Blue Island, IL Outdoor Activities

Chicago Hauntings' "ghost bus" whisks passengers away on interactive trips to the second city's spookiest locales. Founder Ursula Bielski and her crew of paranormal researchers split their signature tours between historical yarns on the bus and time exploring supernaturally active sites on foot. The rotating itinerary of stops includes the site of the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, the location of the Fort Dearborn Massacre, and the spot where Resurrection Mary met her fateful end.

Along with her primary routes, Ursula leads specialty tours including daytime trips based on The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson's bestseller about serial killer H. H. Holmes, and strolls down one Chinatown block where every building is allegedly haunted. She also hosts private tours, pub crawls, and kid-friendly excursions during which youngsters hear toned-down tales and learn about ghost-hunting equipment more advanced than their dog Sherlock.

Made possible by FamilyFarmed.org, an organization that forges bonds between locally grown food and the people who grow, sell, and eat it, the Good Food Festival & Conference lets Chicagoans participate in the locally driven Good Food movement. Coming from all over the Midwest, 150 farmers and artisans display their healthily unprocessed bounties while debunking widespread myths that the freshest fruit grows in cans, and chef demos from Frontera Grill’s Rick Bayless, Perennial Virant’s Paul Virant, and Naha’s Carrie Nahabedian celebrate the spectacle of cooking. Young chefs can exercise creative muscles and artsy tendons at the children’s corner, which features face painting, a scavenger hunt, and an arts and crafts session. Scheduled workshops, such as Organic vs. Conventional Food or Home Cheesemaking, teach casual eaters about their deep-seated connections to the things they chew (additional workshop fees apply).

The massive schooner gently bobs in the Lake Michigan waters as the Chicago skyline towers on the shore. Onboard, hardy sailors relate tales of piracy and the rumrunners who filled the city's speakeasies as they train their passengers to tie knots and unfurl sails. Period lessons abound onboard the Windy, one of Tall Ship Adventures’ three ships helmed by U.S. Coast Guard-certified captains and crews. These nostalgic vessels are used to educate visitors on the lake's maritime traditions and explore coastal waters. Though the Windy plays host to themed adventures that include fireworks shows, pirates explaining city architecture, and pirates complaining about the popularity of pool noodles, captains also conduct day, evening, and night sails aboard the Red Witch, a wooden tall ship, and the Pianissimo. Crews strive to make each tour unique, with sailors who expound on their skills as well as performers and educators versed in history, maritime lore, art, and theater.

The Chicago branch of Gray Line's global sightseeing operation organizes a wide variety of tours and excursions throughout the Windy City, from architectural tours that send passengers coasting on the river and lake for sun-drenched educational cruises to shopping odysseys at Chicago Premium Outlets, where travelers can zip through more than 100 stores and restaurants after being shuttled to the retail utopia. Blues outings treat music lovers to raw licks, soul food, and real tears at celebrated concert venues such as Buddy Guy's Legends and Rosa's Lounge.

Gray Line's cherry-red trolleys transport visitors and residents alike to famous Chicago sites. Just north of the river, the vehicles idle before the Wrigley Building's sparkling white terra cotta façade, which in the 1920s stood as the first major skyscraper outside of The Loop. From there, the trolley may motor north to the John Hancock Center, where elevators to its observatory sweep guests 96 floors in 39 seconds. The trolley could also steer south to the Willis Tower, which lost its maiden name of Sears after being charmed by a passing cumulus cloud.

Slice of Chicago Pizza Tours takes a novel approach to acquainting visitors and locals alike with the region’s famous cuisine. Over the course of two hours, the team escorts pizza lovers throughout River North in search of delectable, cheesy morsels on a history-filled tour of three of the city’s most iconic pizzerias. The tour, which caters to all ages, leaves guests sated but not stuffed as they sample the various crusts, sauces, and toppings that formulate Chicago’s most famous food and second most popular raffle prize.