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Chicago Historic Architecture Tour Vacation Package
Hotel Burnham

Join the Chicago Architecture Foundation for a tour of historic downtown. Aptly named ‘Rise of the Skyscraper,' this tour dwarfs humble humans and offers a glimpse into the monumental skill, precision and craftsmanship that have contributed to the creation of some of the most impressive buildings in the world.

Your Downtown Chicago Architecture Tour Vacation Package includes the Skyscraper tour plus accommodations at the Hotel Burnham. The Hotel Burnham was built by Daniel Burnham who is highly acclaimed as the principal architect for the Chicago Worlds Fair and most of the historic skyscrapers in Chicago. Today, the building stands in renewed glory as a luxury boutique hotel featuring a classic club aesthetic and unparalleled service. The Architecture Foundation and Shoreline Sightseeing have more architectural tours to enhance your Chicago vacation or let Seadog Cruises show you the City from the water.

PACKAGE INCLUDES
  • A stay at the Hotel Burnham - a Kimpton Hotel  [ see details ]
  • Chicago Architecture Foundation - Historic Downtown (south): Rise of the Skyscraper [ see details ]
OPTIONAL ITEMS
  • Shoreline Sightseeing - Architectural Tour
    Monday - Friday [ see details ]
  • Shoreline Sightseeing - Architectural Tour
    Saturday and Sunday [ see details ]
  • Chicago Architecture Foundation - Historic Downtown (north): Treasures of Culture & Commerce [ see details ]
  • Chicago Architecture Foundation - Downtown Deco Walking Tour [ see details ]
  • Chicago Architecture Foundation - Chicago Old and New: Intersections Walking Tour [ see details ]
  • Seadog Cruises of Chicago - 75 Minute River Architectural Tour
    Monday-Friday [ see details ]
  • Seadog Cruises of Chicago - 75 Minute River Architectural Tour
    Saturday-Sunday [ see details ]
Hotel Burnham - a Kimpton Hotel
Chicago, IL

The architectural grandeur of a bygone era comes alive at the Hotel Burnham: a Four-Star luxury boutique hotel in the heart of Chicago's famous Loop. Located on Historic State Street the Hotel Burnham projects an atmosphere of the historical and whimsy decorated to the hotels theme of romance...

More Hotel Info · Location Info & Map

Chicago Architecture Foundation - Historic Downtown (south): Rise of the Skyscraper
Chicago, IL Category: Tours & Sightseeing

Chicago is not only the birthplace of the skyscraper, it is also where most of the innovations in early skyscraper design and technology originated! Take a step back in time for an informative look at some of our world famous early skyscrapers including: Burnham and Root’s Rookery (1888) with its Moorish revival exterior and restored Frank Lloyd Wright interior; Adler and Sullivan’s Auditorium Building (1889) a masterpiece of engineering, design and acoustics; Holabird and Roche’s Marquette Building (1895) an outstanding example of the Chicago School of design; and Holabird and Root’s Chicago Board of Trade Building (1930), one of the city’s most glamorous Art Deco skyscrapers.

  • November, 2008 – April, 2009: Daily at 10:00am
  • May – September: Daily at 10:00am and 3pm (no 3pm tour on Weds.)
  • October: Daily at 10:00am and 3pm (no 3pm tour on Weds.)
  • November - March 2010: Daily at 10:00am

NOTE: No tour given on Thanksgiving (November 26, 2009), Christmas Day (December 25, 2009) or New Year's Day (January 1, 2010).

Attraction Info · Location Info & Map · Terms & Conditions

Shoreline Sightseeing - Architectural Tour
Monday - Friday
Chicago, IL Category: Tours & Sightseeing

Join Shoreline on an exciting journey as we tour the Chicago River and its architectural landmarks. Professional guides recount the dramatic story of Chicago's rise from the Great Fire of 1871 to become the home of the skyscraper and the cradle of modern American architecture. Along the one-hour route are buildings by world-famous architects including Mies van der Rohe, Skidmore Owings & Merrill and Helmut Jahn. Our complimentary map and guide is yours to keep as a souvenir of your cruise.

Attraction Info · Location Info & Map · Terms & Conditions

Shoreline Sightseeing - Architectural Tour
Saturday and Sunday
Chicago, IL Category: Tours & Sightseeing

Join Shoreline on an exciting journey as we tour the Chicago River and its architectural landmarks. Professional guides recount the dramatic story of Chicago's rise from the Great Fire of 1871 to become the home of the skyscraper and the cradle of modern American architecture. Along the one-hour route are buildings by world-famous architects including Mies van der Rohe, Skidmore Owings & Merrill and Helmut Jahn. Our complimentary map and guide is yours to keep as a souvenir of your cruise.

Attraction Info · Location Info & Map · Terms & Conditions

Chicago Architecture Foundation - Historic Downtown (north): Treasures of Culture & Commerce
Chicago, IL Category: Tours & Sightseeing

Come see some of the great architectural landmarks of State Street and Michigan Avenue from the late 19th/early 20th centuries. This was a time when Chicago was determined to be a great cultural—as well as commercial—city as evidenced and encouraged by the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. You’ll see buildings by Burnham, Sullivan, Holabird and Roche and other noted architects—including the Reliance Building, Carson Pirie Scott & Co. (Sullivan Center), the Chicago Cultural Center, the Palmer House and the famous Michigan Avenue streetwall. You’ll visit beautiful interior treasures that even many Chicagoans don’t know exist! You will hear the stories behind these architectural gems and the men and women who have added so much to the commercial and cultural life of this city. As icing on the cake, this tour also touches on Millennium Park, Chicago’s exciting new 21st century park, outdoor gallery, garden and music venue.

