Best Architecture Walking Tour Since Sliced Bread

All arts are a reflection of an age. Styles in creations like architecture, graphic design, fashion design and pop culture have similar qualities when they come from the same era. We will compare architecture with contemporaneous works other media to help us learn how to identify architectural styles and most all all, to understand their deeper connections with history. We will also consider how the advancements in technology and engineering have shaped buildings.

Why is this the “best” architecture walking tour since sliced bread? The fun and creative educational approach of this Chicago architecture walking tour makes it unlike any other architecture tour in the city. We know it’s absurd to call anything the “best.” We say this simply because the tour is the best for Detours-minded folks. The tour appeals to both Chicago locals and visitors. People well-versed in art history will enjoy it, as well as tour guests new to looking at art and architecture.

You will learn about various architectural styles, both by looking at buildings in front of us and at images and video on shared iPads.

Our architecture walking tour goes south of the Michigan Avenue bridge. This is a route where many people walk but rarely look up. We conclude at the very new urban playground of Maggie Daley Park.

With so many architecture tours to choose from, how do you know you aren’t going to get a volunteer tour docent rambling dates, names and minutia? Come on a tour with Chicago Detours and our fun, passionate, and highly trained tour guides. We have a solid five stars on Yelp and TripAdvisor.

• Chicago’s Underground Layers
• Michigan Avenue Bridge
• Carbide and Carbon Building
• Mies van der Rohe’s Illinois Center
• Diamond Building
• Aqua Tower
• The New Maggie Daley Park
• Shared iPads with images of pop culture comparisons

• Fort Dearborn and the “simple life”
• Chicago School of Architecture
• Art Deco and the Roaring ’20s
• Mechanization and the spirit of modernist architecture
• The fun shapes of post-modern forms
• Recent trends in city living

• Shared iPads with historic photos and video clips
• Engaging tour guide commentary
• Special gifts