Today we’d like to introduce you to Troy Taylor.
Troy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The Weird Chicago Tours started in 2006, soon after the release of my book WEIRD ILLINOIS. I created the tour with my friend, Ken Melvoin-Berg, really out of our love for the city and for its “weirder” side. We wanted to present a different side of the Chicago than just the usual ghost or gangster tours, so we created something really unique, combining all of the most exciting stuff in Chicago into one really great tour. We really wanted people to come to the tour expecting the unexpected — and they have. As time went on, we expanded, added more guides — all with an interest in the strange, unusual and supernatural — and added more tours, beyond our “Haunted History Tours” of the city’s spookiest spots to include:
* Chicago’s first “Devil & the White City Tour,” about the 1893 World’s Fair and serial killer H.H. Holmes.
* “True Crime & Mystery Tour,” with historic spots related to serial killers and unsolved crimes.
* “Roaring 20’s” Speakeasy Pub Crawl, that visit sites from Prohibition days
* Our “Blood, Guns & Valentines” Gangster Tour
* and our “Red Light District” Tour, America’s only sex tour that includes history and current sites related to Chicago’s notorious past. It’s been featured on Showtime and several TV networks
Honestly, we never thought the tour would take off the way that it did. I have several other ghost tours in other parts of the state, but the Weird Chicago Tour is my favorite because I think it really offers something that you can’t find anywhere else. We’re just coming into our 12th year and we keep adding new tours and new ways to keep things fresh, fun, and exciting.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No, it hasn’t always been easy, but we always roll with whatever changes come along. We’ve dealt with a little bit of everything from changes to city rules and regulations, the demise of our beloved old buses, and a rotating staff in the early years. We also hit some bumps in the road with various other companies stealing our material to create their own tours. They say that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” but I think that may have been said by someone whose material wasn’t being stolen! That problem has definitely improved over the last couple of years, though, especially because we frequently change our tour routes to include new things that no one else really knows about. It’s fresh for us, new for our guests, and a lot harder to copy!
As far as the rest of the issues go, we worked those out, too. We work with a couple of outstanding bus companies and most of the staff we have has been with us for years. We have hired a couple of new people in the last few years that have really blended in well with the rest of us weirdos — so that’s been awesome. I wouldn’t trade our guides for anyone! They’re really the best!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
The Weird Chicago Tour offers guests an unusual experience and a look at the “other side” of Chicago history — the kind that is different, off-the-beaten-path and not what you’ll find everywhere else. It’s a big city with a lot of secrets and we love showing that off. We honestly feel that we have the best ghost tour in the city. We also created the first H.H. Holmes and 1893 Columbian Exposition Tour in Chicago and I’m actually pretty proud of the fact that — although aggravating, too — so many other companies have decided to steal the idea. We’re the only company that offers the quality of true crime tour that we do and definitely the only company that offers the Red Light District Sex Tour, which is a lot more fun than sleazy.
I think one of the things that I’m most proud of about the tour is that it’s not just for “tourist” — or at least the kind that come from out of town. We love taking visitors to see what Chicago has to offer, but we also love letting city residents be tourists in their own town. We have a lot of people who come on the tours who have lived in Chicago for years — maybe all their life — and we can introduce them to things they have never seen or heard about before. That makes me feel like we are doing things the right way!
What were you like growing up?
Well, I had a pretty unusual childhood, so that’s a tough one to answer. I spent a lot of my early life on the road, traveling, and seeing the country, so I’d have to say that it really instilled in me a love for travel and new experiences. I think that sort of put me on the path of what I’d be doing with my life — writing and running tour companies — and it also didn’t hurt that in school, I often gathered my friends on Halloween night and took them on ghost tours of the local area. I didn’t know then that I’d later be doing that for a living, but I guess I should have!
My childhood and young adulthood took me to a lot of different places and I’ve lived in a lot of different cities over the years. I’ve created more than a dozen different tours in my career. I like giving people unique experiences when they come to visit any town where we have a tour, especially Chicago.
Pricing:
- Adults: $35 Per Person
- Children 8-12: $25 Per Person
- Red Light District Tour: Adult Only! $42 Per Person
Contact Info:
- Address: Weird Chicago Pick-ups
600 North Clark Street Chicago IL 60654 - Website: http://weirdchicago.com
- Phone: 2177917859
- Email: troy@weirdchicago.com
- Instagram: troytaylorgram
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeirdChicagoTours/
- Twitter: troytaylor13
- Other: http://americanhauntingsink.com
Image Credit:
Caroline Farrow , Eric Quamme , Lisa Taylor Horton
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
