Kyle Adams, 2016
Must do tour when visiting Chicago. We learned so much about the architecture and history of Chicago from its settlement through the ages until current day. Our guide, Kyle, was really great with an extensive knowledge of the city which she shared with us.
Barry Aldridge, 2009
I’ve been coming to Chicago on business for thirty years. And am just now fitting the River Cruise in. It’s excellent. The tour was given by Barry, a volunteer who used to be an architect in Chicago, so his knowledge was incredible. This is THE architecture tour to take.
Kathy Baker, 2016
Kathy packed two hours full of historic detail about buildings near the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Her knowledge is superb. Interspersing building interiors with exterior attributes gave relief on this extremely hot day. Great tour! Be ready for a hike.
Jim Bartholomew, 2008
My wife and I experienced the River Cruise this past week. What a fine job by our Docent (Jim B.) and the ship’s crew! Besides the relaxing river ride and seeing beautiful architecture, you get to enjoy a stroll through Chicago history. The pride that so many had in making Chicago such a visually pleasing city is kind of astounding.
Kathleen Carpenter, 2006
We were delighted to be on the Devil in the White City tour with Kathleen as our docent. The tour was phenomenal and she is superior. We had a fabulous day because of this tour!
Rebecca Dixon, 2003
Rebecca, our guide, was a fount of knowledge and, since Chicago is a city of sky scrapers, it was well worthwhile learning the history and the engineering of the different buildings. We had a perfect day but still needed light jackets. The 90 minutes is about perfect timing and the seats proved comfortable enough. There is not much more to say than if you are in Chicago this is just a tour you “must do”.
Sylvia Dunbeck, 1987
The Ga dawgs took a fantastic tour of the city architecture by boat. Sylvia our tour guide was very exciting and knowledgeable and entertaining. Tour was great. An hour and half of your day. Well worth it. Go dawgs!
Jan Elson, 2008
The Highlights by Bus was a fantastic overview of the architectural gems of Chicago. The leader, Jan, was extremely knowledgeable and gracious and offered an incredible amount of facts, figures, info and history.
Kent Foutty 2009
Our volunteer host was amazing. Kent was incredibly knowledgeable and well spoken. I liked that he didn’t take questions during the tour, but he was available after the tour to answer the list of questions that we had.
Georgia Goldberg, 2012
One of my Public Art Chicago board members took his visiting sister on a River Cruise this week. He said the docent was really terrific, and he thought her name might have been “Georgia.” He did say that his sister was so riveted by the docent, she didn’t look at any of the buildings at the beginning until Joe, my board member, said, “This isn’t a floor show. It’s an architecture tour.”
Mary Jo Hoag, 2007
Thank you for a wonderful River Cruise of Chicago architecture on August 18th. My brother and I thought you were brilliant!
Brent Hoffmann, 2005
The First Lady tours live up to her name! To give us the best photo ops, we headed to the mouth of the Chicago River first to see the Skyline with the sun at our backs and reflections off the water. For the next 90 minutes, Brent was our masterful tour guide. Such great knowledge of buildings and history he had!
Kelly Jones, 2016
I don’t give 5-star ratings very often but the CAF River Cruise absolutely deserves one. Docent Kelly Jones was our narrator and he was very very knowledgeable of both the various architectural styles we saw and of the names of the architects and engineers who created the many unique buildings we saw. This is a 90-minute cruise and every minute is filled with interest and great narration.
Kathleen Kulick, 2013
The Magnificent Mile is the best CAF tour – better than the River Cruise (which was excellent). You will see Chicago from atop several buildings – want to look down on the Water Tower and Navy Pier? If you’re lucky, Kathleen K. will be your docent. The tour involves about a mile of walking but the pace is comfortable. The tour ends atop the Hancock, so you can have a leisurely beverage and enjoy the spectacular views.
Peg Leonard, 2005
Our family recently visited Chicago. We managed to see and experience numerous activities and sights. One of our favorites was your boat ride. Ms. Leonard did such a fantastic job describing the various buildings and surroundings. Her passion and enthusiasm came through as she spoke. Her pronunciation of names and sites was incredible and she made the trip most enjoyable. I hope you will take the time to acknowledge her for a job well done.
Adrienne Liebermann, 2010
Adrienne Lieberman gave a terrific tour of Graceland sharing great insights into the role of women in Chicago’s history. Graceland is a beautiful, park-like cemetery on the mid-north side where you can see the graves of many famous Chicagoans including Ernie Banks, buried very close to Ruth Page. Take this tour! It was terrific.
Chuck McLaughlin, 2008
This was a superb River Cruise tour! Chuck, our guide, was super knowledgeable and did a fantastic tour for us! I highly recommend the Chicago Architecture Foundation tours!!
Paul Meyers, Class of 2009
Our Treasures docent, Paul Meyers, is unquestionably knowledgeable and passionate about downtown Chicago and its early skyscrapers. I found the outdoor views and history fascinating but the indoor stops opened up a grand view of Chicago of a hundred plus years. This tour just inspired me to go back to Chicago. I loved this tour and would highly recommend it!
Bobbi Pinkert, 1999
We took the River Cruise. Our guide Bobbie did a very good job in explaining the details of the various buildings and their history. The architectural marvels are seen from a different viewpoint and this makes it all the more interesting. Worth the money!
Renee Purner, 2017
Renee was our very knowledgeable Art Deco docent and she kept us moving. It was fairly warm that day, and she found a few extra buildings to walk through to help us cool off. Often we walk the streets without going inside, and without looking up at the great architecture there. I would encourage locals and visitors alike to take a tour from the CAF!
Corinne Rohr, 2010
We recently visited Chicago for the first time and decided to take an architectural cruise. After talking with the concierge at our hotel, we were told that the Chicago’s Leading Lady tour was the best so we booked our tickets. We were not disappointed! The tour guide Corinne was extremely knowledgeable and interesting without trying to make a bunch of dumb jokes along the way. We enjoyed the 90-minute cruise immensely and would recommend it to everyone!
Anne Schillinglaw, 2015
Terrific CAF tour of the Art Deco buildings in Chicago! Anne was our docent, and she was outstanding – – truly has a passion for sharing her knowledge and an excellent guide. We all learned so much about Chicago’s architecture from her & will now look at all the buildings with a much more critical eye & much better appreciation for all the details.
Also, the staff at CAF were terrific, as I had a flat tire on my way downtown and was 5 minutes late, but was still able to join the tour! Look forward to doing another tour with the CAF in the near future.
Russ Seward, 2005
We take the River Cruise every time we visit Chicago because the skyline changes so often. This year, our volunteer guide, Russ, was fantastic. He is one of many Chicagoans who are so knowledgeable, articulate and enthusiastic about the city’s architectural treasures. This outing is a sheer pleasure, unlike anything other American cities can offer.
Ellen Shubart, 2006
Ellen was an absolute delight! My mom still cannot stop raving about the tour. Ellen was knowledgeable and let my mom interject with her own factoids constantly. My mother is not someone who is easily pleased so it takes someone truly special to create a lasting (positive) impression. Thank you again for organizing! We had a wonderful time and it will be a great memory. Meredith Mooney-Levin,
Gary Wenzel, 2016
On a Saturday we took the Discover Chicago’s Historic Neighborhoods tour with Gary. Despite there only being six people on board his enthusiasm was boundless and so infectious as he went out of his way to say that small tours, and tours on a dull Saturday morning are just the ones you want to do. We learned everything we need to know and more as the tour wound its way round the various neighborhoods. Thank you!