1. Chicago Architecture Foundation Center River Cruise Aboard Chicago’s First Lady

#1 boat tour in Chicago according to TripAdvisor user reviews! For more than 25 years, the CAC's expertly trained docent volunteers have led the river cruise, sharing fascinating stories behind more than 50 buildings along the Chicago River. Hear how Chicago grew from a small settlement into one of the world's largest cities in less than 100 years. In just 90 minutes, you'll get the best overview of Chicago’s architecture and its history.

*2. Chicago Modern

Chicago is recognized as a leader in Modern architecture, a style that revolutionized our visual world during the mid-20th Century. View iconic skyscrapers by Modernism pioneers like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Bertrand Goldberg, and Harry Weese. We will also enjoy superb views of Chicago’s riverfront. Highlights include Marina City, the Daley Center, and 330 N. Wabash.

*3. Farnsworth House

Farnsworth House—the famous glass house 60 miles south of Chicago 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. If you are coming to Chicago for the first time this day-trip pilgrimage is well worth the effort; it takes about 4.5 hours round-trip to/from Chicago (including adequate time for touring).

4. 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. Highlights include Burnham and Root’s Rookery (1888), with interior atrium re-designed by Frank Lloyd Wright; Adler and Sullivan’s Auditorium Building (1889); and Holabird and Roche’s Marquette Building (1895), an outstanding example of the metal frame expression with traditional details and decorations.

5. Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age

Learn about the great architectural landmarks of Michigan Avenue and State Street, with glimpses inside beautiful buildings from the 1890s-1930s. After the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, Chicago was determined to become a great cultural and commercial metropolis. This tour is a testament to that era's ambitions. See buildings by Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan, Holabird and Roche, and other noted architects and hear the stories behind the city's architectural gems.

*6. Mies and Modernism: The IIT Campus Tour

The Illinois Institute of Technology is home to the largest group of buildings designed by Mies van der Rohe—the most influential figure in American Modernism. This tour traces the evolution of the campus with a special emphasis on the years 1938-1958—the time during which Mies was the head of the School of Architecture. The tour also visits more recent projects, including the McCormick Tribune Campus Center (by Rem Koolhaas) and the Helmut Jahn-designed State Street Village residence hall. The tour is operated with the assistance of the Illinois Institute of Technology.

7. Modernist Masterpieces: Marina City and The IBM Building

Where else but Chicago can you find two iconic mid-century buildings living side by side? Get the inside scoop on the buildings and their architects, Bertrand Goldberg and Mies van der Rohe. We will compare and contrast the sites, uses, structures, styles, philosophies, and more. Delight in the sinuous lines of the four building complexes called Marina City then revel in the crisp, clean architecture of the IBM Building. Discover how all buildings have evolved and adapted through the years to remain relevant and functional. Finally, we visit the Langham Hotel to see how the hotel respects the Miesian format while adding luxury touches. Tour capacity is limited, advanced reservations are recommended.

8. Must-See Chicago

Must-See Chicago is a fast-paced, 90-minute introduction to Chicago featuring some of its most famous buildings, including the Wrigley Building, Tribune Tower, the Art Institute of Chicago, Willis (Sears) Tower, the Chicago Theatre, and more. Get a brief overview of more than a dozen buildings—as well as Chicago landmarks like Millennium Park, the Loop and the Chicago River—on this whirlwind tour. To cover this ambitious route, we will explore the downtown area by hopping on and off the city's signature "L" trains, which will provide you with a unique view of downtown.

*9. Wrightwood 659

This new private, non-commercial exhibition space was conceived for the presentation of exhibitions of architecture and of socially engaged art. Located along a quiet residential street in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando has transformed a 1920s apartment building with his signature concrete forms and poetic treatment of natural light. On view this November is a travelling exhibit on the work of Japanese artist Tetsuya Ishida (Yaizu, Shizuoka, 1973–Tokyo, 2005).