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Offered languages
- English
Where did Chicago’s millionaires live, love and misbehave? Walk the Gold Coast with historian Amy Bizzarri, author of 111 Places in Chicago That You Must Not Miss. This self-guided tour is great value for money!
Start at Lincoln Park’s last surviving grave, stroll mansion-lined Astor Street and hear about the Pump Room’s celebrity booth, a ghoulish surgical museum and Jane Addams’ artists’ club. The tour ends at the Zebra Lounge, a hidden piano bar that has had live music since 1929. Step inside for a Faster Pussycat martini and sing along. GPS audio plays automatically and works offline, so your phone stays in your pocket.
Highlights:
- 1.3-mile walk narrated by a Chicago author and historian
Peek through the gates of Hugh Hefner’s original Playboy Mansion.
- Walk one of Chicago’s last 19th-century wooden block alleys.
- Finish with a cocktail at the Zebra Lounge, playing live piano since 1929.
- Pause for a drink and pick up where you left off, with lifetime access.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Before arrival, please install the VoiceMap mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. This is a self-guided audio tour that you can start, pause, or restart at any time and complete at your own pace. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.
Itinerary
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Chicago History Museum (Pass by)
Your tour starts outside Chicago’s oldest cultural institution, at the edge of Lincoln Park. Amy Bizzarri introduces the Gold Coast, the lakefront neighborhood that became the city’s most glamorous address after the Great Fire of 1871. It’s easy to reach by CTA bus or the Red and Brown Lines. PLEASE NOTEL Any entrance fee is not included.
Admission ticket free -
International Museum of Surgical Science (Pass by)
For anyone looking to have chills sent up their spine, the International Museum of Surgical Science delivers. The exhibits here deal with various aspects of Eastern and Western medicine. The museum itself is housed in a 1917 mansion designed as a Chicago-style interpretation of the Petit Trianon of Versailles.
Admission ticket free -
Zebra Lounge (Pass by)
An outstanding Chicago night out on the town always ends piano side, sipping Lemondrops and singing along with the piano man into the wee hours at the Zebra Lounge. Hidden in the lobby of a vintage apartment building in the glam Gold Coast, the Zebra Lounge has been swinging with live piano players seven nights a week since 1929.
Admission ticket free -
Couch Mausoleum (Pass by)
This is Lincoln Park’s eeriest secret. The park was once the city cemetery, and thousands of bodies are still believed to lie beneath it. One tomb survived: the limestone vault of early millionaire Ira Couch. Its huge stones are riveted together with copper, which made it far too costly to move.
Admission ticket free -
Lake Shore Drive (Pass by)
Stroll the lakefront boulevard that Potter Palmer’s money helped create from swampland. Hear the story behind the ’70s hit song “Lake Shore Drive” and the double meaning in its lyrics that the songwriter always denied. Keep an eye on Lake Michigan as you walk.
Admission ticket free -
International Museum of Surgical Science (Pass by)
This 1917 lakefront mansion was modeled on the Petit Trianon at Versailles. Inside are four floors of medical history, from bloodletting tools to a gallery of trephined skulls with holes drilled to release “evil spirits.” It’s ghoulish and fascinating, and worth a visit inside if you have time.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Learn how the Gold Coast was born. In 1882, hotel tycoon Potter Palmer built a castle-like mansion on swampy land beside the lake, and Chicago’s wealthiest families soon followed him north. Today the neighborhood is still one of the richest in urban America.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Walk down what many call Chicago’s most beautiful residential street. It’s lined with 19th-century townhouses and mansions in a mix of grand revival styles. Look up at the carved stone, turrets and ironwork, and imagine the city’s elite arriving home by horse and carriage.
Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Rating
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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