Chicago Walking Tour of West Town

Eckhart Park was built in 1907 to provide breathing space to the overcrowded neighborhood. Start your tour with a stroll through it and hear about the city's park district and its local significance.

Today, the Northwestern Settlement House takes the title as the longest continually operating settlement house in the country. The institution continues to provide family, emergency, and educational services to more than 40,000 people each year.

Visit one of Chicago's many neighborhood corner bars; The Chipp Inn, which encompasses many aspects of Chicago’s complex relationship with alcohol. Founded in 1897 (some rumor that it goes back to 1874), this side-street dive bar is one of Chicago’s oldest and longest running bars.

Epic Spices is a wholesaler of spices to Chicago’s restaurants. The husband and wife team work directly with farms and brokers to source the highest quality ingredients from around the world.

Immerse yourself in boot-filled aisles made from various exotic skins, see hand crafted wooden fixtures, and experience a wide selection of stetsons at one of the nation's largest western-wear store. Alcalas's was founded by Luis Alcala who left Arkansas some time in the 1940s and moved to Chicago. From local markets to a city-wide staple, come experience this cultural epicenter.

A pocket park in an empty lot that we will use to answer questions and take a break.

Witness a piece of Siberia on the edge of Chicago's Ukrainian Village. The small but mighty cathedral towers over the area with its golden onion dome dating back to the 1880's, eventually leading to the city's very own saint. Sit on its steps as we walk you through its rich history.

Chicago’s Workers Cottages are a part of the city’s vernacular, an architectural style based on local needs and availability of materials, predominantly built as affordable housing for working and middle-class homeowners from the 1870’s to 1910’s.

Walk down this tree-lined street filled with the massive mansions of the past, long known as 'Beer Barron Row' due to its brewing past. This area of Wicker Park was the preferred destination for the so-called brewers of the 1800's. In-fact beer was so significant in Chicago that its first civil disturbance revolved around the beverage: the 1855 Lager Beer Riot.