Absolutely Chicago Segway Tours

Try a segway tour, where you'll enjoy fantastic views of Chicago's famous attractions. Explore Chicago by day or night with friendly tour guides.

CITY: Chicago

American Sightseeing / Gray Line Tours

Offers sightseeing tours in more than 150 destinations on six continents and is widely recognized as the world's leader in sightseeing tours, ground transportation, charter service, airport transfers, and convention services.

CITY: Chicago

Andersonville & Edgewater: Chicago Neighborhood Tours

Discover the gay-friendly shops and restaurants of Andersonville, then head to Edgewater to see Art Deco and Tudor Revival architecture in the Bryn Mawr Historic District. Tours depart from the Chicago Cultural Center.

CITY: Chicago

Aon Center

The city’s second-tallest building, located at 200 E. Randolph St., rises 82 floors. Interestingly, the structure was first clad entirely in marble, but the slabs turned out to be too thin and were later replaced with thicker slabs of white granite.

CITY: Chicago

Assembly Hall

From rock shows to Broadway to family shows to Fighting Illinois basketball and much more, the Assembly Hall has hosted the top names in show business, as well as, numerous University and community events.

CITY: Champaign

Auditorium Building

The Auditorium Building original configuration combined a theater seating, a four-hundred-room hotel, and 136 offices and stores. The hotel lobby with a notable interior is now Roosevelt University. The Auditorium Building is one of the best-known designs of Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1975 and it was designated a Chicago Landmark on September 15, 1976.

CITY: Chicago

Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University

The historic landmark Auditorium Theatre, an architectural masterpiece designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, opened in 1889. The Auditorium, which regularly hosts live performances, is renowned for its amazing acoustics.

CITY: Chicago

Aurora Area Architecture

The Aurora area features diverse architectural styles, including designs by Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe, Bruce Goff and George Grant Elmslie. The area is also home to one of the largest collections of Sears mail order homes.

CITY: Aurora

Baha'i House Of Worship

The Bahá'í House of Worship is a building solely dedicated to prayer and is open to everyone. It was the second house of worship to be constructed in Chicago and is the oldest one still standing. The auditorium offers a scene of unsurpassed beauty.

CITY: Wilmette

Bald Knob Cross

A national symbol of faith, this 111-foot-tall cross, when illuminated at night, can be seen over an area of 7,500 square miles atop the most prominent elevation in Southern Illinois. The cross is surrounded by the Shawnee National Forest.

CITY: Alto Pass

Beall Mansion - An Elegant Bed & Breakfast Inn

Welcome to the mansion built as a wedding gift. Designed by Lucas Pfeiffenberger and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this elegant mansion features 18 ionic columns, eleven and a half foot ceilings, crystal chandeliers and marble and bronze statuary throughout. Let us pamper you with sumptuous feather beds, whirlpools for two, 24 hour "all you can eat" chocolate buffet, and optional gourmet breakfast in bed. Free wi-fi. In room massage, spa, golf and corporate packages available.

CITY: Alton

Beall Mansion Historic Tours

Tour the mansion built as a wedding present by railroad baron and riverboat magnate Z.B. Job for his son and bride Mary Drummond, heiress to the Drummond tobacco fortune. Today this three-story mansion serves as a bed and breakfast.

CITY: Alton

Belvidere Cemetery and Pettit Memorial Chapel

Established in 1847, this is the burial ground for Belvidere's illustrious pioneers. Want to go right to a Frank Lloyd Wright landmark? Visit the Pettit Memorial Chapel.

CITY: Belvidere

Bobby's Bike Hike- World's Greatest Tours and Rentals

Ride a cool cruiser-style bicycle and follow a guide who makes brief stops at Chicago's most popular sights, providing light-hearted commentary that will keep you entertained.

CITY: Chicago

Cairo Public Library

Museum quality working library of Queen Anne, Architecture on two floors built in 1884.

