Chicago's Deadly Disasters

True stories of fires, floods, blimp crashes, & more await you on this walking tour of downtown Chicago.

Join Chicago tour guide & local historian Leyla I. Royale for a walking tour through some of the city's sites of disasters from years past. You'll learn some of Chicago's darker history & how we've learned (or not) from these disasters to build a safer Chicago for all.

FAQ

• The tour will cover about a 1.5 mile walking distance, so wear your walking shoes.
• The tour will last approximately 1.5 hours.
• We will meet in front of the Chicago Board of Trade building at 141 W. Jackson.
• Since these tales involve disasters, this tour may not be appropriate for younger audiences. Please use your discretion if bringing children or teens.
• Rain or shine! Bring appropriate clothing in case of inclement weather. This is an outside only tour.
• This is not a ghost tour, but you might hear some ghost stories along the way.
  

WHO IS LEYLA

Leyla I. Royale has been leading tours in Chicago since 2011. She's worked for the Chicago Theatre, Atlas Obscura, Mysterious Chicago, & various other local tour companies. She's been researching, developing, & leading her own tours since 2015. Her favorite topics in Chicago history are old movie palaces & theatres, strange deaths & disasters, neighborhoods on the far north side, & just whatever general weirdness or forgotten history she finds in newspaper archives. She's also a cellist & enthusiastic flying trapeze hobbiest.

You can find more info on her on her website here. You can also hear Chicago History stories from Leyla on TikTok.