1893 World's Fair Tour with Bars for UChicago Alumni

1893 World’s Fair Tour Overview

Join fellow UChicago Alum Amanda Scotese on this very special walking tour that digs into how and why the 1893 World’s Fair captures imaginations more than any other event in Chicago history. Unlike other World’s Fair tours and Devil in the White City tours, which likely revolve around facts and trivia, you’ll dig deeper on this tour.

On this fun and insightful walking tour, you’ll venture into beautiful architectural spaces from the era. Guests play a few thoughtfully designed games, like visual scavenger hunts. Along with guide commentary, your guide will show you on shared iPads material from archives and photographs that illuminate this event, also known as the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.

This downtown tour visits some of the few remaining and spectacular buildings from the time of the World’s Fair. The fairgrounds themselves were south of downtown, by the University of Chicago campus, but you can best see the impact of the fair in the Loop! Here the architecture and landscape still show the World’s Fair imprint even today, over 125 years later. And beyond just looking at buildings from outside, our mostly indoor walking tour sees the beauty of architectural details within.

On this walking tour, you will eat a couple light snacks (we used to call this a “food tour” but have minimized the food, just fyi in case you’re reading reviews on Yelp or TripAdvisor). Plus, you can opt to get drinks (on you), too!

With just intermittent walks outside, the 1893 World’s Fair Tour makes for a great walking tour in all seasons. This tour makes the World’s Fair’s lasting impact come to life. We hope you’ll join us!

• Colorful mosaics in a hotel built for the 1893 World’s Fair
• The sweeping grand lobby of the Auditorium Building
• Ride one of the downtown’s last human-operated elevators
• A secret building hidden in an alley
• See the Monadnock Building, a landmark early skyscraper
• The opulent Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, once an exclusive men’s club

Stories and Ideas

• The rapid changes in culture around the turn of the century
• The 1893 Fair’s array of foods and even food sculpture
• Parlor songs of the past
• The beginnings of consumer culture and advertising
• Amusements on the Midway at the 1893 World’s Fair

1893 World’s Fair Tour Includes:

• Professional tour guide commentary
• Shared iPads with historic photos
• Light snacks
• Game prizes and gifts
• Exclusive event for University of Chicago Alumni

Reservation Does Not Include:

• Dietary restrictions: two small snacks are included. We may be able to accommodate vegetarians. If you are gluten-free, dairy-free, or have other allergies, we cannot make substitutions.
• Tour guide gratuity.