Chicago Walking Tour: Art Deco Skyscrapers

Step back in time and explore the opulent Art Deco skyscrapers of Chicago’s Roaring ‘20s. Discover the origins of Art Deco and admire iconic buildings on this engaging tour.

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Chicago River - Discuss buildings built in the Art Deco style along the riverfront
  • 333 Michigan Ave - View the exterior of the building
  • Carbide and Carbon Building - View the Carbide and Carbon Building
  • 66 E Wacker Pl - Visit the former Chicago Motor Club Building, 66 E Wacker Place
  • 182 W Lake St - Visit the Trustees System…
What's Included
  • Admission to the Chicago Architecture Center Galleries
  • Professional, certified guide narration
What's Not Included
  • Coat check
  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off
  • Storage for luggage or strollers
Additional Information

Explore the foyers of five lavish Art Deco towers constructed near the Chicago River’s shores during the commercial surge of the Roaring ‘20s. Understand how Art Deco embodied the period’s spirited optimism through its use of sumptuous materials and geometric adornment. Uncover the roots of Art Deco whilst appreciating edifices like the Carbide and…

Location
Chicago Architecture Center
East Wacker Drive
Meet inside the Chicago Architecture Center at 111 E Wacker Drive. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your tour departure time.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(48 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Michaelhr7467vu
Dec 14, 2024
Fun and informative - Very fun and informative tour. The buildings were beautiful and the docent, Marcia provided great context. I loved going into the lobbies and noticing the recurring themes.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X6353xhkimh
Dec 12, 2024
Fantastic tour in spite of freezing cold!! - Mitch (our tour guide) was excellent!! Very knowledgeable, friendly, mindful of the fact it was 9 degrees when we started so asked us several times if we were ok or needed to step into another building to warm up. Just a fantastic tour of these beautiful historic buildings. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Luizinr
Oct 22, 2024
First Lady tour is perfect by all means - Amazing tour. Amazing guide with so much knowledge. We took a lot of pictures. Learnt so much about the city, all the stories about the architecture were amazing
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Travelsara13
Oct 22, 2024
A fantastic way to experience the City of Architecture - Definitely a great way to learn about Chicago's stunning architecture! You'll see spaces and details you might not otherwise have noticed, and learn all sorts of interesting facts. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Seahorse1340
Oct 17, 2024
Chicago art deco buildings - Our guide was Rebecca, who was wonderful. She was very knowledgeable about the subject, which made the tour interesting. The group had various questions and she answered them with great details. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ar123456_13
Oct 16, 2024
Amazing buildings and great lobbies - Amazing buildings and great lobbies. Good insights into the historic city and a fascinating tour. Jill C was a very knowledgeable and friendly guide!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jessefl8895bc
Oct 10, 2024
Knowledgeable and excellent - I loved this tour – our guide Mitch was very knowledgeable and had a quick wit, to boot! It was great to see some classic Art Deco interiors (which I would not have known about otherwise) and learn what separates the style from Art Nouveau.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andrewda8247xt
Oct 6, 2024
A new look into the old art deco skyscrapers of Chicago - An excellent walking tour throughout the north loop and near north side. We probably walked 1.5 total miles in 2 hours so bring a good pair of walking shoes! Some of the tour goes into the lobbies of the buildings providing a unique and new look at many of the buildings you may have seen from the outside. Our tour guide Joelle (I think it was Joelle!) was excellent at helping us understand the nuances of the art deco style.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
R5217hxhelenp
Oct 5, 2024
Excellent, informative tour. Highly recommend! - Our docent was knowledgeable and showed and explained the history of Art Deco as it applies to architecture but also to other arts. Very informative and enjoyable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wobwifeofbath
Sep 15, 2024
Engaging view of Chicago lovely Art Deco architecture and interiors! - I took the Art Deco Riverwalk tour with Betsy yesterday. My friend, was visiting from out of the country, was quite engaged with the tour. I have often seen the buildings we toured but I learned a lot of new things about the them (especially the interiors). We went into a section of the Merchandise Mart that I hadn't previously seen and I had a question about the murals and Betsy did some research and emailed me afterwards in response to my question.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 10 guests
1
Adult
December 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today