Featured Tour
Holiday Lights, City Lights
Don’t let the cold weather deter you from admiring Chicago’s stunning architecture! Hop aboard Big…
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.
Indoor Tours
Explore the great indoors! These 45-60 minute building tours let you explore Chicago's architecture while staying warm.
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.
5 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…
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.
5 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
Get a comprehensive look at Chicago's architectural history on this unique tour that covers buildings…
Hotel Boom: Making Old New Again
Chicago is experiencing a surge in tourism, resulting in the creative repurpose of historic skyscrapers…
Historic Skyscrapers
Chicago is home to some of the world’s earliest skyscrapers. Get an up-close look at these 19th Century…
Indoor Tours
Explore the great indoors! These 45-60 minute building tours let you explore Chicago's architecture while staying warm.
5 Tours in this collection
Rookery Building
Explore the interior and exterior of one of Chicago’s most famous and beloved historic buildings: The…
Reliance Building (Alise Chicago)
Marvel at the original marble, mahogany doors and decorative wrought iron found throughout the two lobbies…
Chicago Athletic Association Hotel
Experience the allure of a historic, exclusive men's club transformed into a 21st century luxury hotel…
Union Station: Icon of a Great Age
Seen everyday by thousands and not really seen! Take a tour of the iconic landmarked Great Hall of Union…
Merchandise Mart
Once the largest building in the world, the Merchandise Mart remains a center for commercial and residential…
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
Holiday Lights, City Lights
Don’t let the cold weather deter you from admiring Chicago’s stunning architecture! Hop aboard Big…
Mod & Merry: A Farnsworth House Holiday
Take a special bus ride with the CAC on December 15 to Plano, Illinois, to see Mies van der Rohe’s…
Illinois Center Pedway
Take a warm walk and see the cool architecture of the Illinois Center Pedway. Learn how an abandoned…
Art Deco Skyscrapers: The Loop
Tour the lobbies of Art Deco masterpieces built in the heart of Chicago’s financial district during…
Chicago Pedway
Discover the fascinating “city below the city” used by Chicagoans every day—the Pedway. From the…
Chicago Shakespeare Theater & The Yard
Since its opening on Navy Pier in 1999, Chicago Shakespeare Theater has grown to be one of the largest…
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Tours by Location
Historic Skyscrapers
Chicago is home to some of the world’s earliest skyscrapers. Get an up-close look at these 19th Century marvels, learn about innovations used to build them and discover how they transformed Chicago into a center of skyscraper design and engineering…
Holiday Lights, City Lights
Don’t let the cold weather deter you from admiring Chicago’s stunning architecture! Hop aboard Big Bus Chicago and hear the stories of great architects and leaders who shaped the city while taking in twinkling holiday and building lights.
Hyde Park
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. See these sites as well as pre-Chicago Fire houses…
Note: Scheduled departures for this tour will return next season. To be notified when tickets for our next tour season go on sale, email tickets@architecture.org.
Illinois Center Pedway
Take a warm walk and see the cool architecture of the Illinois Center Pedway. Learn how an abandoned railway freight yard was transformed into an important urban development. You’ll see some pretty and some gritty portions of the Pedway as we travel…
Inland Steel Building
As the first skyscraper built within the Loop after World War II, the Inland Steel Building became an instant symbol of Chicago’s prominence as a modern American city in the 20th century.
Italian Language: Historic and Modern Skyscrapers
Grattacieli storici e moderni in Italiano. (This tour in Italian includes both historic and Modern skyscrapers.)
Note: Scheduled departures for this tour will return next season. Please email tickets@architecture.org to be notified when tickets are available.
Jackson Boulevard Historic District
This landmark district encompasses the 1500 blocks of W. Jackson Blvd. and W. Adams St., which were home to the high-Victorian styles popular in the late 19th century. This walking tour looks at the homes of several noted Chicagoans of the Victorian era…
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.
Jenney and Chicago's Skyscraper Pioneers
William Le Baron Jenney not only created the first metal-frame skyscraper, he also influenced a whole generation of 19th Century architects. Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan, William Mundie, William Holabird and Martin Roche all worked for Jenney in the…
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.
Kenilworth: North Route
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: 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.
Kenilworth: South Route
Kenilworth, the youngest and smallest community on the North Shore, remains today much as it was conceived by its founder, Joseph Sears, in the late 1880s. His dream was to establish a planned community reminiscent of a small English village.
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.
Kenwood
Hear the history of this stately neighborhood, home to Chicago’s early industrialists, modern-day innovators and President Barack Obama.
Note: Scheduled departures for this tour will return next season. To be notified when tickets for our next tour season go on sale, email tickets@architecture.org.
Lake Bluff
Explore the fascinating history reflected in the unique designs of the North Shore suburb of Lake Bluff. Trace the history from the formation of the Lake Bluff Camp Meeting Association, and their plans for a resort similar to the Chautauqua movement,…
Note: Scheduled departures for this tour will return next season. To be notified when tickets for our next tour season go on sale, email tickets@architecture.org.
Lake Forest Cemetery
Experience the Lake Forest Cemetery's park-like setting overlooking Lake Michigan in one of Chicago's most beautiful premier suburbs. Hear stories of Lake Forest's founding and those who made their mark from Civil War to modern times.
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.
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: Scheduled departures for this tour will return next season. To be notified when tickets for our next tour season go on sale, email tickets@architecture.org.
Lincoln Park: From Cemetery to Sculpture Garden
Did you know that, back in the mid-1800s, Lincoln Park came into existence as a cemetery? Today, this lakefront park is a treasured recreation destination, an outdoor gallery of impressive sculpture, and so much more. Enjoy a pleasant walk through beautiful…
Note: Scheduled departures for this tour will return next season. To be notified when tickets for our next tour season go on sale, email tickets@architecture.org.