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…
Recommended Tours
Visiting Chicago
Choose one of CAC’s acclaimed architecture tours, from a selection of our guests’ perennial favorites.
Latest and Greatest
Join us for our one-time-only CAFC River Cruises with top Chicago architects, whose firms designed buildings you'll see along the water!
Skyscrapers
Select a tour of architectural treasures throughout Chicago and its suburbs, brought to life as only a CAC docent can.
Parks & Public Spaces
Explore Chicago’s green spaces and learn why well-designed parks and outdoor recreational areas are essential to the city.
Neighborhood Tours
Choose a tour featuring your favorite architect.
Visiting Chicago
Choose one of CAC’s acclaimed architecture tours, from a selection of our guests’ perennial favorites.
7 Tours in this collection
Must-See Chicago
Must-See Chicago is a fast-paced, 90-minute introductory tour to Chicago featuring some of its most famous…
Chicago Architecture: A Walk Through Time
Want a quick introduction to Chicago’s magnificent architecture? This 90-minute tour takes a comprehensive…
Chicago Icons: Connecting Past and Present
This lively overview of Chicago architecture explores iconic buildings from the 1890s to present. We'll…
Chicago’s First Skyscrapers
Chicago is home to some of the world’s earliest skyscrapers. Get an up-close look at these 19th Century…
Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park
Oak Park is home to the world’s largest collection of buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. View…
Elevated Architecture: Downtown "L" Train
Explore Chicago’s amazing architecture from the unique perspective of elevated trains and station platforms…
Latest and Greatest
Join us for our one-time-only CAFC River Cruises with top Chicago architects, whose firms designed buildings you'll see along the water!
3 Tours in this collection
Wabash Avenue Arts Corridor
*Premier Tour: Discover a living urban canvas along the Wabash Avenue Arts Corridor in the South Loop…
Helmut Jahn: Architecture in Real Life
*Premier Tour: Helmut Jahn had a profound and lasting impact on Chicago's built environment. This walking…
What's New
Over the course of 90 minutes, explore some of the newest buildings around the Chicago Architecture Center…
Skyscrapers
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
Chicago’s First Skyscrapers
Chicago is home to some of the world’s earliest skyscrapers. Get an up-close look at these 19th Century…
Mid-Century Modern Skyscrapers
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…
Parks & Public Spaces
Explore Chicago’s green spaces and learn why well-designed parks and outdoor recreational areas are essential to the city.
Neighborhood Tours
Choose a tour featuring your favorite architect.
3 Tours in this collection
Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park
Oak Park is home to the world’s largest collection of buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. View…
Northwestern University
Discover Northwestern University’s stunning, wooded campus on the shore of Lake Michigan. This two-hour…
Fulton-Randolph Market
Discover the fascinating 150-year evolution of the Fulton-Randolph Market District from food wholesaling…
Find a Tour
Tours by type
Tours by Location
Gothic Chicago
*Premier Tour: Chicago is home to several styles of Gothic Architecture: French, English, Castellated, Collegiate, German, Spanish and Venetian, found in more than 90 structures scattered throughout the city. This tour highlights numerous examples of…
Churches in Evanston
*Premier Tour: Evanston has been called the “City of Churches.” This walking tour near the city center features the exteriors of nine churches in the space of 10 blocks. Styles include Gothic, Romanesque, New England Meeting House, and Classical Revival…
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
Historic Austin
*Premier Tour: 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…
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
Kenilworth
*Premier Tour: Walk Kenilworth's leafy streets, learn the history of the village, view its earliest houses and see other fine examples of residential architecture that were designed between 1893 and the mid-1920s by distinguished Chicago architects.
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
Chicago Icons: Connecting Past and Present
This lively overview of Chicago architecture explores iconic buildings from the 1890s to present. We'll compare and contrast a wide range of buildings with varying architectural styles and see how older structures connect to new skyline additions.
Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park
Oak Park is 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.
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…
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
Northwestern University
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…
Louis Sullivan Rediscovered
See the trailblazing work of Louis H. Sullivan on this tour through Chicago’s Loop and discover how this pioneering architect cleverly fused elements of nature with early skyscraper technology.
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
Walk the 606
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.
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
Fulton-Randolph Market
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.
Lights, Camera, Architecture!
Chicago’s unique architecture has co-starred in movies with Ferris Bueller, Batman and the Blues Brothers, among other famous big screen characters. See some of the buildings featured in these films and more!
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
Kenwood
Hear the history of this stately neighborhood, home to Chicago’s early industrialists, modern-day innovators and President Barack Obama.
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
Walk Pilsen
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…
Uptown
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.
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!