CITY: Cairo

Carson Pirie Scott & Company

Carson Pirie Scott & Company’s former flagship store, designed by Louis H. Sullivan (1856-1924) was also built in stages, beginning in 1899, 1903, augmented by an addition by D. H. Burnham & Co. in 1906, and ending with a 1961 addition by Holabird and Root. Although Carson’s wide windows and narrow piers are expressive of the internal steel frame, the building is more famous for its exquisite ornament by Sullivan. The embellished storefronts, newly restored decorative cornice, and ornate columns capitals on the interior all bear Sullivan’s personal style of ornament. It was both named a Chicago Landmark and listed in the National Register in 1970. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1975. Copy and descriptions courtesy of AIA Illinois and the 150 Great Places in Illinois www.illinoisgreatplaces.com

CITY: Chicago

Cedarville Historical Museum

This museum is located in an 1889 school building and features a permanent exhibit honoring Jane Addams, who was born and raised in Cedarville. Miss Addams was an internationally famous humanitarian and social work pioneer who founded Chicago's Hull House and won the Nobel Peace Prize. Museum exhibits include personal items and memorabilia from her life and the life of her family. There are also changing exhibits on topics of local historical interest and a research center and a research center.

CITY: Cedarville

Charnley-Persky House Museum

Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan designed this Gold Coast residence, now the home of the Society of Architectural Historians. Open for tours.

CITY: Chicago

Chautauqua Auditorium

Built in 1903, the auditorium is the largest building of its kind from anywhere in the world, and is included on the National Register of Historic Places. Above the stage are Grecian statues designed by Robert Root.

CITY: Shelbyville

Cheney Mansion

One of Oak Park's finest showplaces, the 12,000 sq. foot, 1913 mansion is located in the Historic District. Reminiscent of a gracious English country home and surrounded by 2 acres of beautiful gardens, a greenhouse and coach house.

CITY: Oak Park

Chicago Architecture Foundation

Experience Chicago's world renowned architecture with one of 80+ different tours offered by The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF). Explore by boat, foot, bus, bicycle or Segway, and choose from tours such as the Devil in the White City tour, Lights, Camera, Architecture! tour, the Daniel Burnham Tour and many others. Interested in the boat tour? Only the Chicago Architecture Foundation and Chicago's First Lady Cruises can showcase Chicago's world renowned city architecture with style, class and comfort. Learn more at www.cruisechicago.com. Also offered: FREE exhibitions, programs and workshops, youth education, family programs and an architecture and design-themed retail store. Private tours and group tour rates available. Open daily 9:30-5:00.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Architecture Foundation/ ArchiCenter

Chicago: You Are Here, a permanent exhibition, is free and open to the public daily in the ArcelorMittal CitySpace Gallery from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm. Designed to encourage visitors to explore the architecture and infrastructure that make up the environment of Chicago, You Are Here includes a scale model of the Loop, along with bold images, artifacts, and multimedia presentations. Temporary, architecture-themed exhibitions throughout the year. Free and open daily. Check website for details. Full schedule of lectures, workshops, special events and presentations at noon, evenings, and weekends throughout the year. Free or low cost. Check website for listings.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago at Sunset Tour - Wendella Sightseeing Boats

The setting sun gives way to the city's nightly light show as each building begins to shine. For two hours you'll be treated to what's been called the world's most beautiful skyline.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Board of Trade

The LaSalle Street Financial Corridor is one of the most visually stunning districts in the city. A long canyon of buildings, unlike any other area of Chicago, terminates at the Chicago Board of Trade Building, the 1930 Art Deco masterpiece by Holabird & Root. A sparkling, stainless-steel sculpture of Ceres, the goddess of grain, by John Storrs (1885-1956) caps the composition, visually focusing this whirling financial district on the commodity that enabled so much of Chicago’s growth. The Board of Trade was named a Chicago Landmark in 1977 and listed to the National Register in 1978. Copy and descriptions courtesy of AIA Illinois and the 150 Great Places in Illinois www.illinoisgreatplaces.com

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field Tours

Get an insider’s look at this historic American landmark that has enchanted baseball fans for almost a century. Each 90-minute guided tour includes stops such as the Cubs clubhouse, press box, dugouts and mezzanine suites.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Detours

Experience history and culture through educated commentary and multimedia on iPads while exploring stories and places even locals don't know about. Highly trained guides share forgotten stories from the past on regularly scheduled tours.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Food Planet Tours

Take the 3-hour food tasting and cultural walking Chicago tours, which combine delicious food and drink tastings with some serious fun in Chicago’s most delicious, off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods. Suitable for all age groups and fitness levels, you’ll experience delectable foods from one-of-a-kind specialty food stores and ethnic eateries while receiving an insiders view into the culture, history and architecture that defines the Windy City. Walk away with new culinary perspectives, big smiles, satisfied taste buds and the confidence to continue exploring the areas where locals live.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Greeter Service

