Beat the heat with Chicago tours

Explore the unique and diverse neighborhoods within Chicago’s many communities this summer with Chicago Neighborhood Tours. Returning favorite neighborhood tours include Little Italy and Wicker Park & Bucktown. Special Interest Tours feature Great Cemeteries of Chicago, Chicago’s Magnificent Churches and the monthly Taste of the Neighborhoods tours.

Other options include four Summertime Sampler Tours, each visiting three neighborhoods in three hours. Rotating Summertime Sampler Tours in July include Humboldt Park, Wicker Park and Ukrainian Village; Little Italy, Pilsen and Little Village; Uptown, Andersonville and Lincoln Square; and Greek Town, Chinatown and Little Italy.

The Humboldt Park, Wicker Park and Ukrainian Village Summertime Sampler Tour is filled with historic homes, churches, and parks, these three neighborhoods feature unique architecture, history, and ethnic traditions and stories. Guests have time to explore the historic Wicker Park neighborhood on their own.

On Chicago’s Magnificent Churches Special Interest Tour, tour-goers gain insight into the city’s past and present at the historic Second Presbyterian Church, and two-to-three additional churches, led by architectural expert Thomas O’Gorman.

Summertime Sampler Tours continue, taking guests through Uptown, Andersonville and Lincoln Square. These three Far North Side neighborhoods make up some of Chicago’s more recently established communities. Time is allotted to roam the shops, delis and bakeries that line Clark Street in Andersonville and Lincoln Avenue in the Lincoln Square district.

Groups can also take an in-depth walking tour of Little Italy, home to generations of Italian families and businesses. Stop to visit The Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii and continue on a guided walking tour of this charming neighborhood. Later, stop for a private tour of the historic landmark, The Jane Addams Hull-House Museum.

The Chinatown, Greek Town, and Little Italy Summertime Sampler Tour travels by motorcoach through these three distinct neighborhoods. Learn where early immigrants lived after arriving in America. A walking tour through Chinatown allows guests to explore shops and markets at their own pace.

Join cemetery historian Albert Walavich for the Great Cemeteries of Chicago Special Interest Tour of Rosehill Cemetery. Learn where some of Chicago’s most famous – and infamous – social, political, and business leaders have gone to their final resting places.

Groups can always explore Little Italy, Pilsen and Little Village with a Summertime Sampler Tour. Drive through the heart of Little Italy, home to generations of Italian families, lovely churches and parks. Stop for Mexican pastries or candy on 26th Street, one of the city’s busiest shopping districts, in the Mexican neighborhood of Little Village. In Pilsen, one of the city’s largest Mexican-American communities, view colorful murals highlighting the Mexican and Mexican-American experience.

The great flavors of the city only get better in the summer. Visitors can taste their way through Chicago neighborhoods on the mouthwatering Taste of the Neighborhoods Tour. Join ethnic food guide Evelyn Thompson and learn the differences, similarities and preparation of entrees and desserts on this popular culinary journey where guests may stop at restaurants, delis, or bakeries throughout the city to sample delectable dishes.

Visit the side-by-side neighborhoods of Wicker Park & Bucktown. Stop at the beautiful St. Hedwig Church in Bucktown, and continue on a guided walking tour for a close-up look at the many mansions and stunning Victorian architecture in Wicker Park, with time allotted to wander the array of shops on your own.

To receive a schedule of all 2007 Chicago Neighborhood Tours, call 312.742.1190 or visit http://www.chicagoneighborhoodtours.com For information about group tours, call 312.742.1190.