Chicago Fireboat Tours
DETAILS:
Location: Cruises depart from DuSable Harbor - 111 N. Lakeshore Drive, Chicago, IL 60601 (Docked behind the Columbia Yacht Club)
Hours of Operation: Seasonal run from March thru November. Cruises occur daily and typically depart at 3PM & 6PM with an additional 12PM cruise on weekends, weather permitting. Please check their website below (under “resources”) for schedule and availability.
Parking: Multiple paid parking lots available in the area. We found Millennium Lakeside Garage (located at 5 South Columbus Drive) to be the most reasonably priced (with a discounted rate for advanced online booking) and approximately a .5 mile walk to DuSable Harbor.
Cost:
$35 adults / $30 seniors / $19.50 children 4-12 / $25 first responders, military, veterans.
Parking prices vary with parking location.
Time Commitment: Cruises last approximately 1.5 to 2 hours.
Miscellaneous:
As of this post, you can find discounted tickets on Groupon.
Anyone who knows Chicago will tell you that parking costs an arm & a leg in the city. If public transportation or rideshares such as Lyft or Uber are not an option, I highly reccomend using a parking app like SpotHero or ParkWhiz to alleviate that cost. These apps make finding parking in any city super convenient and often save you as much as half off the drive-up rate for booking in advance. I’ve only recently begun using these apps and sort of kicking myself for not having done so sooner.
I love living in California, I really do. But there’s no city on this planet that I cherish more than Chicago. That’s my hometown and nothing will ever replace that. Of all the amazing things I look forward to whenever I get the opportunity to return, the one thing I always make sure to take advantage of (weather permitting) is a boat cruise down the Chicago River. Whenever someone asks me what they should do when visiting Chicago, a riverboat cruise always tops my list of suggestions. But it’s hardly just for first time visitors. Cruising down the river is a Chicago institution and a thoroughly enjoyable way to take in the city whether you’re a tourist or lifelong resident. Doing so provides an unparalleled view of the city and I can honestly say with all biases aside that it’s one of the most spectacular urban views in the country, if not the world. There are plenty of companies that offer riverboat cruises (as well as cruises on Lake Michigan), and having stepped aboard pretty much all of them, you really can’t go wrong with whichever one you pick since they’re all fairly similar (even down to the narrated facts provided by your tour guide). But if you’re really looking for a unique experience on the river, I definitely recommend giving Chicago Fireboat Tours a try.
One of the newest cruise options available (opening for business in summer of 2019), Chicago Fireboat Tours’ entire fleet consists of exactly one boat; Chicago Fireboat Engine 41 - Fred A. Busse (named after the city’s 39th mayor). The Fred A. Busse holds particular significance in Chicago lore since it actually served as a working fireboat from 1937 to 1982, fighting some of the city’s biggest fires during that period with hoses that could spray water up to 27 stories high. At the time of its commission, it was the largest diesel powered craft of its kind in the world. So it goes without saying that the Fred A. Busse is a Chicago landmark in its own right and no stranger to the city’s various waterways despite its relatively new assignment, giving it the rare distinction of being one of the newest and oldest ships in the city. After being retired in 1981 it was privately purchased and converted into an excursion boat running out of Sturgeon Bay in Wisconsin until finally being re-purchased and returned to its rightful home of Chicago in 2019. What also makes Chicago Fireboat Tours special is that it is a veteran owned company (co-founders; Ray Novak and Erich Totsch are U.S. Navy veterans and Chicago natives) with help from the Veterans Business Project; a nonprofit organization in Illinois that helps match veterans who want to own businesses with business owners wanting to sell. Even more admirable, Chicago Fireboat Tours donates a portion of their proceeds to various veteran, police and fire organizations. Cruising the Chicago River on a historic ship that exists because of veterans while donating to local charities, what’s not to love?!
On a personal note, I really want everyone to know how great these guys are. Each person we met associated with Chicago Fireboat Tours was super friendly and knowledgeable. Even more important, the way that they take care of their customers is beyond commendable. On the day of our cruise, we happened to be the only ones in attendance. It would’ve been completely understandable (albeit disappointing) had they canceled the cruise due to lack of numbers since wasting that much gas on just two people wouldn’t make much sense from a business standpoint. But to their great credit, they still honored our reservation anyway, even saying we could take the boat wherever we wanted since we were the only ones aboard. I’m not sure how many other businesses would’ve gone to those lengths to keep us happy. It was like having our very own private charter and a special experience that I will never forget.
RESOURCES:
Chicago Fireboat Tours website.