  • April: Daily at 2pm
  • May – September: Daily at 2pm
  • October: Daily at 2pm
  • November – February 2010: Friday, Saturday, Sunday at 2pm
  • March 2010: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2pm.

NOTE: No tour given on Thanksgiving (November 26, 2009), Christmas Day (December 25, 2009) or New Year's Day (January 1, 2010).

Attraction Info · Location Info & Map · Terms & Conditions

Chicago Architecture Foundation - Downtown Deco Walking Tour
Chicago, IL Category: Tours & Sightseeing

Art Deco was a sumptuous, modern style; its lavish materials and geometric ornament epitomized the prosperity and optimism of the Roaring Twenties. On this tour, you’ll learn the origins of Art Deco and the popular motifs that are its hallmarks throughout the world. At the same time, you’ll be sure to admire the soaring exteriors and opulent interiors of some of Chicago’s most magnificent Art Deco skyscrapers, including such city landmarks as the One LaSalle Street Building, the Field Building, and the Carbide and Carbon Building.

  • April: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 11:00am
  • May – September: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 11:00am
  • October: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 11:00am
  • November – March 2010: Thursday, Saturday at 11:00am

NOTE: No tour given on Thanksgiving (November 26, 2009), Christmas Day (December 25, 2009) or New Year's Day (January 1, 2010).

Attraction Info · Location Info & Map · Terms & Conditions

Chicago Architecture Foundation - Chicago Old and New: Intersections Walking Tour
Chicago, IL Category: Tours & Sightseeing

Intersections define cities--streets, cultures, ideas and architecture come together and visually communicate cultural history and stimulate new ideas. Chicago's downtown intersections are at the core of the city's vibrancy. Intersections: An Introduction to Chicago Architecture is a two-hour walking tour that introduces architecture from 1871 to the present, and serves to create the context for Millennium Park.

The tour explores five street intersections: Michigan and Adams, Dearborn and Adams, Clark and Randolph, State and Randolph and Michigan and Randolph; and five architectural styles: Chicago School, Beaux Arts, Modernism, Post Modernism, and Deconstructionist. Different combination's of architectural styles, building ages, urban space uses from commercial to governmental to cultural, and varied economic, ethnic, religious and racial groups integrate to tell a city story.

Features of classic Chicago buildings, including the Marquette Building, Federal Center, Daley Center, Thompson Center and the landmark Reliance Building are examined during the tour. The tour culminates with a visit to Millennium Park, the ultimate Chicago intersection where world-class art and architecture continue traditions of juxtaposing old and new and celebrates our culture's similarities and differences.

March - November, 2008: Mondays and Wednesdays at 11am Chicago Old and New offers the dual pleasures of seeing over 130 years of Chicago architecture – from the 1870’s to the present – while examining how intersections of streets, styles, and cultures communicate history and reflect the vibrancy of the city.

At five major intersections in the Loop, you will view buildings as elements that combine to create Chicago’s unique urban fabric. The tour adds richness to the experience of seeing important Chicago architecture by comparing the histories, styles, and uses of buildings located within sight of each other at these intersections. The tour examines how buildings and public art have influenced each other and evolved to reflect a variety of architectural styles, advances in building technology, and Chicago’s place as one of America’s great cities.

The tour features buildings from the Chicago School, the Beaux Arts movement, mid-20th century Modernism, Post-modernism, and the latest in architecture as designed by Frank Gehry and Renzo Piano. Included in the tour are examples of commercial, municipal and cultural buildings such as the Marquette Building, Federal Center, Daley Center, Thompson Center, and the landmark Reliance Building. The tour culminates with a visit to Millennium Park, the ultimate Chicago intersection, where world-class art and architecture combine to juxtapose old and new while celebrating our culture’s similarities and differences.

  • March - November: Mondays and Wednesdays at 11am

Attraction Info · Location Info & Map · Terms & Conditions

Seadog Cruises of Chicago - 75 Minute River Architectural Tour
Monday-Friday
Chicago, IL Category: Tours & Sightseeing

The only tour to take you from the lakefront, through the locks and along the river, the Seadog River & Lake Architecture Tour is your best choice for experiencing Chicago. Beginning at Navy Pier, our memorable 75-minute entertaining, memorable and amusing river & lake architectural cruise features exciting views and humorous descriptions of Chicago’s most famous architecture, landmarks and history combined with an exciting boat ride aboard the Seadog!

This exciting, descriptive, 75-minute Seadog architecture tour:

  • Departs directly from popular and easy to find Navy Pier
  • Includes passage through the historic Chicago River Locks and up the Chicago River to Sears Tower
  • Includes a river architectural tour and a speedboat ride along the lakefront

Multiple Departures Monday-Friday: 11:15AM, 1:15PM, 3:15PM, 5:15PM

Attraction Info · Location Info & Map · Terms & Conditions

Seadog Cruises of Chicago - 75 Minute River Architectural Tour
Saturday-Sunday
Chicago, IL Category: Tours & Sightseeing

The only tour to take you from the lakefront, through the locks and along the river, the Seadog River & Lake Architecture Tour is your best choice for experiencing Chicago. Beginning at Navy Pier, our memorable 75-minute entertaining, memorable and amusing river & lake architectural cruise features exciting views and humorous descriptions of Chicago’s most famous architecture, landmarks and history combined with an exciting boat ride aboard the Seadog!

This exciting, descriptive, 75-minute Seadog architecture tour:

  • Departs directly from popular and easy to find Navy Pier
  • Includes passage through the historic Chicago River Locks and up the Chicago River to Sears Tower
  • Includes a river architectural tour and a speedboat ride along the lakefront
Multiple Departures Saturday-Sunday: 11:15AM, 1:15PM, 3:15PM, 5:15PM

Attraction Info · Location Info & Map · Terms & Conditions