Chicago Architecture Foundation Reviews

A good stop when in Chicago hanging out at the "BEAN" off S Michigan Ave. Every thing you need to know about architecture of this wonderful city.

Every tour that I've done here has been so much fun, even if a bit uneven due to docent personalities. Everyone is so informative and had an impressive breadth of knowledge. Do as many tours as you can!

Very cool model of the city and other buildings. Kind of simple layout but very helpful staff and impressive models.

As a local, I highly recommend that any visitor to our city start off their exploration with a quick stop at the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC)!

While the CAC is the main hub for architectural enthusiasts (e.g. daily lectures, seminars, organized tours, etc.), it s the main exhibit hall and gallery which I recommend as a first stop for any new visitors prior to making the journey on foot either north up Michigan Avenue or west along the newly completed Chicago Riverwalk.

For a small fee, the proceeds of which help support the educational mission of this great nonprofit, you can gain access to the CAC gallery and exhibit hall located near the corner of E. Wacker & Michigan. Once inside, you ll have the opportunity to gain a crash course/tutorial on Chicago s history and the significance of the architecture you re about to experience on your journey about the city.

Make sure to watch the brief video presentation and checkout the massive scale model, as both are very impressive and a key part of the experience!

Trust me, if you start out your exploration here, you ll have a much better appreciation for the city around you. It s great for all ages whether you re an architectural scholar or clueless beginner, like me.

Of note, it s a good stop for those traveling alone and the gift shop is probably one of the better places to pickup a quality souvenir with many options sourced from local artists, businesses, and authors (unlike the cheap stuff you ll find at the Bye Bye Chicago stores located all along Michigan Avenue).

Disclosure: I have no affiliation, financial interest, or other conflict of interest pertaining to the CAC... just a bug fan, enjoy!

This is a good museum for a short concentrated visit and gateway to additional off sight tours. In the museum, there was a very interesting top floor with exhibits on skyscrapers, with models, diagrams, and comparison statistics. The bottom floor is a full floor model of the buildings in downtown Chicago with a short video run at specific times. It looked like there were interactive activities on both floors. The museum is a little pricey.

Cool models of all sorts of local and international structures. Great new location includes a lecture hall. Right on the river with gorgeous view!

The model city is stunning. The skyscraper area somewhat confusing.

This litter gem was a shock while walking down Michigan ave. The gift shop caught our eye with a window display featuring famous Chicago buildings in Lego. Once inside we realized the scale model of the city buried within the building was the true attraction. Like a museum exhibit it was informative and entrancing. Certainly not someplace to miss.

Great architecture walking tours and boat tours for architecture lovers.

The CAC is the premier keeper of Chicago's architectural flame. Pop in to explore its excellent galleries, which feature an interactive 3-D model of Chicago and displays on the city's architectural history, as well as giant models of and exhibits on skyscrapers around the world and the amazing technologies needed to build them, from construction to security to sustainability.

I highly recommend the boat tour to start your Chicago sight seeing. Amazing guide who talked the entire time with interesting facts.

Definitely a neat place to visit if you're a fan of architecture.

Amazing experience for architecture novices! We had a blast!

A real icon. The new model is really nice. Still a bit uncertain on whether it is worth to pay a ticket just to see it. In the past it was possible to see the model without being charged and it was great to invite friends to have an interest for the Chicago architecture. The tours are really great and not to be missed.

A very interesting place to buy some quality souvenirs about Chicago with a touch of design and quality.

Neat new exhibition space that really gives a lot of information on Chicago, but also the architecture and science behind tall buildings around the world. Offers a number of interesting tours from river cruises to in depth bus tours in neighborhoods that you usually wouldn t get to. Nice museum shop as well. If you want to get beyond the standard tourist parts of Chicago or have a general interest in urbanism, this is a good place to visit!

The river cruise these folks put on IS the best in Chicago. Informative host explaining all the details of local landmarks. And the full bar isn't all that more expensive than area restaurants.

Amazing and fairly extensive interpretive exhibit. The past and future of architecture in Chicago and worldwide. Especially like the extensive treatment of energy neutral methods and materials.

Wonderful,giant model of the city in the main lobby. Extensive gift shop, knowledgeable tour guides, docents who care about the city,it's history and the people who built it.

Very nice place to spend an hour or two. Definitely watch the video near the model of the city if you have time. It's amazing.

This place is a must for any architecture lover. The Chicago exhibit is really interesting for anyone who wants to know more about the unique impact of the city on design. The skyscraper models are also really cool; the models of never-built buildings really make you long for the future additions to Chicago's skyline, while also appreciating former forward-looking work. Also, the gift store is really cool and has a good selection of books!

The tour was excellent! However, the tickets asign seat numbers but there are no assigned seats. That is false advertising. It doesn't take much to indicate on the tickets that it's general admission. We would have lined up much earlier had we known this information.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) was founded in 1966 to save the historic Glessner House. Since then, CAF has grown to become one of the largest cultural organizations in Chicago. For more than 50 years, our 450 volunteer docents and our educators have shared the stories of Chicago architecture with millions of Chicagoans and visitors. In 2016, CAF served more than 670,000 people.

The river boat tour they do is incredible! An absolute must-do if you're visiting Chicago. If you have the flexibility, try going around sunset so that the first part of the tour is in the daylight and the city is all lit up when the tour is winding down.

Yearly Architecture Tour is Great especially the speak easies

I recommend to stop here to learn and to understand Chicago. They offer many different tours throughout the day. The docents are truly excellent!

