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Mark Campbell 2023, Mark Lenhart 2023, or Mark Purdome 2019
River Cruise
November 2023
Excellent tour and trip. Well worth The 90 minutes. Docent Mark was extremely knowledgeable as well as entertaining.

Mark Campbell 2023, Mark Lenhart 2023, or Mark Purdome 2019
River Cruise
November 2023
Mark did an amazing job presenting on the tour. You could understand him clearly and was knowledgeable. Annette H

Mark Campbell 2023, Mark Lenhart 2023, or Mark Purdome 2019
River Cruise
November 2023
Mark was amazing! Very knowledgeable and friendly. I learned a lot in the short time I was on the cruise. Excellent!! Eric S

Steve Gersten 2003, Steve Haddad 2020, or Steve Redfield 2019
River Cruise
November 2023
My daughter and I took this tour on a cloudy Friday afternoon. We joined the CAC to get a free ticket and walking tours (and discount at the store). They do offer an education discount for those who are students or teachers/professors. STEVE was our tour guide and he was AWESOME!!!! He knew everything about all the buildings, Chicago architecture, history, recommendations for other tours and restaurants. The 2 hours flew by and wanted the river to be longer so could learn even more. Lisa P. NJ

Steve Gersten 2003, Steve Haddad 2020, or Steve Redfield 2019
River Cruise
November 2023
Steve w 1st Lady Chicago River Architectural Tours was so informative and insightful. Loved his obvious personal connect. Safe, professional, comfortable, informative and exhilarating tour. I left proud and humbled by the human experience that was communicated . We had some dropped stitches in reserving our tour but agents at the tour center and online aviator agents were phenomenal! Cynthia R

Cynthia Bates 2016
Art Deco Skyscrapers Riverfront
November 2023
This tour was so fun, and Cynthia was very knowledgeable and kind. I love Art Deco and learned a lot in this tour. Chicago has so many amazing buildings to discover and CAC does a great job making it accessible.

Rene Cantú
Historic Treasures
November 2023
I took the historic treasures of Chicago walking tour this past Friday. It was a really fun tour with lots of interesting facts about the history of Chicago, and some of the important people that helped define the city. Our guide René was great! Very knowledgeable and fun to be around and made the tour even more interesting, I would highly recommend taking this architectural tour if you are visiting or want to learn more about Chicago! Scott R

Leslie Clark Lewis 2009
Historic Treasures
February 2024
A wonderful tour. Leslie, our guide, was informative and engaging. Would love to take another tour with her. We also enjoyed visiting the Architecture Center. Barb W

Alice Daniele 2019
Chicago Pedway
February 2024
Actually was able to go on the Final Pedway tour of the season. What a fantastic tour! I’ve lived in Chicagoland, and work in the Loop, yet never managed to take the time to explore this wonderful, mostly underground mashup of public and private walkways throughout the Loop! Our wonderful docent was Alice and she filled every step of the nearly 2 hour tour with insight about the architecture, sculpture, art and more that we viewed. But of course especially enjoyed the detailed history Alice provided on how the pedways came into being, starting so many decades ago. Glad I made it and hope it’s offered again so my family can attend, and hope Alice is our guide! Cecilia H Chicago, IL

Anne Findley 2023
River Cruise
October 2023
Anne was the best tour guide. She gave us the history, the reason it’s built a certain way, and how each building relates to other buildings. It was a beautiful summer morning, went up and down river, and the tour stopped so everyone could get a postcard worthy shot – couldn’t ask for anything more. The rest of the time walking around town I noticed what Anne had pointed out with certain buildings. Mindy B

Kent Foutty 2009
River Cruise
November 2023
Kent, the tour guide, was very knowledgeable!

Sharan Gabharran 2023
River Cruise
September 2023
I was looking forward to getting a close look at the magical Chicago skyline. The tour began and Sharad was the guy with the mike in hand up front who began to chat about the buildings as we cruised by them. His narrative style and soothing voice caught my attention from the start. I was always intrigued by the Chicago skyscrapers but listening to Sharad’s commentary, I was fascinated by his reference to the intricate and diverse architectural styles. I began taking note of the pillars and columns, the contrast between straight lines and curves on buildings. Sharad’s continuous reference to Chicago’s resilience, adaptive re-use, and innovation grew on me during the cruise. I especially enjoyed his portrayal of the Chicago fires and his passion for the city was evident throughout the cruise. By the end of the 90 minute tour I was hooked and the Chicago skyline symbolized a lot more to me. Thanks Sharad for an awesome experience— you are a great storyteller and you have a natural humorous captivating style — I highly recommend this cruise to Chicago visitors and if you lucky you may get Sharad as your guide. Hari P G

