We hear this question a lot while planning your private yacht cruises. The Free Spirit does a Chicago Lakefront tour while the Gypsy Spirit can do either a Lakefront tour or a Lake and River tour (your choice).
Both tours start out of Burnham Harbor where our yachts are docked. If you’re not familiar with Burnham Harbor, it’s just southeast of Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, and north of McCormick Place, the largest convention center in America.
The Free Spirit cruises north to exit Burnham Harbor, proceeds past Northerly Island and then heads south. From there we cruise by the Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium cut through Monroe Harbor, wave at all of the landllubbers, pass by Buckingham Fountain, the Chicago Yacht Club, the MV “Abegweit” aka: Columbia Yacht Club, Navy Pier, and then North through the “playpen” — that Lake Michigan hangout you see from Lake Shore Drive, north of Navy Pier, where you’ll find a gazillion boaters gathered together enjoying the skyline. If the lake isn’t too bouncy the Free Spirit will cruise past the Harrison-Dever Intake Crib. Check out this old WGN broadcast about “the Crib”, see why it’s so cool!
The Gypsy Spirit can do the same cruise as the Free Spirit or you can head straight for the Chicago River, a unique part of our city, and one that you and your guests will find fascinating. The Chicago River System is 156 miles long and flows through downtown Chicago. It used to flow directly into Lake Michigan until 1900, when the Army Corps of Engineers reversed the flow of the river to prevent a recurrence of epidemics, giving Chicago the world’s only river to flow backwards. Just an interesting bit of trivia about our city! When you cruise with us, we can provide a tour guide to entertain you with anecdotes about Chicago history, architecture and fun facts.
