CHICAGO — When Jeff Mikos and his wife Lindsay spent most of 2015 backpacking through South America, they noticed a common theme: Free city walking tours.
"Every major city in South America had a free walking tour," Jeff Mikos said. "It was incredible."
When the 31-year-old Lincoln Park resident returned to Chicago, he decided to start a similar venture. Free Chicago Walking Tours debuts Saturday with a tour Downtown. Five total tours will be offered, most Downtown. Another is in Lincoln Park. The tours will focus on history and architecture of the neighborhoods.
"I want this company to be ambassadors to the city and make Chicago as easy and accessible as possible," said Mikos, who also has lived in Wicker Park.
One of six guides will lead the two-hour tours. They are free, but customers are encouraged to tip tour guides afterward.
That was the theme in South America, when Jeff and Lindsay visited big cities in Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Ecuador and blogged about their experiences. They both quit their jobs in corporate retail last year to go on the trip, during which they lived in hostels and volunteered at places like an animal sanctuary in the Bolivian jungle.
"A way to see all these places was the free walking tours," Mikos said. "The lightbulb went off, and I thought the same thing would work here."
For more information on Free Chicago Walking Tours, click here.
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