Springfield, Illinois
History, in its many forms, remains front and center in Springfield, Illinois. Springfield Walks brings local insight and lore to its city tours. One of the most popular is the in-depth Lincoln Experience, a half-day tour that visits Lincoln sites throughout the city, including the Lincoln home, the Old State Capitol and Lincoln’s Tomb.
The Springfield Haunted History Tour showcases the haunted side of this prairie town. Groups will engage in a light paranormal investigation and hear the history behind the hauntings of an old local inn, a hidden cemetery and the Hickox house. Another popular otherworld tour, Lincoln’s Ghost Walk: Legends and Lore, takes place in the evening. This 90-minute walking tour uses the Lincoln sites as a backdrop for strange and bizarre stories surrounding Lincoln’s life and death. It delves into Lincoln’s spiritual and Christian beliefs, and his visions and dreams of death.
The Saturday night Bootleggin’ Pub Crawl, within the Old Town District, uncovers Springfield’s wicked Prohibition history. Participants can order from a secret drink menu while listening to stories that recount raids on stills and sidewalk assassinations involving the city’s former gangster world.
“The owner of Springfield Walks brings 17 years of guide experience to every group, and he’s a wealth of information,” said Gina Gemberling, executive director of Visit Springfield, Illinois, Convention and Visitors Bureau. “I can highly recommend his step-on guide service, too.”
www.visitspringfieldillinois.com
St. Paul, Minnesota
Ranked No. 2 in the nation for parks and public spaces, St. Paul offers tours that take in its beauty and history. Padelford Riverboats sail along the Mississippi River during historically narrated 90-minute cruises. Chef’s Club Dinner Cruises bases its menu on fresh, local ingredients, and the Beer and Bacon evening cruise features local craft beers and bacon-infused appetizers.
“A river cruise is an important part of any group’s St. Paul experience because it’s the reason that the city is here,” said Nick Cusick, marketing and media relations manager for Visit Saint Paul. “The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area runs between St. Paul and Minneapolis.”
Always popular, the Gangster Bus Tour visits the most notorious spots in the city’s gangster history and points out other sites along the way. The tour is led by a re-enactor of usually a sheriff or a gangster from that period who goes in-depth about gangster history. According to Cusick, St. Paul’s gangster history rivals that of Chicago. Often, groups will add the Wabasha Street Caves tour. Once dedicated to mushroom growing, the cave doubled as a nightclub frequented by John Dillinger, the Barker Gang and others.
Groups can also glide through the heart of St. Paul on Segways. The Magical History Tour takes in the State Capitol, St. Paul Cathedral, the F. Scott Fitzgerald homes and more.
Detroit
Architectural excursions are plentiful in the Motor City. Preservation Wayne, Detroit’s oldest and largest architectural preservation organization, offers tours that focus on famed architect Albert Kahn, known to architectural historians as “the man who built Detroit.” Detroit Urban Adventures provides a tour called Detroit’s Rise, Fall and Renewal, which showcases the old and the new.
Feet on the Street Tours has the motto “Come Hungry, Leave Happy.” Culinary Escapes offers an insider’s view of dining in Detroit. Taste-Full Tours features themed tours, including Beer and BBQ, Sip and Knit, and Motown Chowdown.
“We have many walking options, but we also customize motorcoach tours with a step-on guide,” said Renee Monforton, director of communications at the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Downtown and architectural tours surprise visitors with the breathtaking quality and historic value of the buildings here in Detroit. Brew and food tours are quite popular, too.”
The Detroit Experience Factory organizes walking, car, bus and bicycle tours for groups. Usually organized around a theme, they can be customized. Their Detroit Innovation Tour highlights the city’s most innovative projects, and visitors can get an insider’s perspective on the city’s reinvention. The vibrancy of downtown Detroit is evident as Segway riders zoom past city sites with Inside Detroit Tours. Major landmarks and historic sites along the way are the RiverWalk, Hart Plaza and the Detroit Opera House.
