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2 for 1 or discount coupons for Monday-Thursday or Friday can be found at the Chicago Office of Tourism website
I can think of nothing nicer on a hot summer day than being out on the water. If you are into photography, you might consider one of the earlier cruises if you are venturing on the Lake so the sun will be behind you when you are trying to capture that perfect shot of the Chicago skyline.
Some people will tell you that the Chicago Architecture Foundation's Architectural River Cruise (see tip above) is the ONLY boat trip you should take it Chicago and while I thought it had the best narration for architecture buffs, if you just want a ride on the River or the Lake, the other options are just fine. I've been on the Mercury's River Exploration cruise that goes once a day at 3:30 and travels as far south as Chinatown (a few factual inacccuracies, not as much emphasis on architecture) and two Wendella river/lake cruises one of which encountered bad weather and the other where someone suffering from heat stroke cut it short.
We also tried the Spirit of Chicago's dinner cruise and thought it was overpriced as the food was just average and drinks were not included. If you are just interested in the view, eat before/after you get on a boat and do one of the ones without food.
My SIL loved the Windy, a tall ship sailboat, that was reasonably priced at $25 with no food or drink. I think she took the evening starlight cruise and was able to see the fireworks from Navy Pier (I think every Wed and Sat night, Memorial Day-Labor Day).
The attached website has a nice overview of all of the cruise options in Chicago Leave a Comment
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 Marina City as Seen from
the Chicago River Tour by deecat,
4 more photos
bOne of the finest activities that you can experience while visiting Chicago during the late spring, summer, or fall (end of April through late November), is to take this tour.
Do not wait to purchase tickets on the day you are touring because your chances of getting a ticket are slim. You may buy tickets at Ticketmaster (312-902-1500 or online), the Chicago ArchiCenter at 224 Michigan, Chicago Water Works Visitor Center at Pearson St. and Michigan Ave.
Seat location is based on "first come, first serve" so we made sure that we were there about 20 minutes in advance. We wanted to take photographs; thus, we made sure to be outside rather than inside. A docent who is trained will be your host. You will see more than 50 historic and architecturally significant sites on this wonderful tour.
As the Chicago Architecture Foundation literature states, "The Chicago River is the heart of its city...and the buildings along the banks of the Chicago River reveal stories of the city's growth and its architectural legacy." That is not hype but rather the truth.
This tour takes about one and a half hours, the best one and a half hours you'll ever spend!
Photographs:
#1 Marina City Towers were designed in the mid 1960s and were, and still are, quite innovative. Each tower is 60 stories high and have smicircular balconies. Within the structures are residences, parking, a marina, restaurants, shops, and a hotel.
#2 From the Michigan Avenue Bridge, I took a photo of the Architectural Tour Boat and the people standing in line to board it.
#3 The Merchandise Mart, which was originally conveived as a distribution center for Marshall Field & Company is MASSIVE, taking up two city blocks. It is an Art Deco style with pyramidal towers, set-backs, and bands of chevrons. There are pedestals along the riverfron with busts of famous merchants. At one time, the Kennedy family owned this building, but sold it about 20 years ago.
#4 Our guide said that 333 West Wacker Drive is an example of CONTEXTUALISM with its curved and shimmering green-tinted facade that follows the color of the river and the bend in the river at this location.
