Compare Winding Through the Windy City: Art & Architecture in Chicago by Road Scholar

Day 1 Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner Chicago, IL

Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m.

Program Registration, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 pm. After you have your room assignment, come to the Road Scholar table in the lobby to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in.

Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. The remainder of the evening is free to continue getting to know your fellow participants. Settle in to your room and get a good night’s sleep for the full day tomorrow.

We will have dinner out at a neighborhood restaurant within walking distance of the hotel.

Day 2 City Field Trip by Motorcoach, Free Evening Chicago, IL

Getting on/off motorcoach. 4 hour exploration of the city by motorcoach with stops along the way.

Mark Twain wrote in 1883, “It is hopeless for the occasional visitor to try to keep up with Chicago. She outgrows his prophecies faster than he can make them.” Led by an expert, we will have a motorcoach exploration to learn about Chicago history, the immigrants and neighborhoods who gave it a rich culture and texture, and the movers and shakers whose influence made it a world-class city. We’ll begin our journey north along Michigan Avenue to Lake Shore Drive and up to Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. As time and traffic allow, we will stop at various locations along the way.

Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

At leisure.

At the hotel, we will enjoy a breakfast buffet, with coffee, tea, water included.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

On your own.

Day 3 Lecture on Architecture, Loop, Architectural Study Cruise Chicago, IL

Getting on/off cruise ship. Walking approximately 2 miles on sidewalks in the city.

We will begin with an expert-led presentation that will provide an introduction to architectural topics specific to Chicago. We will learn how to evaluate architecture within its historical context, why architectural styles change, and what we have to gain from experiencing architecture in Chicago. We will explore the interior architecture of some of the Loop's most interesting architectural spaces, on foot. Themes we will explore this morning include the history and culture of Chicago, modernist architecture, infrastructure and design psychology.

We will then walk to the dock to embark on our river cruise, which will present more of Chicago’s extraordinary architecture and related social history. None other than Frank Lloyd Wright said, "[modern architecture] all started here..." By necessity due to geographical limitations, Chicago’s business leaders had to look upwards to expand after the devastating Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Within less than a decade, new building techniques pushed the city’s skyline ever higher. Some of the world’s greatest architects, supported by visionary business leaders, built not just higher, but sleeker and more sophisticated. And it was not only skyscrapers that forged a unique identity. Debris from the great fire created the base of Grant Park. The Merchandise Mart, once the epicenter of high design and luxury goods, owned for half a century by the Kennedy family, is the world’s largest commercial building. Chicago also has more movable bridges than any city in the world including an engineering wonder, the Michigan Avenue Bridge, one of the city’s foremost thoroughfares. We will learn about all this and much more during our cruise with expert commentary.

At leisure.

Hotel buffet.

At a restaurant within walking distance to the river cruise boat dock, we will enjoy a Chicago-style pizza and salad, plus coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

On your own

Day 4 Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio, Oak Park, Free Time Chicago, IL

Getting on/off motorcoach. 1 hour motorcoach exploration of historic Oak Park. The Frank Lloyd Wright Home is not accessible to wheelchairs of any size as all entries to the Home have stairs. The Studio balcony is not accessible to wheelchairs. It is only accessible by a steep, narrow stairway.

This morning, we will board a motorcoach for historic Oak Park, home to iconic architect Frank Lloyd Wright from 1889 until 1909. It is in Oak Park that Wright created his Prairie-style of architecture. We will have the opportunity to explore his Oak Park home and studio with an expert on the subject. Afterwards, we will be joined by a subject expert aboard our motorcoach for an exploration of historic Oak Park and River Forest, where we will learn more about the work of Wright and his contemporaries in the field. Oak Park is a charming suburb of Chicago, renowned for its rich historic architectural styles, including the largest concentration of Frank Lloyd Wright homes and buildings.

Free time.

At leisure.

Hotel buffet.

We will have lunch at a popular restaurant in Oak Park, with a choice of main course, and coffee, tea (hot/iced), water included.

At a local restaurant within walking distance of the hotel, we will enjoy dinner plus coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Day 5 Millennium Park & Art Institute, Free Time Chicago, IL

Getting on/off school bus. Walking approximately 3 city blocks through Millennium Park, walking and standing up to 1 hour at museum.

This morning we will transfer by school bus a short distance to Millennium Park, recipient of the 2009 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence. Here we will learn from an expert how this world-class public park was transformed from an industrial wasteland. In Chicago's most recent "jewel" on the lakefront, we will walk through the park and learn about its history, landscape, and fabulous sculptures, stopping for pictures at the renowned Cloud Gate, known popularly as The Bean. We will then walk across the street to the Art Institute to be led by an expert through its world-famous, permanent collection, housing 300,000 works of art.

Free time.

At leisure.

Hotel buffet.

On your own.

At a neighborhood restaurant, we will enjoy a tasty farewell dinner.

Day 6 Program Concludes Chicago, IL

Hotel check-out by 12:00 Noon.

If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on another rewarding program in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!

Hotel buffet. This concludes our program.