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…
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 on one of our newest tours of the city, led by an expertly trained CAC Docent.
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 on one of our newest tours of the city, led by an expertly trained CAC Docent.
4 Tours in this collection
Wabash Avenue Arts Corridor
Discover a living urban canvas along the Wabash Avenue Arts Corridor in the South Loop. Learn more about…
What's New
Over the course of 90 minutes, explore some of the newest buildings around the Chicago Architecture Center…
Aqua, St. Regis Chicago and Lakeshore East
Take a short walk to see the Lakeshore East neighborhood, featuring two notable buildings designed by…
Riverwalk West
Discover the western portion of the Riverwalk, starting at the Vietnam Memorial near State Street. As…
Skyscrapers
Select a tour of architectural treasures throughout Chicago and its suburbs, brought to life as only a CAC docent can.
5 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…
Modernism: Reviving the Loop
Previously titled Mid-Century Modern Skyscrapers, this tour takes a look at iconic Mid-Century Modern…
Art Deco Skyscrapers: The Loop
Go inside the lobbies of Art Deco masterpieces built in the heart of Chicago’s financial district during…
Art Deco Skyscrapers: The Riverfront
Tour the lobbies of five opulent Art Deco skyscrapers built near the banks of the Chicago River during…
Aqua, St. Regis Chicago and Lakeshore East
Take a short walk to see the Lakeshore East neighborhood, featuring two notable buildings designed by…
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
Millennium Park: Beyond the Bean
Special limited release from the vault: Learn how architects, artists and engineers collaborated with…
Chicago's Moveable Bridges
Understand how the unique Chicago-style bascule bridges work. View the underpinnings of the bridges,…
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
Discover the western portion of the Riverwalk, starting at the Vietnam Memorial near State Street. As…
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…
Neighborhood Tours
Choose a tour featuring your favorite architect.
6 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…
Hyde Park
In addition to being the site of the 1893 World’s Fair, Hyde Park is also home to the University of…
Explore Chinatown
Discover the art, architecture and history of Chinatown on this 90-minute walk, which includes stops…
Uptown
Discover Uptown—a treasure trove of terra cotta ornament and creatively repurposed historic buildings;…
Fulton-Randolph Market
Discover the fascinating 150-year evolution of the Fulton-Randolph Market District from food wholesaling…
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Tours by type
Tours by Location
Willis Tower Revitalized
Experience the iconic Willis Tower with a visit to the 103rd floor Skydeck combined with a tour of the building to experience its exciting new public spaces and to learn about its history and design.
Art Deco: Landmark Lobbies
Step out of the cold and into the lobbies of three Art Deco skyscrapers whose lavish materials and modern ornament epitomized the prosperity and optimism of the Roaring ‘20s.
University of Illinois Chicago
Explore the country's first fully planned, public urban university, including the innovative architecture of Walter Netsch, a mid-20th century maverick. The tour ends with a visit to Hull House, once the country's most famous settlement house.
Chicago Women in Architecture
Take a tour in downtown Chicago to discover stunning buildings designed by female architects, including the Equitable Building, Aqua Tower and Vista Tower.
Loop as Lab: the Walking Tour
Chicago was a planned city from its very beginnings. Loop as Lab: the Walking Tour provides a street-level view of how city planning has shaped Chicago's growth from 1909 through to the downtown plan currently in development.
Murals by Bus: Pilsen
Chicago has long tradition of mural making, and the West Side's Pilsen neighborhood displays a wide variety of these public works of art.
Pub Tour: Fulton-Randolph Market
Experience the Fulton Market District like the locals and get a unique perspective on the art, architecture, history and vibe of Chicago’s fastest-growing neighborhood.
Chicago's Indigenous People's Sculptures
Chicago has many works of public art depicting the city’s Native American history. But few examples accurately represent the Indigenous people who have populated this region for millennia—including but not limited to the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi…