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
Old Town Triangle
No other Chicago neighborhood is like Old Town. Tucked behind high-rises and moments from the vast green space of Lincoln Park, this landmark district has a unique history and diversity. We’ll explore homes built immediately after the Great Fire of…
Pub Tour: Andersonville
Get a “taste” of Andersonville—a historically landmarked neighborhood settled by Swedish farmers in the 1850s. See the culture reflected in the classic architecture and thriving establishments as we drop into colorful local pubs for vast selections…
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
Pub Tour: Near North
Determine for yourself why design matters as we view unexpected architecture in the Near North section of the River North neighborhood. We see the recently completed Poetry Foundation building, learn about universal design and visit a decades-old speakeasy…
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
Pub Tour: West Loop
Combining post-Chicago fire buildings with the legends of the Haymarket Riots, Chicago's West Loop will certainly make a lasting impression on you. The Chicago Park District has added green space to this growing community that retains deep roots to the…
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
River North: Transformation of a Neighborhood
See historic gems in this former center of manufacturing and explore its boom-and-bust transformation into a vibrant neighborhood buzzing with residential buildings, entertainment venues and office towers. Steeped in history and character, River North…
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
Riverwalk East
Learn about newly completed improvements to the Chicago Riverwalk—starting at the Vietnam Memorial and heading east to Lake Michigan—including new public art, trees, landscaping and outposts for picnicking.
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
Riverwalk West
This tour helps you discover the western portion of the Riverwalk, starting at the Vietnam Memorial near State Street. As we walk to Lake Street, hear how this linear park—called Chicago’s new coastline by some—has become a magnet for outdoor recreation…
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
Sheffield Historic District
Hear how the Sheffield District has evolved since its formation as a working-class neighborhood in the 1870s. See beautiful historic row houses and learn about residents' preservation efforts amid gentrification and DePaul University’s expansion.
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
Ukrainian Village
Take in the beauty of Ukrainian Village’s churches—including Louis Sullivan’s stunning Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral—and residential architecture while hearing stories of Eastern European immigrants who first called the neighborhood…
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!
University of Chicago
Come explore the early Collegiate Gothic roots of the university campus in the original quadrangles, the “march of mid-century modernism” along the Midway and the recent, breath-taking architectural additions such as the Mansueto Library and the Midway…
Note: There are currently no departures available for booking. New tour departures are released on the 15th of each month. Please check back soon!