#5 The famed Sears Tower [which was the world's tallest building for 24 years] is most famous in architectural circles for its introduction to the innovative engineering concept known as "bundled tube construction". Leave a Comment Directions: Boat dock at the South East corner of Michigan and Wacker Drive. Go down the stairs and look for the Chicago's First Lady.Website: www.architecture.org
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 The Wabash Avenue bridge being
tested by Bwana_Brown, 2 more photos
Since then, the river has been significantly cleaned up and is now a major tourist draw in Chicago. Along with its many bridges, such as the 1930-built Wabush Avenue Bridge undergoing testing (Intro and 2nd photos), there are tourist cruises on low-profile boats that don't require the bridges to be raised. The 3rd photo shows a few of these at rest in front of the famous old Wrigley and Tribune Tower buildings. Late-April was too early in the season for these tours so I was content to just take in the activity along both sides of the river. The glass and concrete building undergoing construction at the right side of the Intro photo is the new Trump International Hotel and Tower, scheduled for completion in 2009 as the second tallest building in Chicago. Leave a Comment
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A great way to learn more about the city is to go on one of the Chicago Architecture Foundation's river cruises. These cruises depart from the southeastern corner of Michigan Avenue Bridge (just follow the blue signs that lead down the stairs). Reservations are highly recommended, or you should at least buy your ticket early in the day for an afternoon cruise. There are two 90-minute cruise options: one goes along the Chicago River and out on Lake Michigan, while the other one does a longer circuit along the Chicago River - I chose the latter option because I was mostly interested in learning more about all the fabulous buildings of downtown Chicago. A volunteer from the CAF narrated the cruise and gave us lots of information as we went down the north branch of the river and then backtracked to go on the south branch, to finally explore the eastern branch right up to Lake Michigan. She was both interesting and funny, and thanks to her great knowledge of architecture, she made even the most seemingly boring post-modern skyscrapers look unique and beautiful in their own way. She also gave us quite a bit of information about the river itself, proudly announcing that it had recently been upgraded from "toxic" to "highly polluted" (!). She also explained how the river actually contributed to the spread of the Great Fire of 1871 instead of stopping it because of all the junk that was in it at the time, and how authorities managed to solve that problem by reversing the flow of the river so that instead of flowing down to Lake Michigan, all that garbage would now float down towards St. Louis!
The river cruises are offered from the beginning of May until the end of November, and tickets cost $30 on the weekend and $28 on weekdays. I thought it was one of the best things to do on a sunny day in Chicago! Leave a Comment
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 Wrigley Building by grkboiler
Chicago From The Lake offers a great 90 minute architectural cruise that departs from River East Plaza at North Pier. Cruises leave every day on the hour from 9 AM - 4 PM, from the end of April to the end of October.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors, $14 for children 7-18, and free for children under 6. It is wise to purchase them in advance. Leave a Comment Address: 435 E. Illinois St.Phone: (312) 527-1977Directions: From Michigan Avenue - Take Ohio Street east to McClurg Court. Turn right on McClurg Court and proceed two blocks to Illinois Street. Turn left on Illinois Street. River East Plaza (North Pier) is immediately on your right. (taken from the website)Website: http://www.cfl81.com/
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 Frozen Chicago River by grkboiler
With rainstorms, the river would backup and overflow into the lake, which polluted the drinking water. People started to die from diseases, so in 1900, a canal called the Sanitary and Ship Canal was finished and allowed for control of the flow of wastewater. It is controlled by locks at the mouth of the south branch of the river. This gave Chicago the first river in the world that flows backwards.
The river also gives Chicago more moveable bridges than any other city in the world, and a part of the river was actually straightened in the 1920's. Another interesting fact is that the river is dyed green every year on St. Patrick's Day, although we joke that it is green all the time. Leave a Comment Address: Start at the Michigan Ave. Bridge @ Wacker Dr.Directions: cuts down the center of downtown, East to WestWebsite: http://www.chicagoriver.org/
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 the river by willy_wonka
i am guessing the next time i go to chicago there will be changes on the river banks, as donald trump is building a new place there. im sure it will be another interesting piece of architecture on the chicago river! Leave a Comment
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 by micas_ptLeave a Comment
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 by shrimp56
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The best way to see the river is from a boat -- I'd recommend the Chicago Architecture Foundation tours. Leave a Comment
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 Architecture cruise-Chicago
River by Dabs
The guide from the Architecture Foundation provided a lot of information on the architectural signifigance of the buildings along the river, interesting even for someone who lives in Chicago.
**Updated for 2009 **Tickets are $28 (M-F) or $32 (Sat-Sun, holidays). The cruise lasts for 1 1/2 hours and travels the River south to River City, north to past the East Bank Club and out almost to Lake Michigan. The season runs from May 2-November 22, 2009, although there is some covered seating much of it is outdoors and that is where the best view is from so they don't run it in Chicago's brutally cold winter.
In my opinion, it's best to do a cruise just of the Chicago River or just of Lake Michigan. In order to do both on the same cruise, you have to go through the locks between the lake and river which can take 10 or so minutes each direction.
See my next tip for other options on seeing Chicago by boat Leave a Comment Address: SE corner of Michigan and WackerDirections: Across the Chicago River from Michigan Avenue shopping districtWebsite: www.architecture.org
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