Chicago River Ghost & Dark History Night Cruise
Chicago, USA
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
What's Included
- Restroom on board
- Live commentary on board
- Snacks, beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages available for purchase on board.
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- First Lady112 E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601, USA
On Michigan & Wacker Dr., at the northeast corner of the intersection. Upon arrival, please take the stairs down to Chicago's Riverwalk and visit the box office (right after/bottom of the stairs) for guidance to your cruise boarding dock. A departure board is available for your reference.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Chicago Riverwalk (Pass By)
The Wrigley Building (Pass By)
Tribune Tower (Pass By)
Marina City (Pass By)
Merchandise Mart (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Discounted parking available at 111 E. Wacker Drive. Please visit the dockside box office for parking ticket validation.
- Wheelchair accessibility varies by vessel. Please contact us in advance to confirm availability.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 250 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.0
based on 248 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Speaker was not in costume as advertised, no Halloween lights as shown in pictures or decorations anywhere. Was just another tour but less informative.
Great tour, great stories as long as you aren't seated near rude people who want to talk during tour. The weather was perfect and the stories were interesting. I wish there was someone on board to remind others that the experience is to hear stories and not talk excessively and drown out the audio.
This was basically a talking tour only. No decorations mood music just a guy telling stories. Nice boat ride in the city.
The Ghost tour was canceled and we were not informed until we were on the boat. They never explained why only that they made a scheduling error. We were not happy, along with all the others on the boat. We were told we could disembark and get a refund, but we had planned our evening around this tour and didn’t have anything else planned for the evening. I felt bad for the tour guide because people were very mean and ugly about there disappointment, but we couldn’t blame them. She said it was like the same tour but it was the same route, not the tour and we were mislead from the time we boarded. She was uncomfortable, she was very nervous. The captain was extremely cavalier and basically unapologetic, it felt like he was saying “it is what it is and deal with it.”
Felt a lot on the fly, to say it was story telling is a stretch . More of a booze cruise vibe. Not really family fun.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We're sorry the experience didn't align with your expectations. We appreciate your comments regarding the storytelling and overall atmosphere, as guest feedback helps us better understand how our tours are being received. We hope you'll consider joining us again for a different experience in the future.
Cute old wives tales about Chicago’s ghost stories. I would recommend getting there about an hour earlier than your time to find parking. Overall, I would definitely do another tour. I would sit in the front of the boat to be able to take pictures. The views were amazing and the different stories were awesome! You also get to view all the shops along the river.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Hello Jennifer,
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re so glad you enjoyed the spooky stories, amazing views, and shops along the river. Thanks for sharing your helpful tips about parking and sitting at the front for photos. We recommend guests to park inside the Illinois Center as it's the closest parking garage. We look forward to having you aboard again for another Creepy Cruise
If you have a family member or friend with a disability don’t go to the 9:30pm show, the gate to exit will be locked and you have to climb over. Their are no elevators, thank god their was a kind man who helped my family member climb the gate, my cousin suffered a stroke a few years back and is paralyzed on the right side. First Lady can do better, and close the gate after the 9:30pm show people completely leave.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry for the difficulty you encountered when leaving the Riverwalk after your cruise. Riverwalk management recently transitioned to a new security team and we are coordinating with them to help prevent this from happening again and ensure a smoother exit for our guests. We appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention. If you’d like to discuss your experience further, please reach out to us at clientservice@firstlady.com.
Our host was outstanding, completely committed to the presentation.
It would have been even better if the inside seating had functional speakers - we retreated below when the evening temperature dropped from "refreshing" to "uncomfortable," along with perhaps a quarter of the other passengers. The audio was simply lost at that point.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad to hear you enjoyed our host’s presentation, but we sincerely apologize that the audio in the indoor seating area detracted from your experience when you moved inside to escape the cooler temperatures. We’d appreciate the opportunity to learn more about what happened. Were the speakers too quiet, or were they not working at all? Did a crew member have the opportunity to assist you? Please reach out to us at clientservice@firstlady.com so we can look into this further. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Would recommend 10/10 - speaker was amazing to say the least! Stories where great; the whole experience itself was one of a kind. Bring a jacket!
Doug the tour guide was great. He knows how to portray the characters he’s talking about to make them interesting!
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us! We truly appreciate your feedback and are happy to hear that you took the time to enjoy the experience with us. Your comments are valuable to our team and help us continue providing memorable experiences for our guests. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you aboard again in the future!
The information about the experience is complete and accurate. The narrator was not a Great story teller. I would try another line the next time. These experiences are always great if you have a good narrator. This one was boring and seemed to
Need coaching on presenting an intriguing story.
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that the narration did not meet your expectations. We strive to provide engaging and entertaining storytelling on every cruise, and we appreciate you sharing your perspective. Your comments will be shared with our team as we continue to work on delivering a memorable experience for all our guests. We hope you’ll consider joining us again for another cruise in the future!
