Kent Foutty, 2009
Our tour was in the morning, and I think it was 16 November 2021- we had a wonderful time on the River Cruise. The guide (Kent) was excellent, both very informative and entertaining, as well as thought provoking. The tour itself was fascinating, even though this was our second such cruise with the same organisation, the first being in September 2019. I would thoroughly recommend this experience. – Anne-Marie M London, United Kingdom
Steve Haddad, 2020
I took the Walk Through Time tour on November 14, 2021, a freezing afternoon. The docent, I believe his name is Steve, was one of the kind: Truly fantastic. His knowledge of the city and his sense of humor made this tour unforgettable. This architectural walk through time does not overlap with the other tour I took (Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age) except for one building (the amazing Carbide and Carbon building) but takes you from the first skyscrapers still extant, that today would barely qualify as such, to the graceful St. Regis Tower with its blue multi tone glass windows. Highly recommended. – sestiere Sacramento, California
Timothy Harris, 2019
Went on the River Cruise tour on Oct 29 at 3pm. It had been raining lightly all day. The tour runs rain or shine. You can sit inside and look out windows, but after a bit we chose to instead go up top and brave the rain with our umbrellas. Highly recommend to be on the top deck, not only so can you see the tour speaker, Tim, who was excellent… but also the views of the buildings are so much more breathtaking. Want to come back for an evening tour sometime. – Danielle L
Joni Hirsch Blackman, 2013
My husband and I went on the River Cruise tour in November 2021. While it was exceptionally cold, Joanie (sic) warmed our souls with her extensive knowledge and quick quips about Chicago’s skyscrapers. We had a great time and it was certainly one of the highlights of our trip. – Bridget H. San Francisco, CA
Mary Jo Hoag, 2007
This was my fourth or fifth CAC River Cruise, and Mary Jo took the tour above and beyond. She framed the tour around the themes of the Chicago River and the historical progression of architecture: early skyscrapers, Art Deco, Modernism, Post Modernism, and a few I may be forgetting. The really special element was Mary Jo’s deep love of the city and its architecture. She was a real Chicago woman with a fiery spirit! I fall in love with Chicago again and again as I cruise the river and absorb these works of human genius and beauty. As the granddaughter of a Chicago mason, I think of the enduring beauty put forth by these studios (another architectural term I picked up) of forces, working together to bring a design to fruition. Must do it!
Dan Johnson, 2016
This was my second time doing the River Cruise tour and I couldn’t have enjoyed it more! Big thank you to third generation Chicagoan and docent Dan J. for being so knowledgeable and engaging with the tour! – Catherine Foster
Judith Kaufman, 2010
We had a fantastic time aboard Chicago’s First Lady with Judith, our Chicago Architecture Foundation Center docent, who would like to be on a commission to rename buildings along the Chicago River. Judith was very knowledgeable about the history and architecture of the buildings. I learned so many interesting tidbits from Judith. Thank you CAC and Judith! – IDA
Adrienne Lieberman, 2010
Fantastic experience! We had our 18 month old and sat on the lower level of the boat up front. We could still hear Adrienne, the tour guide, and our little one could explore. Adrienne was so very upbeat, intelligent, informed, and most of all- interesting! It was a joy learning from her and hearing the smile in her voice tells me she loves telling these stories. I can’t believe she’s a volunteer. – Erica S. South Haven, MI
Marcia Matavulj, 2008
Our Art Deco Skyscrapers tour and tour guide were both excellent! Marcia explained how the tour would flow and gave a very thorough but brief history of Art Deco concepts and how they relate to architecture before we got started. At each building she showed us where to stand for the best views while she explained the building’s history and architectural features. She added her relevant personal experiences throughout the tour making it much more interesting. We never felt (or saw) that she was reading from a script. She is truly passionate about her role as a docent, and by the end we were all just as excited and interested in Art Deco buildings in Chicago! – parkervj Libertyville, Illinois
Alina McMahon, 2012
