Top Activities on the Ground in Illinois

Pedal past the lakefront neighborhoods of Chicago's North Side on this bike tour of the Windy City. Follow a local guide along quiet streets, city parks and scenic beaches, starting at Lake Shore Drive and continuing along Rush Street and the Magnificent Mile. Catch a glimpse of the Playboy Mansion, Oprah’s penthouse and the Victorian houses of Old Town. Select from several departure times in the morning or afternoon.

Discover many of Chicago's best-known landmarks—and explore without breaking a sweat—on this private electric bike tour. Meet your guide right at the Buckingham Fountain, grab your e-bike and helmet, and get ready to explore. You'll view Lakefront landmarks like the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium, will zip right along the waters of Lake Michigan, and will stop to soak up picture-perfect views of the Chicago skyline.

Taste food from around the world on this half-day cycling and tasting tour of Chicago. Follow your biking guide through the Chicago streets, stopping for views of Chicago’s famous architecture as well as bites like Polish pierogis, locally made chocolates, and Mexican tacos.

See Chicago light up with a 4-hour bicycle tour of the Windy City’s most iconic sights and neighborhoods. Follow your guide along a leisurely route, watch the Buckingham Fountain light show and take in daytime or evening views of Millennium Park and the Museum Campus. Sample culinary classics of Chicago, like deep-dish pizza, a true Chicago hot dog, and a tasty dessert for good measure. As you pedal through downtown streets, capture unforgettable images of Chicago’s magnificent skyline then finish your tour in the heart of the city.

Experience a colorful side of Chicago history with this gangsters and ghosts tour. With a historian as your guide, you’ll step back to the Roaring Twenties, when the Chicago Loop was a hub for bootleggers, speakeasies, and gangsters like the infamous Al Capone. Visit onetime gangster hangouts and haunted sites like the Palmer House, Congress Hotel, and Death Alley.

Chicago dogs, deep-dish pizza, brownies, and craft beer are all sampled on this half-day bike tour through the Windy City. Cover about 13 miles (21 km), following your guide at a moderate pace through Chicago neighborhoods. On the day tour, ride through Wrigleyville, Old Town, Lincoln Park, and Gold Coast. On the night tour, visit Chicago’s Riverwalk, Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain and the Lakefront Trail. As you go, stop for generous food and beer tasters.

Sample some of the Windy City’s tastiest donuts on this Underground Donut Tour, celebrating the magic of Chicago’s tastiest sugar-filled concoctions. Donut-lovers are sure to enjoy this visit to some of Chicago’s tastiest donut purveyors, offering a chance to savor all of your favorite varieties, on the city's only donut-themed excursion. All tastings are included, and vegan, gluten-, and nut-free options are also available.

Admire the incredible façades and intricate interiors of the Windy City's 1920s art deco and art moderne buildings during this architecture walking tour of Chicago. Uncover the history of Chicago art deco architectural along with the city's influential role in the development of this iconic artistic style, as you get an up close and personal look at its wealth of gorgeous period buildings. This art deco Chicago walking tour also includes a certified guide.

Cruise down the Chicago River to see the city's famous architecture on this boat tour. With commentary from your onboard guide, watch the spectacular skyline glide by, including more than 40 notable buildings like the Wrigley Building and the John Hancock Building. Cover all three branches of the Chicago River, passing the East Bank Club, the old Post Office Building and the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower).

Stroll through downtown Chicago on this walking food tour. Visit Millennium Park, the Palmer House Hotel and other city landmarks. Taste quintessential Chicago foods such as deep-dish pizza, hot dogs, plus chocolates and pastry. All food tastings are included, and the tour covers an easy 1.5 miles (2.4 km) suitable for most fitness levels. A bike or kayak rental is also included in the tour cost.

Discover the architectural gems of the Windy City from an ideal vantage point on a cruise down the Chicago River. Offered several times throughout the day, it’s easy to fit the leisurely excursion into your itinerary. Covering more than 130 years of architectural history, the tour is the perfect opportunity to see a huge area of the city without the hassle of taxis and public transit.

Take in views of the Chicago skyline and its many landmarks during this Lake Michigan sightseeing boat cruise. Climb aboard your vessel for a laidback ride, enjoying panoramic views from a unique perspective. Along the way, you'll listen to informative audio commentary and take in views of the Navy Pier and the Willis Tower, along with many other landmarks. Plus, feel free to bring your own lunch or grab a drink at the onboard bar (own expense.)

An excellent choice for first-time visitors, this tour provides a comprehensive overview of the city and hits on both classic attractions and little-known sites. Beginning at the Chicago Theatre, work your way to the Chicago Pedway, an elaborate network of underground tunnels used by locals and commuters. Stroll the Chicago Riverwalk and see Millennium Park; then, embark on a food tour to taste some of the city’s famous foods.

