The heart of downtown Chicago, ringed by the elevated train tracks. Home to iconic skyscrapers, Millennium Park, and a skyline that changed architecture forever.
Crime Tour
Walk through Prohibition-era Chicago, when this city was run by gangsters, corrupt politicians, and men with surprisingly good taste in suits. Everything I tell you will sound absolutely true. Some of it is. Some of it... I made up. Your job? Try to figure it out.
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Architecture Tour
After the Great Fire, Chicago handed the keys to a bunch of ambitious architects and said — fix this. What followed was a century of skyscrapers, scandals, and egos the size of the buildings themselves. You'll meet the man who invented "form follows function" and died broke, a political dynasty that turned one building into a fifty-times fortune, and an artist who REALLY wishes you'd stop calling his sculpture "the bean."
See this experienceLandmarks and stories from The Loop that you'll hear about on the tour.
A hidden $35 million Tiffany dome that nobody knew existed for decades.
The Bean. The artist hates that you call it that. Keep calling it that.
The "corn cob" towers—the architect really wishes you'd call them flower petals.
Where seven men were executed on Valentine's Day 1929—the crime that shocked America.
Where John Dillinger watched his last movie before being gunned down by the FBI.
Neutral ground during Prohibition—where rival gangsters watched the same shows.
A real 1920s speakeasy where you can sit in Al Capone's actual booth.
Al Capone's infamous headquarters—the most dangerous address in 1920s America.
The tiny Gothic castle that survived while all of Chicago burned around it.
A gorgeous cathedral with bullet holes from a 1926 gangland assassination still visible.
The Kennedy family's best investment—$12.5M in, $625M out.
The before and after of the skyscraper, side by side in one building.
The masterpiece of the father of skyscrapers—who died broke and alone.
Where corrupt politicians collected bribes while gangsters ran the city.
A Romanesque fortress outside, light-filled atrium inside—renovated by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Capone's first headquarters—where the empire began before it all fell apart.
Gothic skyscraper decorated with 150+ stolen stones from the Parthenon, Great Wall, and more.
The gum magnate's glowing white tower—designed so you'd think about chewing.
The Loop is home to 18 notable attractions and landmarks. Explore the area with 2 self-guided audio tours from Bad Historian.
Yes! Bad Historian offers 2 self-guided audio walking tours through The Loop. Download the free app, head to the starting point, and press play.
The Loop in Chicago features landmarks, historic sites, and hidden gems. Explore them all with audio narration in the Bad Historian app.
Download the app, head to the starting point, and press play. The stories start themselves.
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