Chicago Architecture: A Walk Through Time
Want a quick introduction to Chicago’s magnificent architecture? This 90-minute tour takes a comprehensive…
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Choose one of CAC’s acclaimed architecture tours, from a selection of our guests’ perennial favorites.
Signature Tours
Select a tour of architectural treasures throughout Chicago and its suburbs, brought to life as only a CAC docent can.
Most Popular
Choose one of CAC’s acclaimed architecture tours, from a selection of our guests’ perennial favorites.
5 Tours in this collection
Chicago Architecture Foundation Center River Cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady
Chicago’s First Lady is committed to taking the proper precautions to ensure the safety and wellbeing…
Mid-Century Modern
Looking for iconic Mid-Century Modern architecture? What better place than Chicago with its triumvirate…
Art Deco Skyscrapers: The Loop
View Art Deco masterpieces built in the heart of Chicago’s financial district during the Roaring '20s…
Must-See Chicago
Must-See Chicago is a fast-paced, 90-minute introductory tour to Chicago featuring some of its most famous…
Signature Tours
Select a tour of architectural treasures throughout Chicago and its suburbs, brought to life as only a CAC docent can.
3 Tours in this collection
Mid-Century Modern
Looking for iconic Mid-Century Modern architecture? What better place than Chicago with its triumvirate…
Historic Skyscrapers
Chicago is home to some of the world’s earliest skyscrapers. Get an up-close look at these 19th Century…
Must-See Chicago
Must-See Chicago is a fast-paced, 90-minute introductory tour to Chicago featuring some of its most famous…
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Chicago Architecture Foundation Center River Cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady
Chicago’s First Lady is committed to taking the proper precautions to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its river cruise guests and team, including ensuring that boats are cleaned and sanitized throughout the day and their service. Chicago’s First Lady…
Historic Skyscrapers
Chicago is home to some of the world’s earliest skyscrapers. Get an up-close look at these 19th Century marvels, learn about innovations used to build them and discover how they transformed Chicago into a center of skyscraper design and engineering…
Art Deco Skyscrapers: The Loop
View Art Deco masterpieces built in the heart of Chicago’s financial district during the Roaring '20s. Learn how Art Deco reflected the era’s fun-loving optimism with lavish materials and geometric ornament.
Tiffany Treasures
Learn about the life and work of Louis Comfort Tiffany as we visit some of Chicago’s most magnificent art-glass and mosaic installations, each designed and crafted by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company.
Aqua, Vista and Lakeshore East
In just one hour, discover Chicago’s newest neighborhood, Lakeshore East, with a walk around two notable buildings designed by woman-led Studio Gang Architects: Aqua Tower and the soon-to-be-completed Vista Tower.
Beverly (South): A Castle, Mansions and More
Tour one of Chicago’s most fascinating neighborhoods, Beverly. Explore two houses built just after the Great Fire of 1871, a Frank Lloyd Wright home and a true Chicago castle. This tour showcases part of Chicago’s Longwood Drive Landmark District…
Chicago Architecture: A Walk Through Time
Want a quick introduction to Chicago’s magnificent architecture? This 90-minute tour takes a comprehensive look at the city’s architectural history by viewing buildings in chronological order, from early skyscrapers to new supertall high rises.
Mid-Century Modern
Looking for iconic Mid-Century Modern architecture? What better place than Chicago with its triumvirate of modern architects (Mies van der Rohe, Bertrand Goldberg and SOM) and a city ready and willing to accept them. Find out what set these buildings…
Civil War and Chicago's Role: Rosehill Cemetery
Hear the stories of the heroes, villains and ordinary citizens on this visit to Rosehill Cemetery. Learn about men who were instrumental in the nomination of Lincoln, discover the role of newspaper editors in this struggle and see how women contributed…
Note: Scheduled departures for this tour will return next season. To be notified when tickets for our next tour season go on sale, email tickets@architecture.org.
Civil War to Civil Rights at Oak Woods Cemetery
Hear the stories behind the people buried at the beautiful and tranquil Oak Woods Cemetery on Chicago’s South Side, from important local African Americans who fought for Civil Rights to Confederate prisoners of war.
Evanston Along the Lake
This walk through Evanston's Lakeshore Historic District explores a variety of churches and residences in the town that became Daniel Burnham's "country retreat" and which is still considered one of Chicago's most desirable suburbs.
Explore Chinatown
Discover the art, architecture and history of Chinatown on this 90-minute walk, which includes stops at a Chinese bakery and a former Italian church. The tour concludes near some of Chinatown’s tastiest restaurants, convenient for those wanting to stay…
Fort Sheridan
Discover the history and architecture of Fort Sheridan, a former military base listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Designed by one of Chicago's most influential architects, Holabird and Roche, its buildings served military purposes from…
Note: Scheduled departures for this tour will return next season. To be notified when tickets for our next tour season go on sale, email tickets@architecture.org.
Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park
For a limited time, CAC members get exclusive access to this tour in Oak Park—home to the world’s largest collection of buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. View the exteriors of nearly a dozen of Wright’s structures.
Fulton-Randolph Market: From Gritty to Gourmet
Discover the fascinating 150-year evolution of the Fulton-Randolph Market District from food wholesaling and meatpacking to gourmet restaurants, technology hubs and boutique hotels.