Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady
Experience why we're the #1 rated boat cruise in Chicago, tickets are on sale now for the 2024 season…
Choose one of CAC’s acclaimed architecture tours, from a selection of our guests’ perennial favorites.
Join us on one of our newest tours of the city, led by an expertly trained CAC Docent.
Select a tour of architectural treasures throughout Chicago and its suburbs, brought to life as only a CAC docent can.
Explore Chicago’s green spaces and learn why well-designed parks and outdoor recreational areas are essential to the city.
Choose a tour featuring your favorite architect.
Choose one of CAC’s acclaimed architecture tours, from a selection of our guests’ perennial favorites.
Experience why we're the #1 rated boat cruise in Chicago, tickets are on sale now for the 2024 season…
Must-See Chicago is a fast-paced, 90-minute introductory tour to Chicago featuring some of its most famous…
Want a quick introduction to Chicago’s magnificent architecture? This 90-minute tour takes a comprehensive…
This lively overview of Chicago architecture explores iconic buildings from the 1890s to present. We'll…
Chicago is home to some of the world’s earliest skyscrapers. Get an up-close look at these 19th Century…
Oak Park is home to the world’s largest collection of buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. View…
Explore Chicago’s amazing architecture from the unique perspective of elevated trains and station platforms…
Join us on one of our newest tours of the city, led by an expertly trained CAC Docent.
Discover a living urban canvas along the Wabash Avenue Arts Corridor in the South Loop. Learn more about…
Over the course of 90 minutes, explore some of the newest buildings around the Chicago Architecture Center…
Take a short walk to see the Lakeshore East neighborhood, featuring two notable buildings designed by…
This tour helps you discover the western portion of the Riverwalk, starting at the Vietnam Memorial near…
Select a tour of architectural treasures throughout Chicago and its suburbs, brought to life as only a CAC docent can.
Chicago is home to some of the world’s earliest skyscrapers. Get an up-close look at these 19th Century…
Previously titled Mid-Century Modern Skyscrapers, this tour takes a look at iconic Mid-Century Modern…
Go inside the lobbies of Art Deco masterpieces built in the heart of Chicago’s financial district during…
Tour the lobbies of five opulent Art Deco skyscrapers built near the banks of the Chicago River during…
Take a short walk to see the Lakeshore East neighborhood, featuring two notable buildings designed by…
Explore Chicago’s green spaces and learn why well-designed parks and outdoor recreational areas are essential to the city.
Understand how the unique Chicago-style bascule bridges work. View the underpinnings of the bridges,…
Learn about The 606/Bloomingdale Trail and how it came to be during this 90-minute, one-mile walking…
Grant Park’s landscape is both front yard and recreation spot for Chicago. But did you know that the…
This tour helps you discover the western portion of the Riverwalk, starting at the Vietnam Memorial near…
Hear the stories behind the people buried at the beautiful and tranquil Oak Woods Cemetery on Chicago’s…
Choose a tour featuring your favorite architect.
Oak Park is home to the world’s largest collection of buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. View…
Discover Northwestern University’s stunning, wooded campus on the shore of Lake Michigan. This two-hour…
In addition to being the site of the 1893 World’s Fair, Hyde Park is also home to the University of…
Discover the art, architecture and history of Chinatown on this 90-minute walk, which includes stops…
Discover Uptown—a treasure trove of terra cotta ornament and creatively repurposed historic buildings;…
Discover the fascinating 150-year evolution of the Fulton-Randolph Market District from food wholesaling…
Your selections are: Neighborhoods
Walk the historic core in the largest of Chicago’s West Side parks, created by many including William LeBaron Jenney and Jens Jensen. Discover architecture and sculpture that honor many of the immigrant groups that have created our city. Our walk partner…
Explore the architectural gems of Austin, a former “railroad suburb” on Chicago’s West side. Annexed in 1899, Austin became the home of numerous immigrant communities and remains a hub for many grand residences built in the fashionable Queen Anne…
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 begins and ends near some of Chinatown's tastiest restaurants, convenient for those wanting…
Discover Northwestern University’s stunning, wooded campus on the shore of Lake Michigan. This two-hour walking tour explores a wide variety of architectural styles, from 19th Century Collegiate Gothic buildings to cutting-edge, contemporary designs…
Learn about The 606/Bloomingdale Trail and how it came to be during this 90-minute, one-mile walking tour along the beautifully restored Bloomingdale railroad viaduct on Chicago’s northwest side.
