City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 29 E. Ohio St.
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
93. Art Excursions
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (630) 671-9745
Description: Chicago-based husband-and-wife art historians Dr. Michelle Paluch-Mishur and Professor Jeff Mishur personally host their tours, sharing their vast knowledge and affection for art with small groups on their tours that travel around the country. In Chicago, they feature a Chicago Art and Architecture Tour with a highlight being the new Renzo Piano-designed Modern Wing at the Art Institute. But their big draw is the private guided experiences for individuals, couples, small groups, families, children or anyone else with an appreciation for art that needs a little attention. Interested in public sculpture in Chicago? They can do that. Contemporary art? No problem. Architecture? That too. Call for current tours and prices.
94. Auditorium Theatre
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (312) 922-2110
Address: 50 E. Congress Pkwy.
Description: It’s quite a theatrical thrill to attend a performance at the grand Auditorium Theatre. It’s even more amazing when you know what makes this National Historic Landmark so acoustically outstanding, so stunningly beautiful, and such a gem of architectural excellence. Tours point out the design and functional elements that Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan combined to create their masterpiece and chat about its colorful past when it hosted everything from operas to political conventions. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased 30 minutes before the tour at the theater or at Ticketmaster.com (with a handling fee). Tours generally run Mon at 10:30 a.m. and noon, and Thurs at 10:30 a.m.
95. Broadway In Chicago’s Historic Theatre Tours
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (312) 977-1700
Address: 24 W. Randolph St.
Description: Oohs and ahhs are expected on these tours that include two of three historic Loop theaters: The Oriental Theatre, the Cadillac Palace, and the Bank of America Theatre. Each early 20th-century space is extravagantly ornamented and beautifully restored, showing off elegant lobbies with marble, gold leaf, lavish mosaics, and a rich history of heydays and celebrities, downturns and renewals. Tickets $10 (with a handling fee if purchased through Ticketmaster). Tours take place every Sat at 11 a.m.
96. Chicago Film Tour
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (312) 593-4455
Insider Pick:
Description: Fancy yourself a film buff? Or just curious about things like where exactly Rob Lowe and Demi Moore met in the classic 1980s flick About Last Night or the hotel where Harrison Ford fled for justice in The Fugitive? Then you’ll want to take a roll with this lighthearted, movie-manic tour. You’ll bus it for about 2 hours across 30 miles to see more than 30 sites where over 50 movies were filmed. And just to jog your movie memory, the tour includes video clips on multiple screens aboard the bus. Feel free to bring your own snacks and drinks—we recommend buttered popcorn and a pop, of course. Tours are $30 and leave every Thurs through Sun at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The season is Apr through Nov, but group tours are offered year-round.
97. Chicago Poetry Tour
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (312) 787-7070
Address: 78 E. Washington St.
Description: Whether your poetic preferences run toward Shel Silverstein or Sylvia Plath, anyone can relate to a look at Chicago’s history through its poetry. These self-guided walking tours are produced by and downloadable from the Poetry Foundation, feature narration by NPR’s Scott Simon, and include archival recordings of famous Chicago poets such as Gwendolyn Brooks and Vachel Lindsay. A route map is also downloadable to guide you. Free. A brand-new Poetry Foundation building at Dearborn and Superior Streets is also open to the public.
98. Chicago Theater Stories Walking Tour
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (773) 508-4894
Description: More than just a discussion of prominent Chicago theaters, these strolls delve into the stories of the people who graced the city’s historic stages and the events that affected the course of Chicago theater and theatergoing. The 60-minute tours cost $18 and are held Sat and Sun at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; 90-minute tours cost $25 and run Sat and Sun at 3 p.m. Reservations are required for all tours. Group tours are also available 7 days a week. Contact for price and availability.
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 175 N. State St.
100. Chicago Board Of Trade
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: A soaring example of Art Deco architecture, this Holabird & Root building stands proudly at one end of the LaSalle Street financial corridor. Through historic preservation—including removal of unappealing 1950s dropped ceilings in the lobby—and stylistic replication (of elevators that needed replacing, but were redesigned with Art Deco sensibility), an update in 2006 infused it with renewed glory. Still referred to as the “board of trade building,” it actually now houses the CME Group, which is a merger of CBOT and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Take a look up to glimpse the woman standing atop the building; she’s a 6,500-pound aluminum sculpture of Ceres, the goddess of agriculture. The CME Group website has some visitor info at www.cmegroup.com.
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions