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All 636 Chicago Attractions »

Chicago Architecture Foundation

224 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60604
312-922-3432
Ranked #18 of 84 tours in Chicago
4.5 of 5 stars 133 Reviews
Type: Tours
Activities: Group tours/city tour
Owner description: Touring with the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) is the best way to explore Chicago. From our most popular tour, the Architecture River Cruise... more » Owner description: Touring with the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) is the best way to explore Chicago. From our most popular tour, the Architecture River Cruise to our more than 85 different walking, bus, bike, Segway and train tours you are sure to get a true Chicago experience. As a non-profit organization, our tours are led by highly-trained volunteer guides who are passionate about sharing the history of our beautiful city. Tours depart year-round. « less
Useful Information: Activities for older children
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133 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    105
    22
    4
    2
    0
Date Rating
Ottawa, Canada
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 May 2012 NEW

We went on the Historic Skyscrapers walking tour; River cruise; and walking tour of F. L. Wright's designs in Oak Park. The guides were very knowledgeable and, apparently, most of them are volunteers.

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Washington DC, District of Columbia
Top Contributor
55 reviews 55 reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
44 helpful votes 44 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 May 2012 NEW

Yet another first-timer must do on my list was a river tour. After some research, I chose the 90-minute architecture river cruise by Chicago Architecture Foundation. I figured I'd save time by purchasing a ticket online. There was no problem whatsoever, although the channel was through the hated (to me) add-a-bogus-fee-or-more Ticketmaster, and I ordered with enough time to receive... More

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See 12 more reviews by casaraton for Chicago
Buenos AIres
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 May 2012 NEW

On my recent trip to Chicago I participated in a guided walking tour organized by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. It was one of the shorter tours, lasting about one hour or so. The guide, a lady (don´t recall her name ), was very knowledgable. We largely stayed in the area close to the Foundation but this was sufficient since we... More

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Orange County, California
Top Contributor
117 reviews 117 reviews
Reviews in 35 cities Reviews in 35 cities
32 helpful votes 32 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 May 2012

The broke us up into nice small groups. And the guide walked fast and made sure we saw as much as possible in our time frame, and was very precise with the timing. Got to learn a lot and see a lot that we would not have ordinarily seen. Wear comfortable shoes as you are moving.

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See 14 more reviews by bubbles911 for Chicago
Jennifer Lucente, Manager at Chicago Architecture Foundation, responded to this review
23 May 2012

Than you for the great review of our Historic Downtown South: Rise of the Skyscraper tour. I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour! That is a great tip to wear comfortable shoes. The tour does cover a lot of ground. As you might remember, all of our guides are highly-trained volunteer docents who are passionate about sharing... More

Maryland
Top Contributor
93 reviews 93 reviews
Reviews in 30 cities Reviews in 30 cities
28 helpful votes 28 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 May 2012

We visit Chicago a couple of times each year and include one or more of the Architecture Foundation's tours. They never disappoint. Tried the Skyscraper (Southern Loop) and Devil and the White City Tours this time. Fantastic!

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See 13 more reviews by Springtraveler06 for Chicago
Jennifer Lucente, Manager at Chicago Architecture Foundation, responded to this review
23 May 2012

Than you for the great review of our Historic Downtown South: Rise of the Skyscraper and Devil in the White City tours. I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed both of the tours! As you might remember, all of our guides are highly-trained volunteer docents who are passionate about sharing their love of the city. I'd love to pass along... More

Gig Harbor, Washington
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 May 2012

The River Boat Tour was great. It was a welcome different perspective to the city and was a lot of fun.

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See 3 more reviews by Sandstorm87 for Chicago
Jennifer Lucente, Manager at Chicago Architecture Foundation, responded to this review
23 May 2012

Than you for the great review of our river cruise! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour. As you might remember, all of our guides are highly-trained volunteer docents who are passionate about sharing their love of the city. I'd love to pass along your compliments to the docent who led your river cruise. Do you remember the... More

Fort Worth, Texas
Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
32 helpful votes 32 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 29 April 2012

We really enjoyed learning about the local architecture.

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See 8 more reviews by vfswope for Chicago
Jennifer Lucente, Manager at Chicago Architecture Foundation, responded to this review
7 May 2012

Thank you very much for your review of our tour. I'd love to know which tour you took so I can pass along your nice compliments to the volunteer docent who led your tour. Again, thank you for the great review. We look forward to seeing you at the Chicago Architecture Foundation again soon! Jennifer New Media Manager Chicago Architecture... More

california
Senior Contributor
22 reviews 22 reviews
Reviews in 17 cities Reviews in 17 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 April 2012

I grew up in Chicago and moved to California 30 years ago. On a recent trip to visit family I took the river tour. This is a first rate tour. It is organized around the architectural history of Chicago, focusing on the buildings that line the Chicago river. The buildings themselves are varied, from over 100 years old, to ones... More

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Jennifer Lucente, Manager at Chicago Architecture Foundation, responded to this review
7 May 2012

Thank you for the great review of our River Cruise! We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour. We hope to see you back at the Chicago Architecture Foundation again the next time you're in town. In addition to the River Cruise, we also have more than 85 other tours around the city that you might enjoy.... More

Chicago area
1 review
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 April 2012
2
people found this review helpful

Recently we spent 3 days in Chicago as a family. The experience was wonderful. We live in a Chicago suburb and often drive into the city for a day or event but wanted our children to know what is like to "live in the city" With this in mind we took the train down and only used public transportation while... More

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Jennifer Lucente, Manager at Chicago Architecture Foundation, responded to this review
25 April 2012

Thank you for the great review! Sounds like you and your family had a terrific "staycation" in the city! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed both the Architecture River Cruise and the Chicago Board of Trade tour. Both are fantastic ways to explore the city and the CBOT tour is one of the few ways to see the trading... More

DC Area
Senior Contributor
21 reviews 21 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 April 2012

Our group of 10 had a private 2-hour walking tour, Rise of the Sky, about the development of skyscrapers. Our tourguide Augustus was not only quite dapper but very knowledgeable. The tour was well-organized in terms of presenting the evolution of skyscraper design, and Augustus did a good job keeping us moving from one place to another. Particularly interesting to... More

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See 12 more reviews by DancingBearMD for Chicago
Jennifer Lucente, Manager at Chicago Architecture Foundation, responded to this review
19 April 2012

Thank you for the great review of our Historic Downtown: Rise of the Skyscraper tour! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it. The interiors are amazing, aren't they? Since you liked the Rise of the Skyscraper tour, you should definitely check out some of our other tours the next time you're in town. I'd suggest the Downtown Deco... More

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