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Meet us where the houses tell a story
The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest is your one-stop-shop for the history of the area. Best of all? The historical society hosts walking tours!
The most famous of the Oak Park and River Forest Walking Tours is the annual house walk. For this walking tour, homeowners open their doors to their historic abodes, showing you the inside of structures designed by famous architects like Frank Lloyd Wright.
The tour details the design elements for each home, but also the stories of the men and women who lived inside them.
Another favorite of the Oak Park and River Forest Walking Tours is the “Growing with the Gundersons” tour. For this experience, you will stroll through southeast Oak Park’s Gunderson Historic District. You will learn how the Gunderson Brothers developed the area and you’ll learn why this neighborhood was once nicknamed “Fertile Acres.”
Other walking tours renowned in Oak Park and River Forest are the Thatcher Woods and Street of Dreams River Forest tours.
The Oak Park and River Forest walking tours take place at various times throughout the year, especially in the spring and summer. The tours are hosted by the Oak Park River Forest Museum. Check the museum’s website for the latest tour schedule!
Costs for the walking tours vary, but all proceeds go to the non-profit Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest.
The Oak Park River Forest Museum is your home base for all of the information about the walking tours. The museum is operated by the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest, and the society is full of informative guides who know the beautiful and complicated history of the area.
You will meet your tour guide at the starting destination for the walk that you choose. Your hosts at the OPRF will help you with all of the logistics.
The Oak Park River Forest Museum is just a 20-minute drive from downtown Chicago and just a four-block walk from the CTA Green Line. The museum is 1.5 miles east of the Metra Union Pacific Line. PACE bus route 309 stops right at the OPRF corner on Lake Street and Lombard Avenue.