Explore Chicago with a friendly, knowledgeable Chicago Greeter as your guide! Visitors can register for a free 2-4 hour guided walking tour of a neighborhood or special local interest of their choice. This free service matches an individual, family or small group of friends with one of over 200 enthusiastic volunteer Greeters who love sharing their expertise and passion about the city and all there is to see and do here. For more information, visit http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/things_see_do/tours/tourism/chicago_greeter_tours.html.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Historic Water Tower

One of the few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire, the Historic Water Tower is an icon on North Michigan Avenue and houses the City Gallery, which showcases Chicago photography. The tower was built in 1869 by architect William W. Boyington.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Neighborhood Tours

These half-day bus excursions celebrate the history, stories, traditions, and most importantly, the people of our great city. Tours departing weekly from the Chicago Cultural Center. Explore Chicago's neighborhoods with local tour guides. All tours are conducted by motorcoach and by foot, and depart from the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 East Randolph Street. Check in at 9:30 am in the main seating area behind the Randolph Cafe. Unless otherwise specified, tours do not include lunch or refreshments. All tours are $30 for adults and $25 for seniors/students/children, with the exception of Taste of the Neighborhoods ($50/$45). Cash and major credit cards are accepted. Chicago Neighborhood Tours is presented by the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Pedway Tour

The Chicago Pedway Tour will lead you through the Pedway, the backdrop for an amusing and enlightening tour of some of the hot-spots (or a least warm-spots) of downtown Chicago. The tour focuses on interesting anecdotes and tales about some of the great buildings downtown, but it’s also a study of the city underneath the city. The Pedway is a strange and wonderful place and adds so much to the city’s personality. These are great tours for Chicagoans who want to learn more about the city and for tourists who want a full Chicago experience without ever going outside. The tour is 90 minutes and is $20. Monday/Thursday/Saturday at 10:30 am. Please note: the start location for the Monday and Thursday tour is at 40 W. Lake St. in the “Gallery of Shops.” The start location for the Saturday tour is at start at Block 37 – 108 N. State St.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Photo Safaris

A professional photographer takes visitors to a landmark Chicago destination while giving tips on composition, lighting and exposure. These sessions are for photographers of any skill level with any kind of camera, digital or film.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Private Tours

Provides tours in nine languages. Each tour comes with a chauffeur, expert guide, and luxury vehicle. Group tours available.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago River Architecture Tour - Wendella Sightseeing Boats

The Chicago River Architecture Tour is a 60-minute journey through the heart of the city. Led by an architectural expert, this in-depth tour traces the history and innovations of urban architecture in Chicago.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Riverwalk

Experience the magnificence of the city from a different perspective. The city’s Riverwalk features walkways and seating areas along the water's edge, where visitors can enjoy views of architecture, and watch the Chicago’s historic bridges rise for boats heading out to Lake Michigan. With attractions such as cafes, boat cruises, bike rentals and more, there’s plenty to do. (Chicago Riverwalk runs along the south bank of the Chicago River, from Lake Shore Drive to Franklin Street.)

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Savvy Tours

Chicago Savvy Tours specializes in architectural and historical tours of Chicago, and offers a variety of services for both private and group tours.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Trolley and Double Decker Co.

We operate Chicago’s premier Hop On Hop Off ® city sightseeing tours in the classic red & green Trolleys and fun-filled Double Decker buses. We also offer private group transportation for special events such as weddings, parties, and corporate outings. For 19 years the Hop On Hop Off® sightseeing tour has been the gold standard for entertaining and informative tours. Covering 13 miles and 14 stops, the Signature Tour is an eye-popping adventure through the heart of Chicago, giving you the option of Hopping On and Off at your choice of stops to visit the hottest retail, cultural, and family attractions. Summer tours include neighborhood tours and night tours.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Union Station

This architectural gem has been featured in many movies over the years, including Derailed. But it's the marble staircase here—featured in the climatic scene from The Untouchables—that still attracts visitors over 20 years later.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago's First Lady Cruises

Located at the Michigan Avenue Bridge, Chicago's most luxurious touring vessels offer one of Chicago's top tourist attractions, the critically-acclaimed Chicago Architecture Foundation river cruise with commentary by trained, certified docents, and the American Girl Dinner & River Cruise created especially for families and girls (8-12).

