Ninety-minute architectural tours on Chicago Line Cruises depart from the North Pier Docks just west of Navy Pier from April through November. Tickets for daytime cruises include coffee, soft drinks and baked goods and the evening cruise features cocktails. Along the way, local tour guides combine corny, Midwest-style jokes with serious architectural factoids. Expect to see lots of buildings called towers throughout the tour, beginning with the NBC Tower and ending with the Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower.
Chicago Line Cruises
465 N. McClurg Court
Chicago, IL 60611
312-527-1977
chicagoline.com
It's no surprise that the renowned Chicago Architecture Foundation offers the most scholarly of all river cruises. This nonprofit organization brought together citizens in 1966 to save a single building from destruction and has since become a dominant force in educating the public about Chicago's architecture. As boats glide past 53 significant buildings and 25 movable bridges, highly trained docents provide commentary on the history of Chicago architecture and its famous architects. Each of the three boats--Chicago's First Lady, Chicago's Little Lady and Chicago's Fair Lady--evoke a feeling of riding aboard a 1920s-style yacht. Tours depart from Riverside Gardens below the Michigan Avenue Bridge from May through late November. Tickets are sold at the dock and the Chicago Architecture Foundation store on Michigan Avenue.
Chicago Architecture Foundation
224 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60604
312-922-3432
architecture.org
Established in 1935, the Wendella Sightseeing Co., Inc. is one of the oldest tour boat companies in Chicago. The Chicago River Architecture Tour aboard Wendella boats begins at the famous Wrigley Building in downtown Chicago. As the boat drifts down the river, a trained tour guide points out architectural styles of buildings along the river banks in simple, easy-to-understand terms that assume no prior knowledge of Chicago history or architecture. Tours operate on the hour from mid-morning to early evening April through October.
Wendella Sightseeing Co., Inc.
400 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
312-337-1446
wendellaboats.com
