Travel Tuesday: Chicago Architectural Boat Tour

Our trip to Chicago feels like it was such a long time ago, but I didn’t want to leave out posting about the architectural boat tour that we took, which was one of the highlights of the trip.

Chicago has many options for architectural boat tours, and since we really wanted a combination of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, we went with Mercury Cruises, which turned out to be a great choice.

First of all, it’s location was lovely, right on the River Walk, where I loved spending time.

The boat was beautiful, and we got seats right on the bow so that we could see everything. The boat also had a comfortable interior where we went when it got a little windy. Inside was a bar that served local beer, which was a really nice touch.

Going through the locks from the Chicago River into Lake Michigan was a fun experience, and once out of the river, we were really on our way.

I can’t get over Lake Michigan’s vastness; it really feels like the ocean and with the windy day we had, there were some nice swells.

Even though we had an overcast day, the sights were absolutely beautiful. Seeing the skyline from the lake was really special, and our Captain had all sorts of interesting historical tips to share with us.

Boating on the river was equally as beautiful and interesting. The skyscrapers really lived up to their name, and we saw Willis Tower, Aon Center, John Hancock Building, Museum Campus, Trump Tower, Marina City, and others. Chicago’s history is so interesting and rich, and I would love to do another boat tour as well as a land tour so that I can learn more.

(The Trump Tower was as obnoxious as the person behind the name.)

There’s so much to do in Chicago, but when we were planning our trip everyone told us to do an architectural tour. They were all right!