CITY: Chicago

City Segway Tours - Chicago

Chicagoland's first guided Segway tour provides an informative ride with unique and fascinating Chicago stories, fantastic photo ops and the chance to ride the coolest machine in the world.

CITY: Chicago

Civic Opera House

The world-renowned Lyric Opera of Chicago performs in one of North America's most beautiful opera houses, the Civic Opera House. The decorative character of the entire building is a hybrid of Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. Comedy-tragedy masks and cornucopia of instruments abound as playful ornaments around entrances, inspired by the Paris Opera House designed by Jean-Louis-Charles Garnier. The famous painted fire curtain (depicting the parade scene from Aida) and the interior decoration details of the Civic Opera House were created by American artist Jules Guerin in a palette of salmon pinks, roses, olives, golds and bronzes.

CITY: Chicago

Combined Lake and River Tour - Wendella Sightseeing Boats

The Combined Lake and River Tour offers a comprehensive overview of Chicago, with breathtaking views of the magnificent skyline and an up-close perspective from the Chicago River.

CITY: Chicago

Crown Hall

Located on the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology, S.R. Crown Hall is widely regarded as Mies van der Rohe's masterpiece, and is one of the most architecturally significant buildings of the 20th century Modernist Movement.

CITY: Chicago

Daley Plaza

In the center of downtown Chicago, see the world-renowned Picasso sculpture. "Under the Picasso" entertainment features music dance and cultural programs weekdays at noon.

CITY: Chicago

Dole Mansion at the Lakeside Legacy Arts Park

Black walnut doors, detailed wood carvings in the Eastlake style, amazing marble fireplaces: there's so much to see on a tour of the historic Dole Mansion and the original Crystal Lake Country Club (now the Creative Arts Center).

CITY: Crystal Lake

Egyptian Theatre

The Egyptian Theatre hosts film festivals, special movie screenings, and live entertainment events. This theatre is a 1929, fully restored Egyptian Art Deco movie palace and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The Egyptian is also available for rentals, tours, weddings, graduations, parties and receptions. Capacity: 1,419 Raised stage with dressing room below; balcony and lobby space.

CITY: DeKalb

Elawa Farm

Built in 1917 for A. Watson Armour, Elawa Farm is a stunning example of estate farm architecture. Come and learn about Historic Elawa Farm and what it looked like way back when and what is happening today at the farm. This farm is a 16-acre parcel of land, including the original farm complex buildings that were part of an early 20th century gentleman's farm and has a unique combination of natural setting, designed landscapes and buildings of architectural and historic significance.

CITY: Lake Forest

English Farm

As you drive by this farm, your eye is drawn upward to a towering brick structure located near the modern home. The structure, erected around 1913, is one of a dozen brick water towers still standing in Illinois.

CITY: Paris

Farnsworth House

Master architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created the ultimate minimalist masterpiece, the Farnsworth House, in pastoral Plano in 1951. The stellar structure of floor-to-ceiling glass seemingly "floats" above the rambling Fox River.

CITY: Plano

Federal Reserve Bank

A thirty story court house and a forty-five-story office building, the federal building was completed after Mies' death in 1969. The building's sober black and gray exterior expression, the steel mullion and glass model, counterpoints the curving forms and bright red paint of Alexander Calder's sculpture. Photo courtesy of AIA Chicago, Wes Urschel.

CITY: Chicago

First National Bank of Dwight

Famed architecht Frank Lloyd Wright designed and engineered this bank in 1905, and it is the only one of his three designed banks still standing.

CITY: Dwight

Fischer Theatre

Historic Fischer Theatre, owned by the Vermilion Heritage Foundation, was built as the Grand Opera House in 1884. From Lillian Russell to silent movies, this theater provided entertainment to the community until it's closing in 1982. As work continues toward the goal of complete restoration, the lobby is used for many public events. The theater also houses the "Stage Presents The Fischer Gift Shop" where you will find creations by local artists and artisans, as well as products highlighting the area's famous stage, movie and vocal artists.

CITY: Danville

Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District

Take a guided or self-guided tour of this historic district that contains the world's greatest concentration of Wright-designed structures built in the Prairie School of Architecture style. Tours are offered daily.