Everyone we spoke to about going to Chicago told us to do the CAC River Cruise. Even so, we were a bit hesitant because of the price. However, it was an amazing experience and we are so glad that we decided to book tickets! Alina was our guide and she was incredible, knowing every detail about each building and managing to weave in stories, history, architecture details, and recommendations. It was raining and freezing cold but we spent the whole 90 minutes on the top deck mesmerized. 100% recommend. – Kathryn J
Burt Michaels, 2019
My husband and I ended up being the only ones on th Historic Treasures of ChicagoS Golden Age tour, which was great! Burt was an excellent tour guide full of amazing information and history. We were able to enter several of the places we stopped and see interiors as well. Highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in history and architecture. – Jillian W Jacksonville Beach
Margaret Newman, 2012
While I was interested in Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age for the architecture, I loved that so much history was woven into the stories about the buildings we saw and how the area developed. It was a much broader presentation and we learned some of the whys…..why revolving doors are used throughout the downtown, why the buildings are built to the edge of their property lines instead of having grand staircases outside, why the windows are so large and seem to have a greenish tint…. (Go on the tour to get the answers.). Margaret was a very good guide. PS…..I highly recommend you visit the Chicago Cultural Center (former Public library). It’s stunning inside. – Constance L
Dan Persky, 2007
Loved the Chicago Modern tour! Our guide Dan was great and very knowledgeable! He really conveyed the essence of mid-century modern architecture in Chicago. – TheresHI Carmel, California
Betsy Pilmer, 2020
We attended the tour ‘Chicago Icons: Connecting Past and Present’ on 11/20/2021. Guide Betsy was very knowledgeable and friendly! Thank you! Hope to meet you again. – Alexey E Moscow, Russia
Bob Pratt, 2019
Our Walk Through Time docent Bob was very knowledgeable and congenial! He covered a lot of 150 years of architectural history in 90 minutes. I highly recommend this introductory tour. It will make you want to do more of their tours for sure. – Diane
Mark Purdome, 2019
Great River Cruise tour, absolute must visit! The buildings and their stories, 25 bridges, trains and never ending wind – all contribute to the impression of Chicago. The guide – Mark – did a great job! Many thanks! – marchenko74 Kyiv (Kiev), Ukraine
Mitch Rosenfeld, 2016
Having taken other CAC tours, the Magnificent Architecture of the Magnificent Mile was as expected: excellent! Our docent Mitch gave a 1- 1/2 hour walking tour along both sides of Michigan Avenue in the Magnificent Mile. We learned why it’s called that, what it looked like (and smelled like!) before, and how it has changed since Burnham and Bennett first conceived of Paris on the Prairie. The tour explains the history, the character and glances at the future of the architecture in this high-end retail/residence/hotel Mecca. We kept moving but it wasn’t a long walk. We enjoyed it very much. – christine s Chicago, Illinois
Suzy Ruder, 2019
Suzy led a fantastic Must-See Chicago tour. I especially appreciated her succinct, easy-to-understand definitions of modernism and postmodernism, as well as her well-engineered (! 🙂 ) description of skyscraper fundamentals. I came for Jeanne Gang and I got what I was looking for. I will forever gaze at the St. Regis building and think of movie popcorn boxes stacked one on top of the other. Suzy did a great job encouraging questions and feedback. And I will conclude that the Chicago Architecture Center is one of the city’s treasures. – schwarde6353 Ann Arbor, Michigan
Matt Sheffer, 2019
Kudos to Matt Sheffer who shepherded us docents on a wonderful tour of Chinatown. It’s not easy to engage a group of peers and Matt kept us interested and engaged the entire time. Plus, he gave us all great information and tidbits that we had never heard before. Thanks. – Bobbi Pinkert
Jill Tanz, 2003
We attended the tour ‘What’s New’ on 11/13/2021. Guide Jill was very knowledgeable and friendly! Thank you! Hope to meet you again. – Alexey E Moscow, Russia
Lindy Trigg, 2003
Our River Cruise guide, Lindy, was amazing! The tour itself was stunning, so cool to see the city from a completely different angle. But – the star of the show was Lindy. Not only was she knowledgeable and personable, but one can tell she stays on top of current events and trends which made her presentation even more relatable. She played to the audience (old and young guests) and was overall very charming and funny. If you are thinking about this tour, I recommend booking a passage when she is assigned as the guide. Just brilliant! – Shelly W
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