicago Fire, to Al Capone, to present.

Fun experience! Wanted to finally do a Chicago boat tour. There are so many to choose from. After doing much research we narrowed it down to the fireboat and one other. The fireboat is smaller/less people, historical as you are on an actual fireboat that was in service there from late 30s until early 80. They also gave you great info on the architecture, and history during the tour without drawling on about too much. The whole crew were great. Bar tender was a hoot and made a pretty good Bloody Mary. We also got a free picture from them in front of the boat. It was a great experience and so glad we did it and also so glad we picked the fireboat!!

Great Experience! Loved everything about this trip. It is such a great way to learn interesting facts about Chicago architecture/history and see parts of the City. Highly recommended.

A little more than an average architecture tour So much fun. The tour guide was funny, clear and knowledgeable. It is an easy boat for all ages. The tour guide talked about why the flag has 4 stars to secrets of some of the buildings we passed to how the lock worked and the work the boat did in the fires. Not just architecture. The crew were very nice. Plenty of shade and seating. And air conditioning! Worth the $$. I had my first tour canceled due to the weather. The woman I spoke to was awesome and made sure I got on another tour that worked for me. Hubby was a little sad I didn’t schedule a traditional architecture tour but right away he was happy I did.

Highly recommended!! Loved this trip!! The guide was super knowledgeable and we loved the music, too!! Thank you!

Best historical tour of Lake and Chicago River You must take this unique lake and river tour on the Fireboat! Plenty of seating and open area for viewing. This is a boat with quite a history. And our guide, Cliff was so full of knowledge about the Fire boats, Chicago and architectural history and design. Definitely our favorite day of touring, and fun to watch going through the locks connecting the lake to the river itself. Absolutely recommend!

Great time had by all! My adult children and I enjoyed a fun and informative afternoon tour on this beautiful boat for our Mother’s Day celebration. The staff were friendly, funny and very informative.

I am an architect and Cliff knew his stuff The smaller boat was much preferred to the larger boats we saw on the river. The best part of the tour was Cliff the Guide. He was energetic, informative, knowledgeable and delivered at just the right pace. Loved all of his insider stories.

Unique historical experience! This was a one of kind experience in a historic fireboat. Much better than the crowded, larger tours, and the tour guide had a great sense of humor. My coworkers and I were impressed and want to come back for the sunset tour. Definitely recommend!