Chicago Architecture Foundation and Architecture Boat Tour

- Chicago River, Wolf Point, Sears Tower, Wrigley Building, Loop, Downtown, Navy Pier, 333 Wacker Drive, Aqua, Illinois Center, Bridges

Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF), is a nonprofit cultural organisation, that helps people to discover the architecture of Chicago. They are famous for their boat tours, walking tours, bus tours (totally 85 tours!) and for their headquarters at 224 S Michigan Avenue. The HQ is situated in the Santa Fe Building (also called Railway Exchange Bldg) just opposite Grant Park right in downtown Chicago, and is famous for its large white scale model of Chicago, including all famous landmarks, that is situated in its beautiful atrium. It is updated annually with the latest structures. In the building there is a souvenir shops that sells architecture themed products and tickets to the tours and a LEGO architecture studio. The Santa Fe Bldg is a beautiful white building from 1904, designed by Daniel Burnham and FP Dinkelberg.

CAF was founded in 1966 to save the Glessner house, one of Chicago's oldest residences, built in prairie house style. Every year in October, the world's largest architecture tour is held, Open House Chicago. It is free and gives access to buildlings interiors that you normally cannot visit.

Chicago River is a river flowing through the north part of downtown Chicago, to the west of downtown, and continues far to the North in the outskirts and far to the Southwest of Chicago. Lots of different ships passes, many of them guide boats and private boats, and all bridges can be open when larger ships have to pass, causing traffic chaos on the roads. The confluence of the main, South and North branches of Chicago River, is called the Wolf Point, is situated in downtown and surrounded by skyscrapers.

The architecture river cruise is highly recommended, even if you are not into architecture, it is ranked among the top 10 Tripadvisor tours in the US! The boat takes you along the central parts of Chicago River and passes famous landmarks, while the guide speaks about them, and tells interesting facts that are hard to find. The tour lasts about one hour and departs from the Chicago Riverwalk, just beneath Magnificent Mile. Some of the most famous landmarks it passes is Sears Tower (world's tallest building for 25 years, 108 floors), Tribune Tower (famous gothic vintage skyscraper), Trump Tower (98 floors), 333 Wacker Drive (prominent glass scraper situated where three brances of the river crosses), Illinois Center (new skyscraper development), Reid and Murdock Bldg, Merchandise Mart (largest building in the world upon completion), the Civic Opear Building, Boeing's HQ, River City Condominiums, Marina City (these two are designed by the same architect) and Navy Pier. At the end of the tour, that takes 1.5 hours, you will see skyline views from the Eastern end of Chicago River.

We made the tour in the late summer evening (in June), not to recommend though, since the sunlight is very low and dazzling.