Three Chicago Tours That Let You Step into the Movies

This blog post was updated on September 10, 2018.

When you think of movie tours, you probably think of Los Angeles or New York City.  These are obviously the cities that make the stars and become the basis for big films, but Chicago – the often overlooked big city of the Midwest – has just as much to offer as the others.

 

Think about movies like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Blues Brothers.  These are some of the iconic films that can help you get a real-life glimpse of Chicago through the Windy City’s many movie tours.

 

Chicago Film Tour: This tour allows participants to ride around Chicago on a luxury coach to some 30 locations where a staggering 80 movies were shot.

 

The ride goes for less than 2 hours, but will cover the distance from Uptown to Downtown.  When at a location, scenes from the famous movies will play on screens across the bus.  Some of the movies to be touched upon on the tour include The Dark Knight, Road to Perdition, The Fugitive, Blues Brothers, and The Break-Up.

 

In the process, gain insight into filmmaking history and participate in movie trivia.  Tour season starts March 31, 2012. Learn more on the Chicago Film Tour website.

 

Onscreen Illinois Podcast Tour:  Onscreen Illinois have put together a guided podcast tour to get in touch with major motion picture icons like the Sears Tower and The Green Mile.  Narrated by Bill Kurtis, the tour will take you all across Chicago, and the map with the nearby subway and El stops will help get you there.

 

Simply download the Podcast and the Podcast Map before getting started.

 

TimeOut Chicago’s Romantic Comedy Walk: TimeOut Chicago have put together several neighborhood walks in Chicago, and the Romantic Comedy Walk is located in the Magnificent Mile and Gold Coast area.  Retrace the locations that became the basis for movies like The Break-Up, My Best Friend’s Wedding and Save the Last Dance.

 

The tour is said to take about 1.5 hours and starts at Twin Anchors and ends at the Chicago Theatre.

 

TimeOut lists a number of other movie walks on their website, including Mini Walk:  Uptown Gangster Tour (Public Enemies and Thief) and Mini Walk: High Fidelity Tour (High Fidelity).

 

If you fancy yourself a movie buff, then you should definitely look into one of these tours after booking flights to Chicago!