Which tour should I take? Your guide to the CAC’s top tours
Gallery 4 Items
With more than 75 walking tours to choose from, it can be difficult to pick just one! If you only have a day with us, here are some of our top tours with frequent departures year-round. Which one is the best fit for you?
by Emily Koval and Jessica Cilella
IF YOU'RE A HISTORY BUFF
Want to see old and new architecture? Try Chicago Icons: Connecting Past and Present . You’ll learn about more than a dozen structures and stop at seven clusters of buildings where you can compare and contrast varying architectural styles. Discover how older structures connect to new skyline additions—you’ll never look at these buildings the same way again!
IF YOU LOVE THE EXTRAVAGANT
From beautiful mosaics to Italianate and Beaux-Arts details, Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age is the best tour to take if you want to be wow-ed by dazzling interiors. You’ll be awestruck by the Palmer House, Macy’s and the Chicago Cultural Center and learn about the designs of Holabird and Roche, Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan and more architects from the 1890s-1930s.
IF YOUR MOTTO IS "LESS IS MORE"
Try Chicago Modern and discover famous skyscrapers by Modernism pioneers like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Bertrand Goldberg and Harry Weese. You'll also explore Chicago’s riverfront. Highlights include Marina City, Aon Center and the Apple Store. Get a glimpse inside the Prudential Building and Daley Center too!
IF YOU’RE OBSESSED WITH ART DECO
Art Deco Skyscrapers: The Loop features masterpieces in the heart of Chicago’s financial district. It starts at 30 N. LaSalle St. and features hallmark Art Deco buildings like the Chicago Board of Trade. If you’re looking for something closer to the CAC, take Art Deco Skyscrapers: The Riverfront, which departs from the Center. On both, you’ll see Art Deco’s hallmark motifs, lavish materials and geometric ornamentation.
IF YOU WANT TO SEE CHICAGO’S OLDEST SKYSCRAPERS
Historic Skyscrapers highlights the first tall buildings designed and built after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It starts several blocks south of the CAC, outside the Auditorium Building at 430 S. Michigan, and winds through some of the most historic areas of the Loop. The tour includes a stop inside the stunning Marquette Building and the Rookery.