Tours With Mike

Tours With Mike Making architecture, design, and history fun and interesting through special in-person and virtual experiences

09/02/2026

Lake Shore Drive was closed for more than four hours today due to the heat wave! After the planned bridge lift opening at 10:00am, the structured swelled too much from the heat, closing down traffic from passing above. I was leading a private boat charter tour and we were also delayed, but we made it through here at around 1:00pm. I’ve led hundreds of boat tours, but this was a first for me!

08/26/2026

I just gave my last Sunset Live Tour with Bug Bus Chicago for the season, and it was the first time the driver, Toris, and I were delayed from a goose crossing! So entertaining and annoying at the same time! 😹🪿

Although I’m not assigned to any more Sunset Live Tours this year, this fun, double-decker bus tour is still happening through September 7. Google Big Bus Chicago to learn more.






Happy Caturday! Biscuits is looking very judgy today, probably because he wants you to join one of my last two public Ro...
08/15/2026

Happy Caturday! Biscuits is looking very judgy today, probably because he wants you to join one of my last two public Route 66 Neighborhoods by Trolley tours (perhaps ever). 😹

You can get tickets to this one-of-a-kind experience for either August 21 or September 4. Click the link in the comments for details. I hope to share this special tour with you as we celebrate Route 66’s 100th birthday!

Choose Chicago
All For The Love of Chicago
The Chicago Loop

07/22/2026

I’m in the midst of a multi-day tour with a student group visiting Chicago. We arrived at Loyola University for a campus tour, and the lake is looking beautiful! I also had never seen this kind of robot before… 🤖

Loyola University Chicago
Ge**er Tours

07/16/2026

There are several features inside the Obama Presidential Center uniting it, and one of them is Julie Mehretu’s “Uprising of the Sun” windows. Each time you go up the escalators to the next museum floor, these colorful windows frame the northern views, including the rest of the campus, Jackson Park, and Museum of Science & Industry.

You can see this wonderful art installation from the outside on Saturday’s “Jackson Park: The 1893 Fair to the Obama Center” walking tour. Click the link in the comments to learn more and reserve your spot.

Obama Foundation
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All For The Love of Chicago
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
Chicago Park District

07/15/2026

Today I explored the ticketed area of the Obama Presidential Center, and it was wonderful! This cohesive, multi-story experience shares Barack and Michelle’s stories while aiming to motivate people to be engaged citizens.

In this first room, I could hear a young child ask his mom, “Who is FDR?” Another patron and I looked at each other smiling and saying that this is what this museum is all about. 🥰

Although museum tickets are sold out through December, the amazing campus has 19 acres of park space and four buildings with areas that do not require tickets.

My new “Jackson Park: The 1893 Fair to the Obama Center” walking tour debuts this Saturday, July 18. The tour ends by the Obama Presidential Center, and you can explore this spectacular campus immediately afterward. Click the link in the comments to learn more and reserve your spot.

Obama Foundation
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Enjoy Illinois
All For The Love of Chicago

07/13/2026

There is so much to see around the Obama Presidential Center’s 19-acre campus! Explore more of it on my “Jackson Park: The 1893 Fair to the Obama Center” walking tour debuting on Saturday, July 18. Click the link in the comments to learn more and reserve your spot.

Obama Foundation
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Chicago Park District
All For The Love of Chicago

07/10/2026

The Obama Presidential Center campus includes a new Chicago Public Library branch. Inside of it, there is this President’s Reading Room that entirely includes selections from both Barack and Michelle! There are also some books on display from Barack’s personal collection. It’s a great space to check out that is FREE to the public!

My “Jackson Park: The 1893 Fair to the Obama Center” walking tour debuts on July 18. After the tour ends, you can explore the amazing interior spaces throughout the Obama Presidential Center that do not require a ticket. Click the link in the bio to learn more and reserve your spot!

Obama Foundation
Chicago Public Library
Choose Chicago
Enjoy Illinois

07/10/2026

Don’t have a ticket to the Obama Presidential Center? No problem!

There is so much to check out without a ticket, including everything you see here! These are the art installations featured:

- “City of the Bug Shoulders” by Mark Bradford

- “Resistance Reverb: Movements 1” by Lava Thomas

- “This Land, Shared Sky” by Nick Cave & Marie Watt

- “The Obamas: Springing Forth” by Njideka Akunyili Crosby

Check out the Obama Center’s amazingness without needing a ticket to get inside on my new “Jackson Park: The 1893 Fair to the Obama Center” walking tour debuting on Saturday, July 18. Click the link in the comments to see the public tour schedule, learn more, and reserve your spot.

Obama Foundation
Choose Chicago
All For The Love of Chicago
Enjoy Illinois
Mark Bradford
Lava Thomas
Nick Cave
Marie Watt Studio
Njideka Akunyili Crosby

Tours With Mike is again among the top 10% of experiences rated on TripAdvisor worldwide! Thanks to all of you who have ...
07/07/2026

Tours With Mike is again among the top 10% of experiences rated on TripAdvisor worldwide! Thanks to all of you who have posted reviews of your tours. It really means a lot to my scrappy, one-person company!

Choose Chicago
All For The Love of Chicago
The Chicago Loop
Enjoy Illinois

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