CITY: Oak Park

Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio

This landmark structure in suburban Oak Park served as Wright's private residence and studio from 1889 to 1909—the first 20 years of his career. Wright used his home as an architectural laboratory, trying out design concepts before sharing them with clients. With 25 Wright-designed buildings in the neighborhood surrounding the Home & Studio, Oak Park is an outdoor museum of architecture.

CITY: Oak Park

Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio

This unusual complex served as Wright's private residence and studio from 1889-1909. Here he raised his 6 children. He designed 25 buildings in the neighborhood surrounding the studio.

CITY: Oak Park

Frank Lloyd Wright Pettit Memorial Chapel

Take a free self-guided tour of the Chapel, located in the Belvidere Cemetery, which was built in 1907 in memory of a local doctor.

CITY: Belvidere

Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie School of Architecture Historic District

Guided and self-guided tours of historical district containing the greatest concentration of Wright-designed structures. A virtual outdoor museum of architectural history in America.

CITY: Oak Park

Frank Lloyd Wright's B. Harley Bradley House

The B. Harley Bradley House Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1900 The B. Harley Bradley House in Kankakee, Illinois, is widely acknowledged as Wright's first Prairie Style design. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places individually and as part of the Riverview Historic District. Following an extensive restoration, the Bradley House now enjoys the opportunity to be appreciated by architecture fans from around the world. This Prairie Style house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright along with its neighboring home. The houses are acknowledged by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy as Wright's first house designs that ushered in Wright's Prairie Style. The B. Harley Bradley House is open for 1 hour tours.

CITY: Kankakee

Frank Lloyd Wright's Dana-Thomas House State Historic Site

One of the best-preserved examples of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie design, this 35-room mansion contains some 100 pieces of original Wright-designed furniture and stunning art glass. Photo copyright Doug Carr, courtesy of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

CITY: Springfield

Frank Lloyd Wright's Frederick C. Robie House

Recognized as an architectural masterpiece, Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House is located in Hyde Park on the University of Chicago campus. The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust offers guided tours of this quintessential Prairie-style home, which the American Institute of Architects named one of the 10 most significant buildings of the 20th century.

CITY: Chicago

Frank Lloyd Wright's Home and Studio

Wright's Oak Park Home and Studio served as his primary residence and studio from 1889-1909. Offers guided interior tours, highlighting family life and Wright's use of this complex as a living laboratory developing his principles.

CITY: Oak Park

Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple

Unity Temple was Wright's first public commission, and is the only surviving public building from his Prairie period. The Unity Temple Restoration Foundation offers a wide range of programs, including year round tours, concerts, workshops and lectures.

CITY: Oak Park

Galena Carriage Co.

Take in the charm of Galena's 19th-century architecture while relaxing in a horse drawn carriage. Historic carriage rides, dinner rides, romance and roses rides. Seasonal sleigh rides. Reservations recommended.

CITY: Galena

Galena Main Street Walking Tours with General Grant

Partake in an one-hour tour with one of Galena's most notable citizens, General Ulysses S. Grant, and explore the historic highlights of this award-winning Main Street. The tour also features the 'Field of Dreams' movie locations that were captured in downtown Galena. Reservations are not required to join in the tour.

CITY: Galena

Galena Trolley Tours

City tours of Galena, tour of homes and nightly ghost tour. Group services and charters. Original tour company since 1988.

CITY: Galena

General Dean Suspension Bridge

Located just outside the city of Carlyle, this historic 130-year-old bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the area. The original bridge served as a crossing over the Kaskaskia River.

CITY: Carlyle

Golden Windmill

The Golden Windmill was built in 1872, and is the only smock mill that still has its original stones and gears in place. Today it is home to the Windmill Museum and gift shop.

CITY: Golden

Gurler House

Bea Gurler was nine years old when her father George moved his family into the house in 1893. Her cousins, the children of her father’s brother Henry, had been living since 1888 in the Ellwood Mansion. Everyone said it was magnificent. Bea’s parents George and Zillah, evidently shared a taste in homes that favored the elegance of simplicity. It was the unimposing yet dignified structure on Pine Street–where the back door was always open. George and Henry Gurler were both prominent businessmen, and joint owners of a number of dairies. They quickly became world-famous and respected by many dairy farmers. Bea eventually made it a goal of hers to renovate The Gurler House to be the home that she once new and loved. The Gurler House hosts an annual Folk Music Festival every summer, where people are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the music. While you are at The Gurler House, make sure to take a walk through their beautiful garden.