In the picture It showed me a big boat, we got a small one. We got told the wrong docking umbrella so we didn't get a good view. Wondering if I can get a refund for this because that's not cool
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. We operate a fleet of vessels of varying sizes and do our best to use our larger boats whenever possible, though smaller vessels may occasionally be used depending on operational needs. Photos of the seating on different vessels are included in our product listing. We also apologize for any confusion regarding the boarding location and understand how that may have affected your experience. If you’d like to discuss your concerns further, including your refund request, please contact our team at clientservice@firstlady.com so we can look into the details of your visit.
The tour was awesome l! The staff outside the boat was no help. I had my ticket and they couldn’t find my name when they typed into their device. They pulled my family and I out of the line we had been in for quite some time. They sent me to the ticket office all to be told they couldn’t find my name but I could still board and had to run back so I wouldn’t miss the boat. The staff was no help.
Do not do this tour in the rain, even light rain. Cannot see any of the buildings because of
the bright lights in the boat. So unhappy
Response from Host, Sep 2026
We’re sorry to hear that the rain affected your experience. We appreciate you sharing your feedback and will take it into consideration as we look for ways to improve the experience for our guests.
The Chicago River Ghost & Dark History Night Cruise was the right pace & timing. Doug the presenter was funny and entertaining - he made the stories clear & to the point. It was more weird & fun rather than fear/horror stories. I think the tone of the stories was good - not too much horror/terror. The staff on the boat watched the attendees - one person spilled their drink all over the floor - the staff immediately cleaned up the spill so there would not be any slip/fall accidents. Giving time for short breaks to use the restroom or get drinks was good - you had time to do things and not disrupt the presentation.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your review and feedback. We thin Dough is awesome too. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Our guide was humorous and spirited. The tour itself was fine. Perhaps a little pricey for what was offered.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your review and feedback. We are glad that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Very interesting, but also so beautiful to see the city light up at night. Doug was the best!! Crazy stories with some jokes peppered in.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your review. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. We think that Doug is awesome too. Hope you will return soon.
Very informal, must sit on top so you dont miss a thing. Our tour guide was the best I've heard in a long time. So go and enjoy 😉
Response from Host, Oct 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us! We truly appreciate your feedback and are happy to hear that you took the time to enjoy the experience with us. Your comments are valuable to our team and help us continue providing memorable experiences for our guests. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you aboard again in the future!
The scenery was great. The tour guide was absolutely hilarious which made for a much better experience.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us! We truly appreciate your feedback and are happy to hear that you took the time to enjoy the experience with us. Your comments are valuable to our team and help us continue providing memorable experiences for our guests. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you aboard again in the future!
It was a great river tour, but not really creepy at all. The stories were interesting. We enjoyed ourselves.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us! We truly appreciate your feedback and are happy to hear that you took the time to enjoy the experience with us. Your comments are valuable to our team and help us continue providing memorable experiences for our guests. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you aboard again in the future!
This is a great tour company. the tour guide had a lot of interesting information and it was fun to see the city lights from the boat
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your review. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Great ride. Chicago from the water is gorgeous.
Ghost Stories? Pretty weak, but sometimes humorous.
Saw no ghosts.....
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your review and feedback. We are glad that you enjoyed tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Incredibly fun tour. Crew and tour guide were 10/10. Made me want to go on the daytime architecture tour.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your review. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. We would love to welcome you aboard again.
Was a great tour! Not very scary but full of history about Chicago itself. Beautiful night on the water!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your review and feedback. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
It is an amazing way to see and learn about the history of Chicago.
Really nice at night to see the sky and clouds over the buildings.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your review. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Hailey was an amazing story teller! She truly made this experience to die for! I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys learning about the history of downtown Chicago and spookiness.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your review. We think Hailey is awesome too. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
The atmosphere was calming and relaxing. The restroom was surprisingly clean. The staff were nice and pleasant. The bartenders could’ve been friendlier. The experience was beautiful and the 9:30pm was a great choice because we were able to see Chicago. The host was great.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for sharing your feedback! We’re so glad you enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere, clean facilities, friendly staff, and beautiful views of Chicago. We’re especially happy to hear that the 9:30 p.m. departure was a great choice for taking in the city at night. We’ll also share your feedback regarding the bartenders with our team. We hope to welcome you back again soon!
Narrator was excellent, his knowledge and the telling were excellent!! Crew was very nice!Very Happy
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your review. We strive to make our tour memorable for our guests. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
The nighttime dark history tour was so fun! The beautiful views of the nighttime city lights were an added bonus! Doug did a wonderful job with all the stories!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for your review. We think Doug is awesome too. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
The tour was fun, interesting, and at times creepy. Our tour guide was Doug and his information seemed legit (I wouldn’t know any different!), his rapport with the guests was friendly and helpful, and he made the tour a pleasure.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you so much for the fantastic review! We’re delighted to hear that you found the tour fun, interesting, and just the right amount of creepy. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to Doug—his knowledge and ability to connect with guests are such an important part of creating a memorable experience. We look forward to welcoming you back for another adventure
Member Pricing
From
$43.70
per personWas $46.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Chicago River Ghost & Dark History Night Cruise
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1 hour 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
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$46.00
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