Definitely worth a visit if you are in the Chicago area! I got tix for the house & studio tour & for the walking audio tour of the neighborhood ($30), which will take you by 19 houses Wright & his studio designed & the Unity Temple. BTW, it's WELL worth the admission fee to Unity, about $7. The interior of the place is quite incredible! And if you're doing the walking tour during colder weather, it's a great place in the middle of the tour to warm up. I've since heard that they offer a tour of the neighborhood houses, including the interiors, for about $125 for non-members. Sounds like a total STEAL! read more

Good guide here, very passionate and had many nice tidbits. The building is beautiful, inside and out. It's nice you can see many other FLW-designed buildings in the area too. One negative is a female gingko tree that smelled literally like poo. You can smell it even in the shop. Ah, nature! read more

The best tour ever! Pro: We learned so much. The tour guide was outstanding ( fun, patient and so knowledgeable) Good price ...great value. Gift shop had an awesome selection with a variety of price points from frugal to uber fancy ($1 - $2500) Parking was fine (selfpark) in a decent neighborhood. The home restoration was so precise... Like that they worked with the family to get details and found old photos to fill in the blanks. If u like taking photos please invest in the photo pass. It's worth it...I took 100+ that will help me to relive this experience for years to come. Frank Lloyd Wright was so inspiring to us creative types but I encourage u to read his bio before the tour....it will provide so much context. The house is overloaded with interesting design, depth and personality. We only did the studio and home tour... That was enough for us. Con: Some spots in the tour was a little tight, but that is how FLW designed it. If you don't prepay for tickets you r stuck with a long wait time... I felt bad for one some senior citizens who I assumed did not have a computer to prepay. Please schedule before u get there. Nothing was really wrong. We really enjoyed ourselves (even my hubby) and I would suggest other fans to attend. Please add this to your must see list. read more

Even if you're not an architecture buff, everyone has heard of Frank Lloyd Wright so you should definitely come visit this place as I found it worthwhile. About a 30 minute drive from downtown. I would recommend booking the home/studio tour tickets online to guarantee yourself. Note: no photos allowed during the tour. The tour started off in front of his home. This was where his kids grew up and it was portraying how the house was in 1909, the last year he lived there. We got a tour inside and you can tell that every detail in every room was carefully thought out by him. For how old the place was, it was well kept. My favorite part was the visit of his studio. When we walked into the room where all the architects once worked and where sketches were done, it was chilling to be standing there. When you look at the ceiling and the design of that room, you can tell that it brought creativity and inspiration to those architects. The tour was an hour long and the tour guide was really informative. Did you know it was Frank Lloyd Wright's son that created the Lincoln Logs toy?! I never knew until this tour! read more

If you live in Chicago and have not ventured to Oak Park to see this place, you are truly missing out-this neighborhood and all the houses are just such a beautiful thing to see! My fiancee's parents were in town and his mom had mentioned visiting the Frank Lloyd Wright homes in Oak Park before so we decided to head over and check it out on a sunny Saturday afternoon. We started with the walking tour around the neighborhood to see all the houses and the Unity Temple designed by FLW. This neighborhood is gorgeous!! The houses here are just so impressive, and not just those designed by FLW. We had audio guides which were totally worth it-they gave you the history and lots of other interesting information about the houses you were looking at. We followed that up with the guided tour of the home and studio which was just so, so cool. The inside of his home and studio and all the little tidbits about why he designed things the way he did was so interesting and we all just loved it. Our tour guide was a little...hmmm...how do I say this....odd...but the information was still there and we were so happy that we finally took the time to check this place out. Highly recommend as a place to bring out of town guests or just to check out for yourself on a nice weekend afternoon a few miles outside the city! read more

