We did the full monte, home and neighborhood. I would recommend doing just the home tour, and getting a map to self-guide for the neighborhood. The home is fascinating, and well worth the tour. I learned a lot about Wright, and how he influenced architecture. read more

Loved the neighborhood tour! It was great seeing the transformation from Victorian to Prairie style. I plan to go back for the June 2012 House Walk. read more

This is a great tour. The 5 bucks to take pictures is a bit weird, particularly when they do not enforce it during the tour...cell phones and cameras popping off all the time. Walk the neighborhood after...ten more homes to see from the exterior! Oak Park is an easy train ride from downtown....if it is not raining...a nine block walk that is fun on a sunny day! Downtown Oak Park has a great Greek restaurant too! read more

I've been through the residence and studio in Spring Green, WI, so I opted for the self guided neighborhood walking tour. I lucked out with a beautiful fall day, headset in hand I walked through the neighborhood to hear about some of the beautiful homes in the neighborhood. read more

Amazing tour, well worth the price. The guide was very friendly, funny, and knowledgable and managed the group well. I enjoyed seeing the architecture and learning about the history of Wright and his family. Contrary to what another recent reviewer said I found at least my guide open to discussing the more unsavory aspect of Wright's character. Parking is very easy right by the house, but it is also worth walking around the neighborhood a bit to see the many other beautiful homes, some of which were also designed by Wright. read more

Buy your tickets in advance cause the tours fill up fast, even during the weekday.

Excellent tour by a very knowledgable volunteer docent. The tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio takes about an hour, and costs $17. For an additional $5, you can purchase permission to take photos inside the house. We (wisely, I think!) opted to take the tour and let the professionals take photos. The tours are well choreographed so that groups aren't tripping over each other. There are other tour options available, and a nice map for purchase that marks FLW homes in the neighborhood. All in all, a very good value! read more

I visited the Home/Studio after visiting the Emil Bach House. I had high expectations and the visit just seemed kinda ordinary. The outside of the home didn't immediately blow you away. The highlight was the work area inside was nice and the guide described it well. This was Wright's first home when he was on his own (22y/o). Yes, you should see it, just don't have very high expectations. read more

If you like history or architecture this is worth the train ride. We went on the audio walking tour which took you around the block to 10 homes. It was nice to hear a bit more history about the homes than if we would have walked it ourselves. We also did the home and studio tour and it was really neat. I enjoyed seeing the minimalistic style of the house. He was very OCD about clutter and I appreciated seeing all the built-ins. Something you should do once in your life. I have been to Chicago 3 or 4 times in the past 10 years and this was the first time I did this tour. I recommend it if you have the time. read more

When at the FLR museum recently I remembered being there before, an odd sense, like one remembers being in the same taxi with a driver that you know will never try to understand English no matter your tip, no matter how many rides. When talking with my mom on the phone later that evening, she started to laugh, like that oh no laugh mothers are prone to issue. Apparently as a tot of eight years of age, right after I had been here and FLR's houses in the area she'd announced to me that I had seen a Frank Lloyd Wright house, to remember it, and I responded, "Remember that! Those are the ugliest houses on the street!" I find no reason to change my earlier review. But I will add the whole area around here still does have some really nice houses. read more

Great tour, very informational, was about an hour and a half so almost too long for me personally- especially after standing so long! Great, and a must see if you are interested in design and architecture! I recommend for adults but not so much kids. Beautiful home, and ingeniously designed! Definitely a must see for historical benefits! read more

