Featured Tour
Churches By Bus
See five stunning churches in Wicker Park and West Town on this fascinating tour.
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
#1 boat tour in Chicago according to TripAdvisor user reviews! Looking for the ultimate Chicago architecture…
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.
4 Tours in this collection
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…
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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Devil in the White City
This tour explores the compelling true story told by Erik Larson in his best selling book, "The Devil in the White City," about two simultaneous events in Chicago history: the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the emergence of serial murderer…
Elevated Architecture: North Side Art
Chicago’s elevated train stations house an incredible collection of public art, including paintings, murals, mosaics, and sculpture. This tour hops on and off public “L” trains to discover art and explain its unique connection to the surrounding…
Emerging Chicago
Discover what’s new and important in Chicago’s built environment on this exclusive tour. This year we’re partnering with Related Midwest, a large real estate development company, to show you unique residential projects in three neighborhoods.
Note: The annual departure of this special CAC tour will be scheduled again next year. To get tour updates, sign up to receive our monthly e-news at architecture.org/email.
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…
Expo Chicago + Art Deco Skyscrapers: The Riverfront
See the lobbies of five opulent Art Deco skyscrapers built near the banks of the Chicago River during the Roaring '20s. Learn how Art Deco reflected the era's fun-loving optimism with lavish materials and geometric ornament.
Expo Chicago + Elevated Architecture: North Side Art
This brand new, two-hour tour hops on and off L trains to discover paintings, murals, mosaics and sculptures with unique connections to the surrounding neighborhoods.
Expo Chicago + Hidden (Mostly Outdoor) Art
Chicago has many important works of public art that often go unnoticed. See these gems on this one-hour tour and hear how architects and artists have worked together to create successful public art.
Expo Chicago + Sculpture in the Loop
See monumental works by Modern masters including Picasso, Chagall and Miro on this 90-minute tour, as well as lesser-known hidden sculptures among the Loop's skyscrapers.
Expo Chicago + 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.
Farnsworth House by Bus
Farnsworth House—the famous glass house along the bank of the Fox River—is one of the world’s great architectural masterpieces, designed by Mies van der Rohe and completed in 1951. A founder and leader of the modernist movement in Europe, Mies lived…
Farnsworth House Plus
Farnsworth House—the famous glass house along the bank of the Fox River—is one of the world’s great architectural masterpieces, designed by Mies van der Rohe and completed in 1951. A founder and leader of the modernist movement in Europe, Mies lived…
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.
Fine Arts Building
Discover this treasure trove on Michigan Avenue and learn how it went from a carriage showroom to a high-profile artists’ colony that housed tenants like Frank Lloyd Wright, Lorado Taft and Harriet Monroe.
Food and Architecture of 1893
On this "see and taste" walking tour, you can imagine what Chicago looked like during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, while tasting new foods that were introduced at the fair.
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…