To recommend you, here are some architecture tours through Chicago, whether on foot, on Segways, by bike or the elevated train.
I personally did the tour on foot and if everyone else is just as interesting and informative I would like to do everyone else on my next visit.
These tours are very informative, including when it comes to Chicago's history, it's practically a must for any tourist.

Great exhibition :) interesting facts on Chicago s history and architecture in general.

A great bus tour of some of the architectural highlights.

Even though I grew up in Chicago, I played Tourist for the day and found this water tour to be informative, relaxing and thoroughly worth the price of a ticket! It's a unique way to view the city which you usually only get to see from a bridge!

There were fun engineering activities this weekend. Fun for the kiddo, reasonably priced adult tickets. A small city adventure.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation is a fantastic organisation which has the most brilliant guides who sell the architecture of Chicago to visitors in the most brilliant ways. I have been on nearly all of their tours over the years and can not possibly recommend them any more highly.

We did 2 tours with CAF; Historic Neighborhood Tour in the morning which gave us the general history of Chicago and then details of neighborhoods as we drove around the city, and the Twilight tour in the evening which explained Chicago's rich architecture and its evolution. It was amazing. The Twilight tour is very well timed. We had very well informed ladies who were our tour guides for each tour. Worth the money!

Nice store with beautiful and unconventional stuff.

Great River Cruise, docent Allison knowledgeable and engaging. Loved the new CAF location, especially the proximity to Fannie May.

It's nice, interesting and inexpensive. Only two rooms though

This was a fantastic way to see Chicago! We highly recommend taking this tour- it was well worth the money and took a couple of hours. Taking at twilight is like 2 tours in 1 - the lights of the city are so pretty! Wear a jacket if you're there during the cool months.

Really good places to look at interesting products to buy. But, really, the best things are the tours. And supporting the foundation. I've taken about twenty of the tours - all are great. If you're going to do very many, join the foundation. It is a great deal!

The store is also fun to look around. I almost always end up spending at least some money. They have a great plasticized Chicago map.

And the staff is great in both the store and the more general part of the center..

Fascinating scale model of Chicago's downtown skyline

Loved the boat tour the docent we had (Adrienne) was particularly knowledgeable and well-spoken. The Architecture Foundation has an amazing scale replica of the city. Note: unlike what we read online, you can buy tickets for the boat tour by the water, rather than at the foundation office a 30 minute walk away.

Excellent museum and starting point for various walking tours.

Great new home for CAC. Quick visit, definitely worth it

Wow! Amazing displays of the history of architecture in Chicago. Starting with a video on the first floor and then displays on the second. Just an amazing place to learn some of the basics about really tall buildings.

Excellent teller of Chicago history and modern urban development.

If you're visiting Chicago, it is a must to take this tour! It is a great way to see the city, learn the history of the city, and be outside enjoying the Chicago summer/fall! My number 1 recommendation for any visitor!

We took the Architecture river cruise - the tour guide was informative and funny. It was a great way to get an overview of the past and present (and future) of Chicago architecture.

It's definitely a fun place to visit. The model of Chicago is impressive and they have a suggestion wall with sticky notes that has interesting ideas and comments. They have a Lego architecture area that we keep missing when we visit, but looks like someone could spend hours there if interested in making your own creations in white Legos.

I just went on the River Tour with guide Adrienne. It was beyond anything I would have expected. You see so much beautiful architecture, many photo opportunities. The length of the tour was perfect and best of all our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the history, construction, and architects. Lots of fun anecdotes dropped in as well. I know so much more about the city and architecture in general. I would probably do a second tour if I was here longer. Absolutely a highlight of my trip and so glad this tour was recommended to me.

Very interesting place, full of all kinds of memories and Chicago's architectural paraphernalia, so you do not leave without buying something.

Farnsworth House in Plano, Il. Fabulous tour guides, both on the bus and at Farnsworth House. Loved the whole program!

Very nice exhibit of Chicago on the first floor includes an interactive scaled model of the city. There is a frequent short video that gives a general history of the city and its construction. Upstairs has an exhibit consisting of scale models of some of the worlds skyscrapers. Very interesting. Well worth the $5 add on price to the architectural river boat tour, which was a great tour and well worth the money.

A definite must go. Especially the architecture boat cruise. Interesting. Great information. Worth the extra few dollars.

It is worth taking an afternoon for your tour, it is all in English but there is audio guide. The store is to die for!

Excellent tours! An experience one should enjoy while in Chicago day or night. David was our informative, engaging, fun guide! I highly recommend it! enjoyed it so much we went in the evening to see the buildings lit up at night. There were multiple fireworks displays as well.

The shop is great and the boat tour was one of the best tours I took in Chicago.

Beautiful space, great walking tours, and the gallery below will leave you speechless. Though ever developing, small city model is breathtaking.

Well if you are a student of architecture, architect or just a person that likes architecture in general you have to visit this place a specialty for the model of city or bus tours. They have a lot of stuff in the shop and really good books but what makes me sad is the staff. The guy that helped me was really helpful, nice and patient but how on earth he doesn't know an architect that won Pritzker Prize?! Really? I had to spell twice the architecture studio and tell a from which country she was...I though that was a place where every stuff member knows more than basics about world of architecture. Apparently I was wrong.
Over all worth visiting but don't expect too much from them.

Books and models related to Chicago architecture can be consulted, and some souvenirs can be purchased, and the store is not large!

Very disappointing! I was looking and hoping for more hands on information but it seems like they threw things together.