Mary Jo Hoag 2007
What’s New
December 2023
This was an incredible tour! It was easily walkable. Mary Jo was a very knowledgeable tour guide and made learning about the architecture fun and interesting. It has sparked my interest in learning more about Chicago! Anna W

Amanda Lewis 2019
River Cruise
November 2023
We had an entertaining and enjoyable tour with Amanda, who delighted us with interesting information about Chicago architecture throughout. The seating was okay, though a bit softer would have been nice. Oh, and remember to wear warm clothing and possibly a head covering. Despite the sun, it was quite chilly in the long run. All in all, it was a great and recommendable tour. Carsten Hoerstel, Germany

Terry Light 2023
What’s New
November 2023
Our guide Terry is very informative and friendly. Although the tour may be slightly affected by the weather, it has been a very good experience. TZU-KUAN Y

Burt Michaels 2019
Historic Treasures
December 2023
I was the only one who booked the tour today, so I got to do a private tour with Burt who grew up in Chicago. I really recommend the tour, it was amazing and very interesting! Camille W

Patricia O’Connor 2020
River Cruise
November 2023
Patricia was a fantastic architectural tour guide on the First Lady in November 2023. She provided so much information on the architecture of Chicago in an upbeat and interesting presentation. Having a docent from the CAC made the tour so much better than a previous tour with a different company. Definitely worth the higher fee of this tour! Nancy T

Ron Roman 2023
The Magnificent Mile
January 2024
Due to less-than-ideal weather, I managed to get a private tour. Ron led me on a fabulous tour. I always learn new things on these tours. Tom F, Longtime Chicago Resident.

John Schneider
Illinois Center Pedway
December 2023
We took the underground pedway tour yesterday and we thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. Our tour guide, John, was exceptional and did a terrific job pointing out all details and pertinent information. The tour is all walking, approx 1.5 miles over a 1 and 3/4 hour timeframe. It is an easy walk, climbing two small staircases involved, but very easy to maneuver. ThomJK

Russ Seward 2005
River Cruise
October 2023
We did the 5-630pm architectural boat tour and loved it. You don’t need to be an architecture fan to enjoy the commentary which gives design info but also stories behind the buildings you see on the trip. Great to see the skyline in daytime and when the sun goes down too. Russell was our guide and was excellent. Russpo Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

Peter Shearn 2023
River Cruise
October 2023
Peter was a great host. Very knowledgeable and entertaining. So much to see and learn in 90 minutes. Definitely recommend! Michael T

Matt Sheffer 2019
Chicago Modern
January 2024
My wife and I took this tour and we enjoyed it. Matt was our tour guide and did a great job. We learned many new things and got to see some buildings in a different light. Tip – Dress warmer than you think you need…it is the Windy City.

Lydia Spettel 2023
River Cruise
September 2023
The tour was excellent! Our tour guide Lydia was so energetic and knowledgeable. She provided us with lots of great facts and kept the fun times going. This was so well done and I would happily do it again! Dan H

Maureen Waller 2023
What’s New
November 2023
Amazing comparison of Chicago’s newer architecture to historical international style and art deco constructions. Maureen was really friendly and knowledgeable as a tour guide, and we had a great experience. A must-do tour in Chicago! Lucas R

Jessica Williams 2017
Historic Skyscrapers
January 2024
I had an excellent walking tour with Jessica January 19, 2024 during the very cold week. I was the only architecture fanatic (from Central Europe) in -10 Celsius who signed up for the tour. Jessica explained everything very well in details, telling interesting stories too, and we had interesting conversations about the city’s architecture. She also left me time to take pictures. Despite the harsh weather conditions I enjoyed our walking tour very much. Thank you Jessica and CAC for organizing this kind of tours! Ágnes

Claudia Winkler 2007
River Cruise
October 2023
My wife and I had a very enjoyable time on this morning’s cruise. Claudia, the tour docent/guide was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about all of the different styles of great architecture that we sailed passed. Chicago really does have some amazing buildings and this cruise was a great way to see some of them. I would highly recommend. LottiesDad Preston

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