Kayak Architectural Tour — Attraction in West Chicago Township

I took part in the St. Paddy’s Day Green River Tour and have mixed opinions about it. The tour began well with a friendly and funny staff who gave us a comprehensive orientation, making sure we all knew the safety rules and how to kayak. However, as the tour went on, some things made me less satisfied. One of the best parts was the enthusiasm and fun of paddling the green river downtown. There was a lot of energy from the crowd and the other kayakers and boats. It was a unique and festive way to celebrate the holiday. However, the guides were not very engaging during the tour. They kept us safe by spreading out among the group, but they did not have the amusing and informative remarks I’ve enjoyed on other kayak tours. I realize that safety was important and might have been taking a lot of their focus given the special occasion and the large number of people, but it would have been nice to have more communication. We had to paddle about 6 miles in total without any stops to get out of the boat to rest, stretch, or use the bathroom, which was very tiring, especially for less skilled kayakers. The hardest part of the tour was the way back. My friend and I were going slowly because of exhaustion, and about .5 miles away from the dock, we noticed there were no guides with us or the other slow pokes still in the water. This was worrying, especially since those still on the water were probably the least experienced. The lack of guides made us wonder what would happen if there was an emergency, like a boat flipping over, where we might need help. I like kayaking, but would not suggest this tour to people with little experience or endurance. The factors such as currents, wind, distance, and no breaks made it a difficult trip. Even though it was exciting to kayak through downtown during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, the overall experience was affected by worries about safety and the lack of...

I couldn't have been more excited to do the July 4th fireworks tour, and am shocked be saying that it was a spectacularly horrendous experience. Do not use this company - they are the furthest from the destination, and that added distance is through the ugliest polluted area of the river, it extend the time with no bathroom possibility, no water possibility, and total 4 hours of struggling through merky nasty sewage stench water with floating bottles and scuzzy bubbles that won't pop. There are other much closer tour companies we saw, others with tour guides with bull horns you can hear (unlike ours who you could not hear), others with nicer newer kayaks, and others that don't take on 80 or more kayaks and badger them the whole time. We were clustered so closely together that we were constantly being rammed into by others in our group or splashing that nasty water onto each other with our oars. My boat and others had no safety light packets placed on them. Then the best part - one kayaker rammed into my boat right near Michigan avenue as we all were ordered to be packed in like sardines and a huge bunch of waves came from a speeding boat and that sent my boat all the way over and me swimming in the river. In emergency panic mode, I wound up having to right my boat myself, got in it, it was full and fell over again, managed to get back in, I fell out again, then I had to get my boat to a dock, lift it onto the dock myself to try and get all the water I could out of it, and then paddle it back about 1/4 full of water after all that struggling with zero other options to get back to the starting point. I was drenched head to toe in algae stinking sewage, exhausted, alone from my group. My group, who was ordered to move on while I was still in the water, and prevented from helping me. A totally completely horrible experience and I absolutely attribute that to...

I went to Kayak Chicago for the Fireworks tour on Labor day weekend with another friend. We picked to kayak in a tandem and had a pretty good experience overall.

Pros: 1- Tour guides were extremely knowledgeable, friendly and take about 15 minutes to instruct you on what to do and what to avoid when in the waters. 2- The view from within the river after sunset was beautiful with the skyscrapers and their lights reflecting off the waters. 3- A very unique place and way to watch the fireworks from. 4-We had at least three instructors/guides in the water with us and they kept a tight vigil on all of the kayakers, right from the fastest ones to the slower ones. I really appreciated their help when we accidentally went and joined another group of kayakers (it was dark and we could not differentiate between the two groups of kayaks).

Cons: 1-The tour itself is pretty long and can be moderately straining on your body. One has to be alert all the time to avoid being pushed towards the walls or on to the path of other boats by the current. 2- There were only two stops before the final destination (docks) allowing for only about two good pictures. This I felt was a little disappointing. I was looking to get some good pictures since I the trip was going to be 4-5 hours long. 3- The group moves pretty fast and if you are a beginner, you'll have to play catch-up for most of the trip. I would expect the staff to slow the faster kayakers down so everyone can be at an even speed. 4- I felt the group was a little too big. As a result, we kept bumping into each others kayaks.

Bonus tips: -Tandem kayaks are harder to navigate and tougher on the body (physical strain) but I'd recommend these if you are with a first timer. -DO take a water of bottle for each person on the kayak. The tour is pretty long and straining and you WILL get thirsty. Keeping yourself hydrated is key to having...