chicago fireboat tour

Tours & Attractions , Boat Tours

Chicago fireboat tours.

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111 N. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago IL 60601

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• www.fireboattours.com
• (312) 919-3367

Chicago Fireboat Tours is a veteran owned business, conducting historical & architectural tours, sunset & fireworks cruises, and private events on a retired Chicago fireboat. Although there are other excursion boats in Chicago, ours stands out because you’re cruising on an actual piece of Chicago History. Our vessel the Fred A. Busse, was an active Fireboat for the Chicago Fire Department from 1937 until 1981.

Our guided historical & architectural tours take guests from Lake Michigan onto the Chicago River, navigating the same waterways where she once provided emergency assistance to our beautiful city. Our tours also highlight some of Chicago’s world famous architecture and the history that helped shape the city into what it has become today. In addition to our historical tours, we offer evening sunset and firework cruises on Lake Michigan and serve as one of the most unique venues in Chicago for a private charter or special event. Whether it’s a gathering for a special occasion with family or friends or a corporate event, our boat can accommodate up to 127 people and provide your guests with an unforgettable evening in Chicago.

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Chicago Fireboat Tours

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Chicago Fireboat Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024) - Tripadvisor

Chicago Fireboat Tours

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Similar Experiences

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Chicago Fireboat Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go - Visiting Tips (2024)

Cruise on a Piece of Local History with Chicago Fireboat Tours

• August 14, 2019

Our team of Chicago tour guides recently got the chance to take a sunset cruise with our new partners at Chicago Fireboat Tours. We’ll be working with them to arrange  private boat tour charters  and guides for parties up to 127 people. That’s alongside our other private group boat tour partners, Anita Dee and Knockout Charters . A private Chicago boat tour charter is a great way to take visitors and locals up and down the stunning and historic waterways of Chicago. They also provide a great venue for  customized tours  if your group wants to explore a particular part of the waterfront.

Motoring up and down the lakefront as the sun dips behind the skyline is always a peerless experience. The  Chicago Detours tour guides  spent a couple hours geeking out over the architecture, marveling at the sunset, and enjoying some drinks. We also had the chance to wander around the Fred A. Busse, the Chicago Fireboat Tours’ ship. The boat is a fascinating relic from Chicago’s past, making it a great venue for historic architecture boat tours. After checking it out firsthand, I can explain exactly why we are so excited to begin booking private group outings for our guests with Chicago Fireboat Tours.

History of the Chicago Fireboat Fleet

First of all, stepping onto the Chicago Fireboat vessel is like walking into a historic building, which is kind of our thing at Chicago Detours. The Fred A. Busse is just one of a historical fleet of fireboats that helped fight fires in the Second City. Even with changes in zoning and construction materials after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, this was still a highly combustible city. The riverbanks were especially susceptible to fires. Grain silos filled to bursting , lumber yards towered with timber from the great northern forests , trains threw sparks as they trundled into their shed , and the warehouses of the old South Water Street Market overflowed with a cornucopia of flammable materials .

Hence the need for a fleet of fireboats. These industrial craft could pump thousands of gallons of water per minute and launch the spray dozens of stories in the air. The ships proved invaluable on the industrial zones up and down the river, out near the sailboats and cruise ships on Navy Pier, or at the Lake Calumet port. However, time still passed by the fireboats. As deindustrialization ramped up in the ’70s, the Port of Chicago was used less and less with each passing year and the fireboats saw less action. The city decommissioned the Fred A. Busse in 1981.

The Pleasure of a Chicago Boat Tour

The Fire Department’s loss is our gain, because the Fred A. Busse now provides one of the great scenic excursions in the world, a Chicago river and lake boat tour. Everyone knows it , but it bears repeating that the boat tours of Chicago are a stunning experience. The architecture boat tours on the river are always hugely fun for visitors and locals alike. You just cruise through American architectural history amidst the towering canyon walls of steel and glass. I’ve found that locals tend to really love the sunset cruise down the lakefront. Often a bit lighter on the history, these expeditions serenely sail past nautical landmarks, like the harbor lighthouse , and provide eye-popping views of the dramatic skyline. Of course, we can always create customized tour experiences that mix and match vistas and stories.

Though I’ve done many boat tours, taking the cruise with Chicago Fireboat Tours provided a unique experience. When the Fred A. Busse came out of the dry dock in 1937 its purpose was saving lives and property, not sightseeing. You still get a feel for that when you’re on board. The old fire nozzle still points up on the portside near the bow. Old photos of the fires that the Busse’s crew battled adorn the walls. Those little historic details made the experience more memorable while the cruise still provided the breathtaking skyline views you’d expect from a private architecture boat tour.

Book a Customized Private Group Boat Tour

 Chicago Detours is always ready to help you have a pleasurable time on the waters of the Windy City. We leave the logistical headache of hourly public cruises to the Wendellas of the world. Instead, our guides and staff can help charter a customized private group boat tour  for events like wedding celebrations, corporate outings, family reunions, or any other reason you might have. We will work with the staff of the Chicago Fireboat to create customized tours to fit the needs of your group. Connect with us to book both the boat and the tour guide at once, and we can even work out the details of the bar package for you.