CITY: DeKalb

Harold Washington Library Center

The creation of Harold Washington Library Center is a product of a widely publicized architectural competition. Designed by Tom Beeby, the red brick, granite, and glass composition uses traditional design motifs to establish itself as a civic structure. A two-story battered granite base supports a five-story brick body punctuated by five arches along State Street and three facing Congress and Van Buren. The Harold Washington Library Center is a hybrid design that reflects the conflicting architectural ideas that characterized the late 1980s.

CITY: Chicago

Heart of Oak Park Walking Tour

See the evolution of architecture, from early Victorian to Art Deco, on this self-guided tour. Combination tickets include admission to Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple, Ernest Hemingway's Birthplace and Museum, and Pleasant Home.

CITY: Oak Park

Hegeler Carus Mansion

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this 57-room, Victorian-era mansion features century-old chandeliers, ornate woodwork and other fine details. It was built in 1876 by Edward C. Hegeler and the mansion was designed by Chicago architect William W. Boyington.

CITY: LaSalle

Henry County Courthouse

One of Illinois' finest examples of courthouse architecture, this stately structure was built in 1878. The main courtroom ceiling is decorated with murals depicting the principal communities of the county.

CITY: Cambridge

Historic Barn Tours

Four different self-guided driving tours pass 30 historic country barns, ranging in style from double valley, cross gable and gambrel, to stick and round.

CITY: Macomb

Historic Petersburg

Surveyed by Abraham Lincoln in 1836, the Petersburg Historic District is included on the National Register of Historic Places and has many outstanding examples of architectural styles.

CITY: Petersburg

Historic Pleasant Home - Oak Park

Explore the opulent 30-room mansion designed by prominent Prairie School architect Geroge H. Maher

CITY: Oak Park

Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Architect Frank Gehry designed this spectacular outdoor concert venue in Millennium Park that is home to the Grant Park Music Festival, along with other free concerts and events.

CITY: Chicago

John Deere Historic Site

This historic site is where John Deere (1804-1886) first developed and produced his steel plow, changing the face of farming in the Midwest. Deere erected a simple, one-and-a-half-story clapboard house that resembles a type found in New England. Although the original Deere blacksmith shop was demolished, its archeological excavations and interpreted artifacts are open, sheltered by a pavilion. A reconstructed blacksmith shop located southwest of the original site is furnished with old tools, farm equipment, pioneer utensils, and a working forge. The John Deere Home in Grand Detour was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and placed on the Nation Register of Historic Places in 1966. Copy and descriptions courtesy of AIA Illinois and the 150 GreatPlaces in Illinois www.illinoisgreatplaces.com

CITY: Dixon

John Deere Home

John Deere's home still stands with a working replica of his blacksmith shop and a preserved archeological dig that unearthed Deere's original shop.

CITY: Grand Detour

John Hancock Observatory

The John Hancock Observatory offers Chicago's best view (as voted by the Chicago Tribune), spanning 80 miles and four states. Don't miss the sweeping panoramas, interactive telescopes, multimedia Sky Tour, bird's-eye view of Navy Pier's fireworks, or the open-air Sky Walk for an exhilarating sky-high experience.

CITY: Chicago

Kayak Chicago

Kayak through canyons of skyscrapers and architectural wonders, or explore the waters just off beautiful Lake Michigan. Kayak Chicago is Chicago’s premier full-service outfitter, offering a variety of tours with certified instructors and guides. It’s a truly unique way to experience the urban landscape.

CITY: Chicago

Kincaid Mounds

Kincaid Mounds Archaeological Site is 4 miles south of Unionville Road on New Cut Road, Brookport, IL. Kincaid Mounds State Historic Site is a nationally significant Native-American archaeological treasure. From about 800 AD to 1500 AD it was the ‘capital' of a chiefdom that stretched from Brookport to Hamletsburg along the Ohio River. Large flat-topped mounds were erected on which the houses and temples of civil and religious elite stood. Today, the mounds still exist and a constructed overlook platform and interpretive panels tell the story of the significant contribution and historical value of this Native.