If you have little ones, and want to enjoy something very adult - appreciating the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright - take the self-guided audio tour. With an 8 and 5 year old, we just knew they'd never have the patience to listen to some guide talk about each house in detail. We got the little mp3 players and let the kids listen along the walk. We could speed up, slow down and walk around the beautiful neighborhood at our own pace. The homes are interesting and varied, and very different from any architecture around southern california (where we're from). True americana. You can easily imagine kids playing baseball in the street. When you're done, there's a great little park across the street from Mr. Wright's former home and studio to let the kids burn off some energy. read more

Its really worth the money to take a guided tour of the home and studio. But I suggest buying a map and walking around on your own to look at the other Wright homes in the neighborhood. Parking is easy to find and there's a cool ice cream shop down the road. read more

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Very nice tour but...make sure that it is a good tour guide. This could be the hit or miss part. I highly recommend walking on your own through the neighborhood and finding all of the FLW homes. This is a one of a kind experience considering Oak Park has the highest concentration of FLW homes. read more

Had a free night on a quick Chicago trip to check out one attraction after getting into Ohare. Selected this location after checking out Top Chicago sites on Google. Was duper excited to see it. Drove 45 minutes with traffic to be told by a staff worker "we close in 5 minutes", "yeah, our hours on Google are wrong". Asked if I could poke around for 5 minutes (I would have been happy to pay for the visit) and was told no. Too late to check anything else out at this point... Super bummed. Recommend checking their hours on their website and calling to confirm them before heading here to be on the safe side. read more

I don't know a lot about architecture, but I found this tour very inspiring (in terms of, ideas for my dream house) and educational. I don't want to give too much away - just go. They take you through most of the house, so I feel you get your money's worth, especially since I came with a Groupon. Be aware that when they get a lot of visitors, you may not be able to go on the very next tour, but tours are every 10 minutes or so, so the wait isn't long, and you can walk around the neighborhood in the meantime, enjoying the design of the other houses. read more

Toured the FLW home and studio this past Tuesday. Weather was chilly, so we purchased our tickets at the gift shop (rather than online beforehand), which was fine as there were only 9 people on our tour (and no children). We were able to keep our purses with us (no bulky backpacks were allowed) but no photography inside was permitted. Sigh. A young lady told us the "rules" before the tour began, in a nice and somewhat funny manner. The docent who gave the tour was knowledgable, but could not fully answer some of our group's questions (but no big deal; after all, these guides ARE volunteers... ) The house and studio are simply amazing. Even if you are not a fan, or have limited knowledge of Wright's work, you will take away your own inspiration - perhaps for your own current or future abode. The guide provided many of the "why's" to Wright's designs and many curious tidbits about his idiosyncratic thoughts about architecture. I found it interesting that there was little said about the man's personality and less-than-appealing personal characteristics, although there are plenty of books to fill in these gaps. The only disconcerting part of the tour was when the guide pointed out a sketch of a Prairie style home and a Victorian style home, and seemed to buy into FLW's opinion that there was "absolutely nothing" of appeal in a Victorian. This was insulting to those of us who can appreciate at least a little something in all manner of architecture. The gift shop is a wonderful stop, with a nice range of items (notecards, pins, bookmarks, books, ties, games, etc. etc.). It also offers clean restrooms. We "toured" the area and other FLW-style homes on our own, but I'd like to go back for an audio tour when the weather's a bit nicer. Oak Park has many little restaurants for before or after your FLW adventure. I'd highly recommend this hour-long tour; what a fantastic place to bring out-of-town guests without committing the entire day. read more

Very good. If you're an FLW fan, you must go. That's all there is to it. I took some "FLW who?" people and they enjoyed it. I've been to some of his other more elaborate homes and I was surprised by how "small" his own home was. So cool for this FLW fan!! I went on the home and studio tour. My guide was okay. She was new I think. But since I knew a lot of his history I didn't care that she didn't know (because I did). read more

Alright, $16 tour prices and the guides are volunteers and I get the donations are used partially for restorations but this was the home and studio of a freaking legendary architect- isn't the least you can do keep the bathrooms in the bookstore that tours are forced to walk through to meet up outside of, just a little bit nicer?! People give out tiles for FREE on Craigslist like all the time. The bathrooms here were atrocious, and the tour overpriced even with the student discount. If this wasn't a mandatory field trip I would've never done it. read more