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.
Hear the history of this stately neighborhood, home to Chicago’s early industrialists, modern-day innovators and President Barack Obama.
Discover Pilsen, a neighborhood that continues to welcome immigrants, adding to the mosaic that enriches urban life. Walk a vibrant community whose architecture and art reflect the dreams of all who come to Chicago. Trace European and Mexican influences…
Discover Uptown—a treasure trove of terra cotta ornament and creatively repurposed historic buildings; home to entertainment palaces like the Riviera, Green Mill and the Aragon Ballroom; and one of the most diverse neighborhoods on the North Side.
In addition to being the site of the 1893 World’s Fair, Hyde Park is also home to the University of Chicago and many significant buildings, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece, Robie House.
Discover the architectural treasures of the Astor Street Historic District, one of Chicago's most affluent neighborhoods. The tour covers residential architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and looks at the preservation movement of the…
See beautifully preserved examples of domestic architecture of the early 1900s in this delightful walk along three blocks of Dearborn Street in the heart of Chicago’s Gold Coast.
The Illinois Institute of Technology is home to the largest group of buildings designed by Mies van der Rohe—the most influential figure in American Modernism. This tour traces the evolution of the campus with a special emphasis on the years 1938—1958—the…
Learn the history of this Northwest Side classic Chicago neighborhood listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Developed by numerous immigrant communities beginning in the 1870s, today it is a diverse mix of economic levels and architectural…
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.
Hear the stories of the heroes, villains and ordinary citizens on this visit to Rosehill Cemetery. Learn about the people who were instrumental in the nomination of Lincoln, discover the role of newspaper editors in this struggle and those who were involved…
Discover the exciting diversity of Chicago’s world famous architecture as we trace its development from the early days up to the present.
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…
Take a pleasant walk through Chicago’s beautiful Lincoln Park—a former lakeside cemetery turned recreation destination. Hear about the park’s history, learn the stories behind famous sculptures and enjoy a stroll through the park’s beloved zoo…
No other Chicago neighborhood is like Old Town. Tucked behind high-rises and moments from the vast green space of Lincoln Park, this landmark district has a unique history and diversity. Today diversity adds richness to Old Town from St. Michael's Church—considered…
Experience the Swedish influences of Andersonville a historically landmarked neighborhood settled in the 1850's. Join us in seeing architecture taken to new uses and now operate as churches, restaurants and schools with Scandinavian inspiration. Get…
Explore the variety of living spaces in the Near North neighborhood, part of River North. High rise living among micro-unit apartments interspersed with various hotels broaden the idea of working from home. Historically a destination for Italian immigrants…
Combining post-Chicago fire buildings with the recent influx of residents and company headquarters locations, see how buildings in the West Loop have adapted to spaces for families to live, work and play. Stroll by an abundance of cutting-edge dining…
See historic gems in this former center of manufacturing and explore its boom-and-bust transformation into a vibrant neighborhood buzzing with residential buildings, entertainment venues and office towers. Steeped in history and character, River North…
Historic Sheffield is long considered a gem of late 19th century architecture, its streets lined with gorgeous homes from that era and beyond. Also noteworthy are the three Row House Districts from the 1870s and ’80s, each of them landmarked by the…
Come explore the early Collegiate Gothic roots of the university campus in the original quadrangles, the “march of mid-century modernism” along the Midway and the recent, breath-taking architectural additions such as the Mansueto Library and the Midway…