Chicago for Chicagoans

03/18/2026

Last call!

Join us for our final lecture of the season on March 31, 2026! Anthony Alfaro, tour guide, historian, and preservationist, will unpack the long history of anti-LGBTQ stereotypes in Chicago, from Tower Town to the midcentury era, through the AIDS epidemic, and into the present day. He will trace how these rumors formed, the harm they caused, which were challenged or dismantled, and which unkind beliefs still linger today. 🏳️‍🌈

📍 Bad Apple – Lincoln Park (658 W Belden Ave)
⏰ Lecture begins at 7PM (doors open at 6:30PM - arrive early to secure a seat!)
🎟️ More info and ticket registration are in our bio

Come for the history, stay for the perspective and maybe a cocktail🍸

03/11/2026

Urban renewal: bold vision or broken promises? 🏙️

Join us on March 24, 2026 as we dig into Chicago’s long history of “revitalization,” unpacking who benefited, who didn’t, and whether urban renewal actually delivered on its promises or mainly served investors.

Tour guide and historian Mandy Crypt will explore how these efforts reshaped neighborhoods across Chicago and what the city’s past can teach us about redevelopment today.

📍 Bad Apple – Lincoln Park (658 W Belden Ave)
⏰ Lecture begins at 7PM (doors open at 6:30PM—arrive early to secure a seat!)
🎟️ More info and ticket registration are in our bio

Come for the history, stay for the debate and maybe a drink 🍻

03/09/2026

Ahoy, sailor! Come join us for a bevvy and some history about our fabulous port city, Chicago!

On March 10, 2026 we’re thrilled to welcome back tour guide and maritime historian Sam Presti to help us chart the waterways that powered Chicago’s rise and uncover the forgotten stories floating just beneath the surface. From shipyards and lighthouses to naval battles, freshwater pirates, and the goods that built the city, Chicago’s maritime story runs deep.

📍 Bad Apple – Lincoln Park (658 W Belden Ave)
⏰ Lecture begins at 7PM (doors open at 6:30PM—arrive early to secure a seat!)
🎟️ More info and ticket registration are in our bio

Come for the history, stay for the tall tales and maybe a cocktail. ⚓🍸

02/25/2026

“Can you believe they tore that beautiful, old building down? They don’t make them like they used to!”

…or do they?! Tour guide, brick historian, and photographer Will Quam will join us on March 3, 2026 to take a closer look at Chicago’s building trades and challenge the idea that old always means better… and new always means worse. From shoddy historic construction to beautifully built modern architecture, the truth is a lot more complicated.

Come for a cocktail and hear more about how construction quality has always varied, why nostalgia shapes our opinions, and what actually makes a building good.

📍 Bad Apple – Lincoln Park (658 W Belden Ave)
⏰ Lecture begins at 7PM (doors open at 6:30PM—arrive early to secure a seat!)
🎟️ More info and ticket registration are in our bio

02/18/2026

Remember Riverview Amusement Park? Fondly? Or not so much?

Join us on February 24, 2026 as we look behind the curtain at Riverview Amusement Park, movie palaces, and other iconic entertainment venues that claimed to be inclusive, while often treating minority patrons very differently.

Tour guide and theatre historian Leyla Royale will unpack how these institutions promoted integration on paper, enforced exclusion in practice, and what that gap reveals about Chicago’s cultural past.

📍 Bad Apple – Lincoln Park (658 W Belden Ave)
⏰ Lecture begins at 7PM (doors open at 6:30PM—arrive early to secure a seat!)
🎟️ More info and ticket registration are in our bio

Come for the memories, stay for the uncomfortable truths and maybe a drink 🍻

02/11/2026

Remember Cabrini Green? Ever wonder what Public Housing looks like today? Who lives there? Then join us on February 17, 2026! Tour guide, housing activist, and historian Henry Nieberg will trace Chicago’s central role in the history of public and affordable housing, unpack the judgments placed on residents, and examine how policy, economics, and public perception have shaped what housing looks like today.

📍 Bad Apple – Lincoln Park (658 W Belden Ave)
⏰ Lecture begins at 7PM (doors open at 6:30PM… arrive early to secure a seat!)
🎟️ More info and ticket registration are in our bio

Come for the history, stay for the conversation and maybe meet a neighbor or two!

02/04/2026

Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle to expose the miserable conditions of immigrant laborers in Chicago’s Packingtown. Instead, all America could think about was the hygiene of its breakfast sausages.

Join us on February 10, 2026 as we examine how the seminal muckraking novel, focused on the hardships of its protagonist, became the focal point for nationwide food safety reform.

Tour guide and historian Charles Ocasek returns to explore the accuracy of The Jungle’s portrayal of Packingtown, its immediate impact on America, and its labor and literary legacy.