A few times a year, they conduct FREE walk-through tours of Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio (though you don't get the extensive tour guide insight that goes along with the paid tours). Still, I visited for the free tour and I found it to be VERY worthwhile - touring his home gives a great deal of insight into who Frank Lloyd Wright was as a person, and how/why he was inspired to design as he did. His architecture studio/library was my favorite part of the tour - but pay attention to the bedrooms and bathrooms as well to see some of his small touches. If you live in the chicago area, you'd be amiss to pass this up. read more

I can't believe I've lived 25 minutes away from this my entire life and just saw it! The house has been beautifully restored and is definitely worth the trip to oak park. The tour is really informative and interesting and is easily worth the admission price.There is a lot of free street parking in the area and also downtown oak park is just a few blocks away. Also there are a lot of other FLW homes in the neighborhood read more

It was so interesting to take a tour of FLW's first home and studio. The tour lasted about 1 hour and our tour guide was terrific. It was quite an education to learn about the beginnings of his career. I was able to park right on the street. The surrounding neighborhood has many beautiful homes. Loved my visit to this area. read more

Our docent, Linda, was the best! She told us so much about the man, the house, the styles he built. I didn't know much about FLW beforehand so it was great hearing details and standing in the rooms where it happened. My regret is that I didn't walk the block. I didn't have time for the guided tour, but should have squeezed in the walking tour at my own pace. I almost knocked off one star for the gift shop workers. This is a review of the gift shop: You need to pick up your paper ticket there and the woman who helped me wasn't very happy. Pretty grumpy actually. They have very nice symbolic Wright-type items. Great selection of different kinds of things/books. I asked another woman at the cash register about prices for 2 things. It was like I was bothering her. She did move from the back to look at the items. They both had prices on them and she looked at me odd like, you couldn't see this? No I couldn't. One was hanging high up and I couldn't tell. The other one I didn't want to pick up for fear of dropping it. She was irritated at me asking her anything. After the tour I decided to get one of the items and interacted with a third woman. No smile, no greeting, nothing- really? Three out of three! What are the odds?? A very negative experience to end my positive tour read more

Visited Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio years ago while living in the area and LOVED it! Soon after this tour, I checked out other homes nearby that he'd designed (Robie House in Chicago and Taliesin, in Spring Green, WI, were a couple that stood out). Others were homes privately commissioned, and some of these were maintained and/or restored and looked fantastic (from the outside), while others were in various states of neglect- so sad to see this. (If you decide to tour these neighborhood homes, be sure to respect the privacy of the current owners and don't go poking around the backyard and windows!) I found FLW's designs to be so contemporary, future-forward even. I definitely recommend touring FLW's home and studio while in the area! read more

The one-hour tour is short and sweet. Any longer, and honestly, I get bored. The house and studio are well-maintained. The tour is $17 per person, which is reasonable. For a period of time, they had Groupons too, but I missed out on that.. so Google around, maybe they have another deal going on soon? Today was a beautiful sunny spring day too. I would recommend visiting when the weather is good since a few short portions of the tour take place outside. Parking around the area is EXTREMELY convenient and free. read more

I'm a huge FLW fan. My Mom and I went on the house and studio tour. Both are beautiful and well preserved, but the tour guide wasn't knowledgeable at all. She would even point out things and say, "Some people ask me about this, but I don't know the answer." Well, find out!! She described stuff about FLW and his family, but appeared to have no knowledge of the design aspects which is what I came to learn more about. Also, the staff in the gift shop are super unfriendly. Overall, we were treated like we were a nuisance being there and going on the tour. Again, beautiful house and studio, but the tour and gift shop were very disappointing. read more

