Featured Tour
Chicago Architecture Foundation Center River Cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady
The CAC's world-famous river cruise is a must for out-of-towners and Chicagoans alike. Looking for the…
Find Your Chicago Architecture Tour
Chicago is known around the world for its architecture. Whether you tour downtown or a neighborhood, our expert docent guides will tell you the stories behind the buildings. Visit iconic skyscrapers, elegant hotels or the legendary houses of Frank Lloyd Wright. With more than 85 tours to choose from, we won't blame you if you can't pick just one.
Recommended Tours
Most Popular
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.
Parks & Public Spaces
Explore Chicago’s green spaces and learn why well-designed parks and outdoor recreational areas are essential to the city.
New & Noteworthy Tours
Discover all of CAC’s newest architecture tours—including tours that feature recent upgrades or the timely building topics you want to know about most.
Most Popular
Choose one of CAC’s acclaimed architecture tours, from a selection of our guests’ perennial favorites.
6 Tours in this collection
Chicago Architecture Foundation Center River Cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady
The CAC's world-famous river cruise is a must for out-of-towners and Chicagoans alike. Looking for the…
Must-See Chicago
Must-See Chicago is a fast-paced, 90-minute introductory tour to Chicago featuring some of its most famous…
Architectural Highlights by Bus
Discover the exciting diversity of Chicago architecture on this wide-ranging odyssey, which traces the…
Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age
Learn about the great architectural landmarks of Michigan Avenue and State Street, with glimpses inside…
Elevated Architecture: Downtown "L" Train
Explore Chicago’s amazing architecture from the unique perspective of elevated trains and station platforms…
Art Deco Skyscrapers: The Riverfront
Tour the lobbies of five opulent Art Deco skyscrapers built near the banks of the Chicago River during…
Signature Tours
Select a tour of architectural treasures throughout Chicago and its suburbs, brought to life as only a CAC docent can.
6 Tours in this collection
Chicago Icons: Connecting Past and Present
This lively overview of Chicago architecture explores iconic buildings from the 1890s to present. We'll…
Chicago Modern
Chicago is recognized as a leader in Modern architecture, a style that revolutionized our visual world…
Chicago Architecture: A Walk Through Time
Want a quick introduction to Chicago’s magnificent architecture? This 90-minute tour takes a comprehensive…
Hotel Boom: Making Old New Again
Chicago is experiencing a surge in tourism, resulting in the creative repurpose of historic skyscrapers…
Discover Chicago's Historic Neighborhoods
CAC has partnered with Big Bus Chicago for a tour that explores Chicago's mosaic of neighborhoods. Every…
Historic Skyscrapers
Chicago is home to some of the world’s earliest skyscrapers. Get an up-close look at these 19th Century…
Parks & Public Spaces
Explore Chicago’s green spaces and learn why well-designed parks and outdoor recreational areas are essential to the city.
6 Tours in this collection
Parks by Bus
You might drive or bike past them often, but have you ever really explored Chicago’s beautiful parks?…
Millennium Park: Beyond the Bean
Learn how architects, artists and engineers collaborated with Chicago’s movers and shakers to transform…
Walk the 606
Learn about The 606/Bloomingdale Trail and how it came to be during this 90-minute, one-mile walking…
Grant Park Secrets
Grant Park’s landscape is both front yard and recreation spot for Chicago. But did you know that the…
Riverwalk West
This tour helps you discover the western portion of the Riverwalk, starting at the Vietnam Memorial near…
Lincoln Park: From Cemetery to Sculpture Garden
Take a pleasant walk through Chicago’s beautiful Lincoln Park—a former lakeside cemetery turned recreation…
New & Noteworthy Tours
Discover all of CAC’s newest architecture tours—including tours that feature recent upgrades or the timely building topics you want to know about most.
6 Tours in this collection
Uptown
Discover Uptown—a treasure trove of terra cotta ornament and creatively repurposed historic buildings;…
Razzle Dazzle: Loop Theater District
See the exteriors and lobbies of several historic and modern theaters in the recently revitalized Loop…
Louis Sullivan Rediscovered
See the trailblazing work of Louis H. Sullivan on this tour through Chicago’s Loop and discover how…
Elevated Architecture: North Side Art
Chicago’s elevated train stations house an incredible collection of public art, including paintings…
Magnificent Architecture of the Magnificent Mile
Discover how a dirt road known as Pine Street transformed into a "Paris on the Prairie" and later into…
Aqua, Vista and Lakeshore East
In just one hour, discover Chicago’s newest neighborhood, Lakeshore East, with a walk around two notable…
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Tours by Location
875 N. Michigan Ave (John Hancock Center)
Completed in 1970, 875 N. Michigan Ave (John Hancock Center) dominates the northern end of Chicago’s skyline. On this tour, you'll learn how the building forever changed the character of North Michigan Avenue.
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 (North): Elegance on the Ridge
Once home to some of Chicago’s wealthiest families, Beverly’s mansions are still among the most beautiful in the city. During this tour we’ll view some of Beverly’s mansions along with homes that are merely large and unique.
Note: No upcoming departures are currently scheduled for this tour. To learn about other CAC tours and events, sign up to receive our monthly e-news at architecture.org/email.
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…
Bike Humboldt, the 606 and Palmer Square
This leisurely ride takes us through some of Chicago’s constructed natural beauty. We’ll bike along a route that was once the city’s edge while examining a historic boulevard and park designed by William LeBaron Jenney and Jens Jensen. As we ride…
Calvary Cemetery: Catholics in Chicago
Join us as we visit Chicagoland's oldest Catholic cemetery to see the resting places of prominent Irish and Italian Americans, including Chicago mayor Jane Byrne, as well as three other Chicago mayors. On this tour we will examine the rise of Catholics…
Note: No upcoming departures are currently scheduled for this tour. To learn about other CAC tours and events, sign up to receive our monthly e-news at architecture.org/email.
Chicago Athletic Association Hotel
Experience the allure of a historic, exclusive men's club transformed into a 21st century luxury hotel. You will see old world craftsmanship restored to its original elegance, plus renovated and newly added spaces.
Chicago Board of Trade Building
The Chicago Board of Trade is a Loop icon anchoring the LaSalle Street financial corridor. We’ll see newly designed and renovated spaces, historical art and the massive traders’ vault within the three architecturally distinct Board of Trade buildings…
Chicago Murals
This year’s Chicago Murals tour heads to Hyde Park, where you’ll see a variety of amazing Progressive Era and Community Arts Movement murals. Stops highlight works by William Walker and women muralists Astrid Fuller and Olivia Gude, among others.
Chicago Pedway
Discover the fascinating “city below the city” used by Chicagoans every day—the Pedway. From the Thompson Center to Block 37 to the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, our one and half mile walking tour introduces the history, design and unique surprises of…
Note: Scheduled departures for this tour will return next season. Please email tickets@architecture.org to be notified when tickets are available.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater & The Yard
Since its opening on Navy Pier in 1999, Chicago Shakespeare Theater has grown to be one of the largest theater companies in the city. Explore the theater’s three performance venues, including The Yard, a newly constructed, flexible year-round stage…
Churches By Bus
See five stunning churches in Wicker Park and West Town on this fascinating tour.
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…
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.
Daniel Burnham: Architect, Planner, Leader
Explore some of Burnham’s best-known landmarks as well as lesser-known designs on this tour that examines all facets of Burnham’s legacy—as an architect, planner and leader in Chicago, the city he cherished.
Note: No upcoming departures are currently scheduled for this tour. To learn about other CAC tours and events, sign up to receive our monthly e-news at architecture.org/email.