The Postcard Tour
Chicago's greatest hits — and the stories behind them. A river that flows backward, buildings covered in stolen rocks, towers that look like corn cobs, and a giant bean made by a man who wishes you'd stop calling it a bean.
Start This ExperienceWhat You'll Experience
A taste of what you'll hear
13 stops, each with its own story. Here's a preview.
"This is Chicago. You've seen it in movies. You've seen it on postcards. Or more likely, Instagram. Now you'll see it in person. You're going to see a river that flows backward because Chicago didn't like where the sewage was going."
"That's the tour. You just walked through Chicago's greatest hits — and you heard some things that were absolutely true and some things I made up. REAL: The city reversed the river to send sewage to Saint Louis. They got sued. They won."
Part tour, part game
Most of what you hear is true. But we slip in a few things that aren't. At the end, there's a quiz — can you tell which facts were real?
It makes you pay attention. And it's way more fun than just listening.
Have questions? Just ask.
Curious about something you heard? Want to know more about a place? Ask us anything — we have a lot to say. It's more fun when it's a conversation.
Ready?
Download the app, head to the starting point, and press play. The stories start themselves.
Get the Free AppOther Chicago Tours
The Loop
Bootleggers, Bullets & Baloney
Walk through Prohibition-era Chicago, when this city was run by gangsters, corrupt politicians, and men with surprisingly good taste in suits. Everything I tell you will sound absolutely true. Some of it is. Some of it... I made up. Your job? Try to figure it out.
Museum Campus
Museum Campus: Landfill of Dreams
The story of three world-class museums built on fifty-seven acres of garbage, one controversial stadium, and a midnight bulldozer raid.
The Loop
Steel, Stone, and Ego
After the Great Fire, Chicago handed the keys to a bunch of ambitious architects and said — fix this. What followed was a century of skyscrapers, scandals, and egos the size of the buildings themselves. You'll meet the man who invented "form follows function" and died broke, a political dynasty that turned one building into a fifty-times fortune, and an artist who REALLY wishes you'd stop calling his sculpture "the bean."
Lincoln Park
The Best Free Day in Chicago
One of America's oldest free zoos. A Victorian glass house. A hidden garden designed by a man who cashed in his life insurance for flowers. And roughly twelve thousand unmarked graves. All free.