I'm a total fan of Frank Lloyd Wright's work so this opportunity to get a glimpse into where he lived and worked was a real treat. I opted to do both the interior tour and the outside self-guided audio walking tour, together which cost $25 (it's a little more to do each a la carte). I went on the interior tour first, and it was very informative and interesting. I especially loved the "play room" on the second floor, where the Wright children would play and put on shows and such. FLW may have been a philandering bastard but he did love his children and encouraged lots of cool imaginative play. After the interior tour I picked up one of their crappy little mp3 players for the outdoor tour. The headphones also sucked so I just used my iphone earbuds. Anyhoo, I liked being able to wander about and look at things at my leisure. That little neighborhood is just chock-a-block with all kinds of FLW goodness! And they're all currently occupied by real-live residents so you're not allowed to stray from the sidewalk. It was a pleasant meandering tour and I really enjoyed it. Overall a great way to get a better understanding of the genius and personality of Frank Lloyd Wright. read more

Frank Lloyd Wright is usually associated with Prairie architecture, but his career was so long that it can be divided into separate distinct periods, more like an artist. His Home and Studio is such an important place because this is where it all began. As the interpreters will tell you, this was his laboratory, where Wright experimented and refined his vision with each new addition and renovation. Because his time spent here was such an active one for him creatively, the Home and Studio is particularly rich as a resource. For people not well-versed in Frank Lloyd Wright's work, a visit to the Home and Studio is essential. Anyone who takes the interior tour will have the information they need to understand any of Wright's other buildings. There is also a guided neighborhood walking tour as well as a self-guided tour of the area that include both Wright's own work as well as houses built by Wright's contemporaries that show how revolutionary Wright was. People who have already taken the interior tour should look into taking custom tours of the Home and Studio which focus on particular aspects of Wright's work or attend one of the events held at night, when the rooms and exterior of the Home and Studio appear dramatically different than they do during the day. Schedule a visit during the holiday season when the Home is decorated in Victorian style for Christmas (including a tree in the playroom). For those planning to visit on a weekend, tickets for the tours can be purchased online. This is definitely recommended, as tours sell out very quickly. read more

Here's some interesting factoids for those who don't know this architectural LEGEND... -FLR spent the first twenty years of his career here. -This home/studio was NOT a TRUE prairie home, you would have to go to the Robie House for that -FLR had 6 children with his first wife, all of which shared the same bathroom -FLR's wall stenciling was a Louise Sullivan influence -FLR always showed himself in the best light, whether it be installing vertical columns to make the ceilings look higher or installing curved bands on the ceiling to make the rooms look longer -FLR was inspired by 5 elements, only one of which was a real person, Louise Sullivan -FLR would make people wait for HOURS to imply that a long wait meant he was in high demand -FLR's logo is based on geometric shapes -FLR's first iteration with stained glass was NOT with geometric shapes -FLR had an existing Gingko tree that he built the house AROUND, since he was also inspired by NATURE -FLR was commissioned to build many homes on his block -FLR was notorious for having ambiguous main entrances -FLR believed in a private space within a space, thus the room w/ a fireplace INSIDE the Living Room -FLR had a huge walk-in safe, but had nothing to put in it since he always spent all his money (his work was not of value or realized until later on) -FLR had many built-ins, such as seating so make the room more spacious -FLR believed the heart of the home was the fireplace, so built the rooms around it -FLR was a strong advocate for open floor plans -FLR most of his 6 children went on to become someone related to his field -FLR's home and studio is currently staffed by Volunteers, one of which was there since 1974! I just saved you $15 bucks, a 1hr inside tour, and a plane ticket. Pics: http://www.meetup.com/foodgasm/photos/876075 read more

This is a must stop for any Wright junkie. The man was genius and to see his work up close is amazing. To see where the master worked is inspiring. This is not the best Wright house, but still worth the trip. read more

Had some friends in from out of town and they wanted to do the FLW Walking tour in Oak Park. I can't believe I've never done this after 21 years in Chicago! Our docent Mrs. Maynard was awesome, she was well versed and had a deep passion for FLW, which really made the tour! Saw about 8 or 9 homes took just over an hour! Loved it! A little tidbit FLW has built over 700 homes around the world. 45 homes between Oak Park and River Forest! read more

