Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise aboard First Lady
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Chicago, USA
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Enjoy a quintessential Chicago experience—and see more of the city's highlights in less time—on an architecture-themed boat tour of the Chicago River. Pick from multiple convenient start times, and board your vessel directly from the Chicago Riverwalk. Thanks to your trained docent guide, receive a rich introduction to the Windy City’s history, key landmarks, and architectural highlights—and spy landmarks like the Marina City towers and Navy Pier from the water’s edge.
- See a new perspective on the Windy City when you sail the Chicago River
- Multiple departure times are available to suit your schedule
- Discover key Chicago landmarks like the Willis Tower and Marina City
- Learn all about the city’s highlights and heritage from your docent guide
What's Included
- Live commentary on board
- Local guide (docents)
- River sightseeing cruise
- Restroom on board
- Climate controlled lower level
- Drinks & light snacks (available to purchase)
- Storage for luggage
- WiFi on board
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 112 E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601, USA
On Chicago's Riverwalk at Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive. Please use 112 E. Wacker for GPS navigation. Look for our black awning at street level on the southeast corner of the Michigan Avenue Bridge at Wacker Drive.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Chicago River
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Chicago Architecture Center (Pass By)
Navy Pier (Pass By)
Marina City (Pass By)
401 N Wabash Ave (Pass By)
330 N Wabash Ave (Pass By)
150 N Riverside Plaza (Pass By)
100 N Riverside Plaza (Pass By)
Willis Tower (Pass By)
Merchandise Mart (Pass By)
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) (Pass By)
Tribune Publishing (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Not recommended for children younger than 12 years
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- IMPORTANT: For safety reasons, motorized scooters and electric wheelchairs cannot be accommodated. Guests who are able to transfer may use the company's manual wheelchair based on availability.
- WARNING: Tickets are not refundable or transferrable to other departures.
- Pets are not allowed
- IMPORTANT: There is no elevator access to the boat dock.
- IMPORTANT: Most, but not all, departures are wheelchair accessible, please advise at time of booking if wheelchair assistance is required
- All seating is General Admission. Boarding is on a first come, first serve basis
- Routes, specific vessels, and schedules are subject to change without notice
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 250 travelers
Supplied by
Frequently Asked Questions (10)
Q:Where is the departure point for the Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady?
A:The cruise departs from the scenic dockside along Chicago’s Riverwalk; 3 blocks north of Millennium Park and steps from The Magnificent Mile. The entrance to the Riverwalk dock is street level on the northeast corner of Michigan Ave. and Wacker Dr.
Apr 2021
The answers provided are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Kathy was phenomenal and great sense of humor! Kathy was amazing and you can deeply hear the passion! Definitely recommend especially if you want to be a tourist in your own city! Learned a lot and you will definitely see the city differently after this experience!
Reviews
4.9
based on 7,424 reviews
Sort by: Most recent
So interesting! I loved learning about the history of Chicago and riverside architecture. Spending time on the river was amazing. Highly recommend!
The staff was very friendly and inviting. The tour had great stories and cute jokes so worth it! Stop downstairs for a cocktail 🍸
Very enjoyable. So much history provided on each building. Very comfortable ride. Lots of opportunities for photos. Great way to see Chicago if it's your first time. Loved it!
Peter was our tour guide and he was amazing! So knowledgeable and entertaining - I would recommend this tour and Peter to anyone interested in learning about the history and architecture of Chicago!
What a great experience and a fun and relaxing way to learn about the history of Chicago! I highly recommend!
Cool weather for first tour. Lots of steps down from street level for those with limited mobility. Tour is fabulous!
Must do tour when visiting Chicago. Seeing all the beautiful buildings from the water is breathtaking and the knowledge the guides have of the architecture and history of Chicago is remarkable!!
Non-profit organization. Sit left side of boat for better view IMO. Steve the narrator was knowledgeable, excellent, full of energy and made it very enjoyable. Found out no gratuities required and they are non-profit. Highly recommend everyone take their cruise!
Take your camera and listen well!
So many beautiful and unique Chicago skyscrapers. I was pleased that we were on the river and also went into Lake Michigan.
The cruise boat was comfortable and the docent was extremely well informed.
This is a wonderful, well organized excursion to see the great treasures of Chicago! The boat and facilities were immaculate. and our guide was outstanding!
It gave you such an understanding of the Chicago skyline and what the city has done to maintain the integrity of it. Very interesting facts and I was absolutely in awe.
This was such a great experience!. Our travel guide was cute (he told us to say that j/k), funny and knowledgeable. Kept it light and fun.
Excellent docent made it a wonderful trip in the rain and snow in March. He toughed it out on the top deck in a full rain suit.
Amazing and remarkable. Russell was terrific as our guide. Could not have had a better experience. Would recommend to anyone visiting Chicago.
Absolutely perfect cruise. Great boat and great tour guide. Very knowledgeable about Chicago and the buildings design and history. Left and returned on time. Took the 9:30 AM and weather was perfect.
The narrator was very knowledgeable and she provided an excellent explanation of all the architectural building styles and their history. We sat on the upper deck and toke a lot of pictures. The ship and crew were very friendly. I enjoyed a local beer during the cruise. I would highly recommend this cruise.
Outstanding views of the city scapes. Chris P our tour guide was so great and knowledgable with a tad of humor.
We read this was the best architecture tour in Chicago, and we weren’t disappointed! Tina, our volunteer docent, had a lovely way of detailing the history of the buildings and river.
If you like history, then this the excursion for you! Edie, our docent, did a phenomenal job giving us a timeline of not only the architectural movement of Chicago, but of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan! A more beautiful day in Chicago couldn’t have been ordered!
The architecture was amazing and especially getting the history on each one and on their architects. I love the views!
Tamara was amazing! Knowledgeable and entertaining. I would recommend this tour in a heartbeat. Chicago is beautiful from the river.
This was a well organised & delivered cruise tour. We had a fantastic volunteer who guided us round the town. He had oodles of knowledge about Chicago! Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone.
Very knowledgeable and pleasant. Guide really knew her stuff! Great to see all the old buildings and hear about the history.
Very knowledgeable and well spoken guide, easy to hear, great boat, and every seat has perfect views. Friendly crew including bartender who made great drinks.
The tour guide was very difficult to understand, since he spoke extremely fast. We therefore missed a good part of the information. Additionally, the back speaker and the downstairs front speaker were not working properly. We asked if they could adjust the bass/treble to remove the deep buzzing sound, but that was never done. We tried sitting in different rows, but unfortunately, nothing was available that would solve the problems and your staff didn't seem to care enough to assist.
I had heard so many amazing things about your tour and was so disappointed that we only got about half the tour. We did see a tour pass us by and the tour guide had them laughing and cheering. We wish we could have joined them.
The best treat you can give yourself in Chicago. Spectacular scenery. Knowledgeable docents. Pair it with a walking tour from the Architecture Center to really get a good overview of Chicago. A perfect day.
Wonderful tour guide. Explaining the history of Chicago through architecture. Such a new way to view the city.
It was a great tour and the guide was knowledgeable and friendly. The seats were comfy too. It was a spectacular day.
Excellent experience
The docent held our attention with thorough descriptions and detailed explanations.
The cruise was well worth our time.
That was great!!! Very thorough and covered lots of ground. Totally brings the city alive. Boat is very nice, the trip is very organized and the guides are top notch!
Member Pricing
From
$54.15
per personWas $57.00(-5%)
-You will not receive a refund if you cancel.
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Current
Member Pricing
Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise aboard First Lady
7,415
1 hour 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$57.00
$54.15
5% savings
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