All Ages 1893 World's Fair Walking Tour

The  All Ages 1893 World’s Fair Walking Tour digs into how and why the World’s Columbian Exposition still captures imaginations more than 125 years later. This 2-hour mostly indoor walking tour visits beautiful historical buildings in downtown Chicago that still remain from the time of the World’s Fair. You will learn more about the history of this incredible event while playing interactive, educational games like visual scavenger hunts.

This downtown tour visits some of the few remaining and spectacular buildings from the time of the World’s Fair. The fairgrounds themselves were in Jackson Park and on the Midway. You can best see the impact of the fair right in downtown Chicago. Here the architecture and landscape still show the World’s Fair imprint even today. Stepping into a glittering lobby of a 19th century hotel allows you to step into the past in your imagination.

Along with commentary illuminating the World’s Fair’s history, your guide will show you archival photos and images on shared iPads that help bring it to life. You’ll even get a chance to ride in a human-operated elevator, one of the last left in the city. In between tour commentary, the guide will lead you in interactive, educational games, including a visual scavenger hunt with historic clues. This is a fun way to learn about history, making it a good tour for guests of all ages, from kids to senior citizens!

This is a streamlined version of our regularly-scheduled 1893 World’s Fair Walking Tour with Bars. The All Ages version of the tour focuses on the educational games and architectural explorations and does not include a drink stop.

Highlights

• The sweeping grand lobby of the Auditorium Building
• Ride an old elevator with a human operator
• Interactive, educational games like a visual scavenger hunt
• Beautiful 19th-century architecture
• A secret alleyway with a hidden building
• Magnificent architecture of a landmark department store

• The rapid changes in culture around the turn of the 20th century
• All the different exhibits, from transportation to fine arts
• The 1893 Fair’s array of foods and even food sculpture
• Parlor songs of the past
• Amusements on the Midway at the 1893 World's Fair
• The magnitude and brevity of this influential event

• Professional tour guide commentary
• Shared iPads with historic photos
• Small snack
• Game prizes and gifts