I didn't always have an aversion to Frank Lloyd Wright, it actually started with a class I took on the history of architecture in SF/Bay Area, sounded promising. I mean I am the biggest architecture freak ever. But this guy actually made me dread the class with his slides of unimaginative blocks of buildings. His quizzes were worse, sample question: Identify the following slide: my response: Chemical Engine Company No.24 His response: minus 5 pts. in bright red no less, the answer is Chemical Engine Company No. 24-1914. I am in no way making this up, he was the ultimate archinazi, and he also raved on and on about how FLW was his greatest teacher. We spent about 3 wks. on FLW's body of work and besides his obvious love for nature, and japanese woodblock prints, all this instructor ever talked about was FLW's private life. Ok, ok, I get it he was popular with the ladies, and had commitment issues. I signed up to learn about the history of the buildings, not gossipy little tid bits. Plus I wasn't too keen about the way FLW bolted the furniture to the floors of his buildings. So not only does he have commitment issues he also has control issues as well. So I obviously avoided FLW from then on, but I couldn't say no to the opportunity of seeing what all the hype was about up close. I can now say I understand. I would set up an oh-so secretive spot in the kid's play room and live out the rest of my days there if I could. That room alone would feed my insatiable craving for nooks, and little treasures, and well-crafted furniture. Seriously the pictures do it no justice, the colors are much more vivid in person, the rooms have the cozy warmth of the tree house I wish I had but never owned. read more

i love architecture and this tour was so worth it! i was disappointed that the tour ran less than an hour (50 minutes) and felt that the tour guide rushed us throughout. there were some rooms that i (and a big part of our group) wanted to spend more time in, but we had to "keep moving along." besides that wonderful experience and i learned a lot! read more

Short review. I'm an architecture fan and foremost a FLW fan. Nuff said. A must-do pilgrimage for a Frank Lloyd Wright fan, and a probably-should for architecture fans. read more

If you are a Frank Lloyd Wright fan (FLW), this is a must see. It represents his more early style ... Prairie Style ... and his residence and studio 1909 departure for later phases and other domestic arrangements. Reserve 2 hours for this site and tour, and another two (2) to explore his other Prairie Style homes in the immediate and close neighborhood. The folks at gowright.org manage this site, The Robie House (designed at this studio), and the Emil Bach House in Rogers Park, Chicago. read more

If you love FLLW you have to visit. Very inspirational and informative tours. Beautiful home and amazing architecture.

This is such a special place. I was visiting Chicago and took the 45 minute Train ride out to Oak Park. Though I'm a fan, you don't need to know anything about his work to appreciate the tour. The playroom will blow your mind as will the engineering feats achieved by Wright in his studio. My guide was wonderful. read more

This tour is great for a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright. You get to see his development from doing things that everybody expects, to doing things that everybody loves. If you're not more familiar with his work, something like Unity Temple, Robie House, or one of the other restored buildings throughout the US might be a better start. read more

I've always had a love for architecture! Specifically, if I didn't choose the medicine route I would have def been an architectural engineer! I love that I gave the option to see so,e of the best architecture in the world right next to my home, only a couple of blocks away! read more

We did the walking tour this time, a tour around the Oak Park neighborhood to see 15 homes designed by, or influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright. The neighborhood is amazing. The tour was great, full of interesting info packed onto a little MP3 player, and the homes were sensational to see. On a previous visit, we toured the home and studio themselves, also a great, informative tour. If you are interested in architecture or Wright, you'll love this. If not, you'll probably still like it a lot. read more

if you can get out to oak park, i highly recommend checking out the frank lloyd wright home and studio. it's a million times better than the robie house and it's a nice little adventure out of the city. i went on the "design detectives family tour" because the regular tour was sold out. and, let me tell you -- i am so glad that it was! the "design detective" tour was led by 3 junior high kids who took turns explaining the history of the house. these kids were well trained, knew what they were talking about and were completely uninhibited which kept the tour amusing and highly entertaining. no doubt if i go back, i'll be relying on these teens to keep it real. *the jr. tour is only on saturdays, so plan accordingly! read more