CITY: Brookport

Levere Memorial Temple

Home of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity headquarters, this beautiful Gothic building features stained glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany.

CITY: Evanston

Lincoln Courthouse Square Historic Distric

The Lincoln courtroom in Beardstown was the site of the famous Duff Armstrong case, and now features a museum with daily tours.

CITY: Beardstown

Marina City

This complex, designed by Bertrand Goldberg, includes two corncob-shaped residential towers perched along the Chicago River. Designed to be a “city within a city,” Marina City includes a restaurant, theatre, bowling alley, and a marina for 700 small craft.

CITY: Chicago

Marytown National Religious Shrine of St. Maximillion Kolbe

One of the nation's most beautiful religious sites features beautiful stained glass windows and seven-foot mosaics decorating the chapel, as well as seven types of marble.

CITY: Libertyville

Mayslake Peabody Estate

Tour Mayslake Hall, a Tudor Revival style mansion, formerly owned by coal baron F.S. Peabody. Witness restoration in progress at this nationally registered historic building by renowned architect B. Marshall. Portiuncula Chapel is available for weddings.

CITY: Oak Brook

McCormick Place

The largest indoor convention exhibit area in the country is 2.2 million square feet, with 8 levels of exhibit halls, restaurants, meeting rooms and audiovisual theaters that provide all the necessary amenities for a successful trade show or convention. McCormick Place is designed by Gene Summers, who worked for Mies van der Rohe. It is derivative of a long-span convention center proposed by Mies van der Rohe. When the earlier version of McCormick was destroyed by fire, the firm C.F. Murphy was retained for the job and hired Summers specifically to design the new structure.

CITY: Chicago

Merchandise Mart

Tour Chicago's legendary Merchandise Mart, which houses an estimated 1,800 contract and residential showrooms. Guides conduct 1 1/2-hour tours that highlight that Mart's fascinating history, showrooms and design floors. Two floors of stores.

CITY: Chicago

Mercury's Urban Adventure Cruise

Board this 90-minute river and lakefront cruise, complete with live commentary detailing over 50 downtown Chicago buildings and bridges. Cruises depart daily, May through October.

CITY: Chicago

Mercury, Chicago's Skyline Cruiseline

Mercury, Chicago's Skyline Cruiseline offers 90-minute tours for the whole family that include lake and river cruises, fireworks cruises, canine cruises and wacky pirate cruises, all departing from the landscaped dock on Chicago’s Riverwalk at the Michigan Avenue Bridge.

CITY: Chicago

Midwestern Helicopter

Have you ever wanted to see the beautiful city of Chicago from above? Join us for an amazing helicopter skyline tour where you will see the city from a birds eye view! This is one of the most incredible adventures you can ever imagine. During our flight you will see all that this city has to offer - Wrigley Field, Navy Pier, Soldier Field, Willis Tower, John Hancock Observatory, Cellular One Field and the United Center.

CITY: Wheeling

Mies van der Rohe Society Tours

The Illinois Institute of Technology's Mies van der Rhoe Society offers dynamic tours of its architecturallly significant campus. Architects Mies, Koolhaas and Jahn are all represented here.

CITY: Chicago

Millennium Park

In the heart of the city you’ll find a state-of-the-art park designed for the new millennium. Discover the reflective Cloud Gate sculpture, the multimedia Crown Fountain and the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, all with Chicago’s stunning architecture as a backdrop. The park is also host to many free cultural programs, concerts and family activities. Plus, there's alfresco dining in the summer and an ice skating rink in the winter.

CITY: Chicago

Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago

Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, this 264,000 sq. foot building provides a new home for the museum’s renowned collections of modern painting and sculpture, contemporary art, architecture and design, and photography. Be among the first to see this dramatic addition that makes the Art Institute of Chicago the second largest art museum in the United States.

CITY: Chicago

Mt. Carroll Garden Walk

Stroll the brick streets and enjoy unique historic architecture while viewing beautiful flower, perennial and water gardens. Garden vendors and a farmer's market will be stationed in the Courthouse Square.

CITY: Mount Carroll

Muirhead Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast

Private Master Suite surrounded by nearly 800 acres of prairie, this Frank Lloyd Wright designed home offers a private bath, historical artifacts, hearty country breakfasts and beautiful views.

CITY: Hampshire