Did you know that the West Loop is home to the Haymarket Affair, a rally for workers’ rights that quickly became bloody and dangerous? Or that it’s considered the birthplace of House Music?    

Join storyteller and guide Connie Fairbanks, author of Chicago’s West Loop Now and Then: People, Businesses, Buildings on this brand new tour, where she explores the rich history of the Near West Side/West Loop from the nineteenth century to the present. You’ll learn about Carter Harrison, the five-time mayor of Chicago, see a church that served as City Hall after the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, and explore spaces central to Chicago’s long and robust labor history. You can even stop by where some of the finest harps in the world are made mostly by hand! 

$25, $22.50 members  

Tour runs 60–90 minutes and includes one mile of walking along sidewalks. This tour begins at the Carter Harrison Statue one block south of Union Park (1501 W. Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60606) on Washington Street between Ashland and Ogden Avenue and north of Warren Boulevard. The tour ends at Epiphany Center for the Arts (201 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60607) 

Tour also includes free admission to the Chicago History Museum, good for one week from tour date. 

Masks are optional for our walking tours. Learn more about our COVID-19 safety policies and procedures.