📍 Bad Apple – Lincoln Park (658 W Belden Ave)
⏰ Lecture begins at 7PM (doors open at 6:30PM - arrive early to secure a seat!)
🎟️ More info and ticket registration are in our bio

Come for the literary history, stay for the uncomfortable truths and maybe a beer 🍻

01/28/2026

“Did you know Al Capone stayed here/ danced here/ drank here/ was HERE??”

If this sounds like a familiar start to a story you’ve heard from a million Chicagoans a million times, then join us on February 3, 2026! Incredibly famous author, tour guide, and historian Adam Selzer returns to help us separate Chicago fact from celebrity folklore, and uncover how famous names like Al Capone, Charlie Chaplin, and Johnny Weissmuller are far less tied to your favorite local watering hole than legend suggests.

📍 Bad Apple – Lincoln Park (658 W Belden Ave)
⏰ Lecture begins at 7PM (doors open at 6:30PM - come early to grab a seat!)
🎟️ More info and ticket registration are in our bio

Come for the myth-busting, stay for the history (and maybe a burger) 🍔

01/13/2026

Think Chicago Blues is just Southern music brought north? Think again.

On Tuesday, January 13, join us for the second lecture in our Winter Lecture Series as we uncover how Chicago created its own electrified, high-tech blues sound—powered by amplification, recording studios, and the postwar energy of the Great Migration.

Walter Kiefer (tour guide, musician, and historian) will dig into how marketing, myth-making, and the rise of white audiences reshaped the narrative—and how Chicago’s true musical innovation got lost along the way.

📍 Bad Apple – Lincoln Park (658 W Belden Ave)

🎟️ More info and the link to register for a ticket are at chicagoforchicagoans.org/events

Come for the history, stay for the sound—and maybe a cocktail or two. 🍸🎸

12/24/2025

🎟️Tickets are LIVE! 🎟️ Join us on Tuesday, January 6 for the first lecture in our 2026 Winter Lecture Series—and yes, tickets are FREE (donations encouraged 💙).

Our kickoff lecture takes on one of Chicago’s most enduring misconceptions: its criminal reputation. Chicago for Chicagoans founder Patti Swanson will unpack the myths, the facts, and how Chicago actually stacks up—from frontier chaos and gangster lore to modern-day stats.

📍 We’re back at the Bad Apple – Lincoln Park (658 W Belden Ave) for our 2026 lecture series

✨ Tickets cost nothing, but we ask for a pay-what-you-can donation if you’re able. Your support helps us keep Chicago history accessible to everyone.

🍔 History, 🍸 cocktails, 📚 great conversation—what more could you want?
Grab your spot now at chicagoforchicagoans.org/events !

12/16/2025

We’re back! ✨ Chicago for Chicagoans is thrilled to announce our 2026 Winter Lecture Series, returning to Bad Apple Lincoln Park (658 W Belden) this January.

This year’s theme is MISCONCEPTIONS, and we’re taking on Chicago’s most persistent myths, unfair stereotypes, and legendary tall tales. From dubious “facts” to outright urban legends, our speakers will separate truth from fiction and set the record straight on Chicago’s past.

Each week features a different local historian or expert, for 12 one-of-a-kind evenings of lectures, lively discussion, and plenty of tasty cocktails 🍸 Join us in person and become part of our friendly community of history nerds—or catch the lecture recordings online after each event from the comfort of home.

First lecture: Tuesday, January 6

Speaker: Patti Swanson—Chicago for Chicagoans founder and tour guide extraordinaire

Topic: Chicago’s criminal reputation—myths vs. reality, from the lawless frontier and 1920s gangsters to midcentury mobsters and today’s statistics.

🎟 Tickets go on sale via Eventbrite two weeks before each lecture.

📍 View the full lineup at chicagoforchicagoans.org/events

💙 Accessibility matters to us. This series is offered on a pay-what-you-can basis, with a suggested (tax-deductible) donation of $10–20 for those who are able. Chicago for Chicagoans is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded entirely by supporters like you. If you have some scratch to spare, your donation helps keep Chicago history accessible to all.

Donate online at chicagoforchicagoans.org/donate or in person at the event. We accept cash, checks, cards, digital payments, office supplies, volunteer hours—and definitely not black-market goods 😉

12/11/2025

Friends! We are thrilled to annouce we are in the running to be named the best walking tour in Chicago by The Chicago Reader for 2025! We'd be honered for your vote! If you can spare a moment, please vote for us by clicking the link below! We thank you all for your support, and we'll see you all again begining January 6th!

https://chicagoreader.com/best-of-chicago-2025-city-life/

It's time for the Best of Chicago 2025! The ballot will be open for voting December 1 through December 31, 2025.