The guides will come courtesy of Chicago Detours, of course. Booking a private boat tour means you’ll likely be learning about the city from either yours truly or Amanda, our Executive Director. Not to toot our own horn, but the two of us are pretty proud of both our vast knowledge of  Chicago’s history and architecture  and our professional guiding skills.

So give us a ring at 312-350-1131 or email [email protected] if you’d like to set to sea soon.

– Alex Bean, Content Manager and Tour Guide

Chicago Detours is boutique tour company that tells neighborhood and city stories through in-person tours, virtual tours, and custom content for private group events.

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Private Tour Coordinator and Tour Guide

There is no shortage of things to discover in Chicago—I love being an urban explorer and uncovering its hidden places. I have an MA in Public History from Loyola University Chicago, and I have worked as a museum educator and kindergarten teacher. My desire to learn new things fuels my passion for educating others, which I get to experience every day as a Chicago tour guide. I live in the northern neighborhood of Rogers Park.

Whether you are a first-time visitor or a lifelong resident, the vibrant history and modern majesty of Chicago never ceases to amaze. I’m a graduate of Columbia College with an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Art. I’ve worked for many years as an educator at City Colleges of Chicago. As tour guide at Chicago Detours, I integrate my enthusiasm for culture and architecture with my passion as an educator. West Town/Noble Square area is home for me.

With our Chicago neighborhoods, vibrant cultural institutions and nearly two centuries of larger-than-life stories, there’s never a dull moment here! I’m a fifth generation Chicagoan and a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. In addition to guiding tours, I’m a creative writer and amateur genealogist. I also enjoy the city’s dynamic theater scene. You can also read overlooked stories from 19th-century newspapers on my “Second Glance History” blog. I live in River North.

Chicago is unique as it always evolves into the future while holding on to the past. I’m fascinated by how people latch on to old architecture but happily pave over others. My background is in theater and performance and I’ve been a tour guide here for more than 10 years. Currently I’m finishing my Master’s in Public History at Loyola University because I love to teach the history of this scrappy city. I’m in the Edgewater neighborhood.

Operations Coordinator and Tour Guide

Chicago’s history is so fascinating, you could spend a lifetime uncovering its secrets…I’m willing to give it a try! I have an M.A. in US History from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and then pursued doctoral studies in Urban History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I love to learn new aspects of Chicago’s rich history and then share my knowledge as a tour guide with Chicago Detours. I live in Ravenswood.

Content Manager and Tour Guide

Chicago has so many neighborhoods, buildings, and by-ways that it’s hard to go long without seeing something new, or something familiar from a new angle. I studied Cinema History for my M.A. from the University of Chicago. I’ve worked as a culture writer for various publications and as an educator of the humanities at the City Colleges of Chicago. I’m thrilled to share my love of this city’s busy past and unique architectural spaces with Chicago Detours. I live in the Chicago neighborhood of Lincoln Park.

Amanda Scotese

Executive director and tour guide, book a chicago event.

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Chicago Fireboat Tours

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Chicago Fireboat Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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Chicago Fireboat Tours

111 N. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL 60601

Chicago Fireboat Tours LLC. conducts daily guided tours, private cruises, and special events on Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. Through the use of historical ships, we are able to showcase Chicago at its finest.

Fred A Busse retired Chicago Fireboat Engine 41 was built in 1936 in Bay City, Michigan, customized for the Chicago Fire Department and served our great city from 1937 until 1981. Upon retirement the Busse was converted to a passenger vessel and operated cruises in Chicago, then Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. After touring in Sturgeon Bay until fall of 2018, Chicago Fireboat Tours returned the Fred A. Busse to her original homeport of Chicago in May of 2019 to showcase this historic vessel to the city she once served.   

See website for updated details about our various tour dates and times.  

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• chicago fire department

Chicago Fireboat Tours return; cruise the river, Lake Michigan on floating piece of history

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Back on the water, Chicago Fireboat Tours offers a chance to cruise on a piece of Chicago history.

Guests can cruise the same waterways where the boat named after former Chicago mayor Fred A. Busse once fought fires and provided emergency assistance. The historic boat was built in 1936 and served the Chicago Fire Department from 1937 to 1981.

"It was designed specifically to fit underneath all the bridges so it was a big turning point in the operation for the fire department on the water.," said Co-Captain Erich Totsch.

Chicago fireboat tours will feature weekly Brew Cruisesfeaturing Phase Three Brewing - every Thursday, beginning April 21 , live Music every 1stFriday of the month featuring Musician Paul Strolia from May through October.

"2019 was our first season and we've taken a lot of pride in restoring the vessel giving the people as good an experience as we can," said Totsch.

Prices range from $37-40 for adults, with discounts available for seniors, Veterans, military, First Responders, and children. All tours & cruises are one and a half to two hours, docking at DuSable Harbor.

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Chicago Fireboat

320 S Canal St

Private Venue

Chicago Fireboat Tours is a veteran owned and operated business which conducts historical and architectural tours on Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. The flagship vessel is the Fred A. Busse and has the perfect layout to treat guests to an unforgettable time.

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CHICAGO FIREBOAT: 127 Guests

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You tell us about your event. We listen and ask a few questions to get to know you better before we develop a menu. From there, we work to pin down the final experience, often through an in-person tasting at our West Loop headquarters, with our team guiding you through the entire process.

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