Fun little tour on a Saturday morning. An hour, definitely short but sweet. Our tour guide, Ron, was great. He was very informative but didn't allow too many questions from the crowd which I appreciated because that can get a bit annoying. He answered a reasonable amount but was very forth right so questions weren't really necessary. The house is astonishing! Worth the somewhat pricey fee to get in. For out of towners, it is a great insight to the mind of great architect who started in Chicago especially if you are trying to avoid a trip downtown. read more

This is assuming a lot of things. Because I took the damn green line all the way out there and the tour was sold out! But walking around the neighborhood looking at different houses was really nice. I woulda liked to have been able to go into some of them on the tour but regardless seeing his works was still very impressive read more

I am going back and forth on how to rate this tour. Unlike others I had no problem with the guide or the tour. The guide and the tour both were interesting. The problem I have is with architects like Frank Lloyd Wright. They will design beautiful but impractical buildings and this home is one of them. Pay attention to the details and you will understand what I mean. Look at the chairs, all are short if beautiful, my family who is of normal height would hate them (my niece who I took the tour with told me Wright was a short man). The traffic flow from space to space is in general awkward with some stairways so narrow as to be difficult even for one. The business entrance was somewhat obscure, intentionally the guide informed. The children's play room was probably the best in the building ruined when Wright stupidly put a baby grand in the wall destroying its sound (if you don't believe me listen to a baby grand with the lid closed, what he did is not quite but almost the acoustic equivalent). Consider his ego, look at his office and compare it to the work space he allowed to his then wife. We did not see the kitchen but I can guess that the cabinetry is beautiful and the arrangement is impractical. Cruel stuff like no stools for the drafters. I have worked as a drafter and at a drafting table, I would have quit. Or the large room he made into to bedrooms for his 6 children. Because he so liked the ceiling pattern he did not extend the divider wall to the ceiling. Therefore what little privacy the children could get sharing a room by sex was voided. Stupid stuff like the aforementioned piano or the columns that do nothing, or skylights in flat roofs. The building is attractive, I love shingles, and the interior is attractive. The house as a house does not work. I was lucky that 35 years in engineering I did not often have to work with architects, when I did I realized there were two kinds, one who designed to function and one who did not. I would ask when you tour this house consider whether or not you would like to live in it. I would like it for its beauty and would hate it for its function. I will give it 4 stars for the information about architects it gives. read more

Wonderful tour and education, if you are interested in or appreciate architecture at all you will love this tour. Fascinating to learn about FLW's design inspirations and how his style evolved. A wonderful way to spend an afternoon and strolling through the historic neighborhood to marvel at these true works of art that are homes. read more

Most people who want to see the works of FLW have this on their list of must sees. There's something about seeing where a master worked that impresses us fans. First, if you want a tour spot, make a reservation and arrive early and check in. We had purchased tickets for a 14:00 tour months earlier and arrived at 13:50 and were promptly informed by the desk staff that our reservations had been "released" and we would have to wait until the next openings. Needless to say I was NOT amused as were not late to arrive by any standards. Bear that in mind. That window is far too narrow. Also, if you are traveling with backpacks or large carry items, be prepared to check the items outside. They do lock them up and provide a claim clothes pins which I thought was a nice, simple touch. The tour was well executed by the staff and it is amazing to see how many times he altered the residence, each time transforming it into something better suited to his needs of the time. The suspended student studio is really awesome for the time which reminds me of some airports in recent memory, just done with chains and on a much smaller scale. After we finished the house tour, we purchsed one of those walking tour guides and stopped at many houses on our way to see Unity Temple. I'm not sure the walking guide was worth the $20 we paid for it but the narriated phone calls of each residence did provide useful information. Enjoy. read more