See Chicago your way—and enjoy an active way to explore—with this private, half-day bike rental. Make your own way to the rental facility, choose from a range of bike types (from e-bikes and child bikes to premium road bikes), and set off at your own pace. Accompanied by a map and helmet, you can cycle along the water, explore Millennium Park and the Museum Campus, tour Chicago neighborhoods, and more.

Enjoy a uniquely adventurous way to explore Chicago with this zombie apocalypse-themed smartphone scavenger hunt game. Upon booking, download the app and set off at a time that works best for you, with help from your remote interactive guide. You’ll be given a list of challenges to solve and objects to find to beat the zombies, all while exploring some of Chicago’s most popular corners.

Our very unique, immersive adventures are the only ones of their kind. We, unlike other companies, provide your very own remote, interactive, live host to assist and encourage you along through your phone. We are an Austin, TX-based global custom event design company offering scavenger hunts and other events in 300+ cities in North America and beyond. Our specially hand-crafted adventures are equal parts tour, creative challenge, detective hunt, and social experiment! Guests get to discover in an alternate reality our favorite hidden gems off the beaten trail and creatively interpret fun art, history, and culture clues - for points! They get to enjoy fame and glory while appearing on our website’s international leaderboard, no matter what their score. They get to essentially race other teams in other cities, even if they don’t have competitors who have signed up in their city that day. Get ready to discover unusual oddities, laugh out loud, and make the experience your own!

Discover Chicago's many delights from the comfort of two wheels. Simply pick up your full-day bike rental with lock, map and helmet and start exploring, either solo or with friends. Make your way through Millennium Park and to historic Wrigley Field, stop for a visit at Navy Pier or spend a couple hours watching sea turtles, penguins and even a piranha at Shedd Aquarium. You get to tour Chicago independently at your own pace and leisure without having to deal with parking or public transit.

Pedal through Chicago’s scary heritage with a 3-hour Halloween bike tour that includes hauntings, tragedies and overflowing cemeteries. Experience the creepiest parts of the city as you follow your professional actor guides through the Halloween streets, and watch them bring Chicago’s ghosts to life. Learn about the infamous ‘Resurrection Mary,’ figure out why the Levee District is so famously haunted, and hear the story of H.H. Holmes, Chicago’s most notorious serial killer.

Chicago was once known as the “Candy Capital of the World,” and chocolate has been a rich, decadent part of the city’s culinary history longer than deep-dish pizza and Italian beef. Milton Hershey even learned how to make chocolate in Chicago at the 1893 World’s Fair and opened up his own company a year later. Also, some of the world’s most beloved chocolate treats, including Tootsie Rolls, Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, Snickers, 3 Musketeers and Milky Way, were invented or are manufactured here. And thanks to the Blommer Chocolate Factory, downtown can even smell like chocolate when the wind is right. There are 8 delicious Loop and River North stops on our scavenger hunt. Simply read the clues and follow the directions to guess the answers to submit. Hints are provided should you need some help. You won’t be required to buy anything, but if you need a quick pick-me-up, what’s better than chocolate? Some locations might be handing out samples, depending on the day. Happy hunting!

Discover Chicago in a fun new way on this 3-hour scavenger hunt. Jump into the middle of an exciting adventure around the Chicago Loop — to the historic buildings, famous streets and plethora of real-life locations around town. Discover both well-known and overlooked sites, solving clues and completing challenges via smartphone while learning the local history of the Windy City. Teams of 2- to 5-people are welcome.

Take your shot at completing this Chicago Scavenger Hunt around the Loop and River North neighborhoods including the Riverwalk. Complete this solo or build a ScavSquad of up to 5 people and discover the city like never before! Use clues and hints within the app to complete the objectives (if you get stuck, you can skip and go back later). Some objectives have prizes so do your best to complete as many objectives correctly. Once complete, you can view the Leaderboard to see how you did against others.

Don’t just explore Chicago’s best-known landmarks—put your problem-solving skills and competitive side to the test with this private scavenger hunt experience. The game will be conducted via your smartphone, with a live, remote guide to accompany and assist you. As you go, hunt for clues, discover unusual sights, take part in bonus challenges—and see where you team falls on the national leaderboard.

The Lincoln Park Zoo was born in 1868, when four swans were gifted to the city by New York’s Central Park. It has since grown to a 35-acre complex with 200 species from around the world. In addition to the menagerie of more than 1,100 animals, the zoo has programs devoted to conservation, protection and education. Every December, ZooLights brings thousands of visitors to see the zoo at night festively decorated for the holiday season. And it’s all just a few miles north of downtown Chicago! There are eight objectives in our scavenger hunt, encompassing the entire grounds of the zoo, which includes the Nature Boardwalk and Farm-in-the-Zoo. Some of the objectives involve taking a photo, so be sure to share those and any other pictures you take at the zoo on social media using the hashtag #LPZooScavHunt. And don't forget to tag us at @eATLAS! The zoo is open 365 days a year, from 8 AM to 5 PM on the weekdays and 8 AM to 7 PM on holidays. There is no charge for admission.