We went to Oak Park yesterday to check out the Frank Lloyd Wright Home. We'd been in Chicago for two years, but without a car, this place is pretty impossible to get to, which is unfortunate. Now that we have a car, we decided to take an advantage and hopped down this way. Most of my comments here are not about the house itself, which is an incredible place to visit, but about the organization/management of visitors at this spot. You buy your tickets in the gift shop--it's pretty small and there were a few tour buses of visitors in at the same time, so it was difficult for them to manage selling tickets and selling items at the same time, and the line wasn't very organized (i.e. no ropes to keep people in queue, so there was a bit of cutting and confusion). We were told that to take any photos you have to pay $5 extra and sign a waiver that says you won't sell any of your photos of the house--I know that museums have varied photo policies, but this seemed pretty over the top to me, and just kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. I understand that it is probably the policy of the Frank Lloyd Wright trust and not necessarily the museum itself, but I think that it should really be reconsidered. It really is free press to encourage people to take photos of their visit, and to have people sharing their photos of their visit with friends and family on Facebook, or wherever. The timing was perfect to take the $15 guided tour at 11 am, which was nice. I want to start by saying that our guide was very well-seasoned and had a great sense of humor--an older woman who had clearly done this many times. She was friendly and did a great job. And before I launch into my criticisms, the house and studio are beautiful and more than worth it to go see. Now to the negative parts. They had a young tour coordinator meet our group before we went inside the home with our tour guide, on the other hand, started off the visit in a negative way. As others have mentioned, some of these tour coordinators really need to lighten up. Our group was entirely made up of adults. She gave us a 10 minute speech about how we shouldn't stray from our guide, we shouldn't touch, we shouldn't stay too long in each room, we should move along quickly, we shouldn't ..., we shouldn't. There was no "welcome, we're glad you're here"--just a launch into a long list of rules belted out in a stern tone. I work in a large museum myself, so I understand worries about valuable and delicate objects not being touched, but there's a way to communicate this to adults (or children!) in an appropriate and respectful manner. The message sent was: you're lucky to be here--don't mess with anything and don't enjoy yourself too much. Hope that they can figure out a way to make guests who are paying a decent amount of money more welcome here. read more

This is an extraordinary tour and very informative. You can learn about his life and his architecture from knowledgeable tour guides. The tour of the homes was enjoyable but I preferred the tour of his home and studio more. He incorporated innovative ideas that he used elsewhere into his home such as the suspension of his studio walls with chains as apposed to pillars/columns. He even cut a hole in a wall where there was a piano so the rear of it would hang over a stairway and the music would resonate throughout the dwelling. It is an excellent experience that so many Chicagoans are missing out on. read more

Beautiful, unique home in a great neighborhood surrounded by a lot of other FLK homes. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, passionate and well spoken. Highly recommend this tour...especially for $15 per person! read more

What better way to experience the simple elegance and beauty of one of the most celebrated architects of the 20th century than to start at his home and studio. Once you've gathered at the Gingko Tree bookstore, which is attached to the property, you will be led into the house by a well informed volunteer. After the tour, explore the rest of the Prairie Style Homes (the outside only) along Chicago Ave. If you'd rather do the tour yourself, you can rent a headset from the bookstore that will give you all the information you need on these privately owned homes. Unfortunately, you can't go in the home and studio without a guide, but the self-guided tours is still worth renting. read more

I'll start this out with the precaution that I am a design student and am really getting into architecture and am a big fan of Frank Lloyd Wrights work. We bought our tickets at the gift shop, which as most gift shops go, was a bit too hungry for tourist moolah. I can't imagine the horror that Frank would have felt after seeing his designs adorned on coffee mugs and some quite ugly ties. Getting on to the tour. The tour guide was a real spitfire European woman who I was quite knowledgeable and kept the tour moving at a good pace. The house and studio were absolutely amazing. They were built in his early years before he had completely developed his style, however you can only get a sense of his brilliance by walking through his creations. I would recommend this tour for any of my family and friends. And I will definitely be back! read more

This tour is a must do if you are in the Oak Park area! My family goes once every year or two and I've yet to be disappointed.

A great history and architectural experience, take the tour, pay extra to take photos. My husband and I had a great time, however I did think the price was a bit on the high side. The gift shop is great, full of fun and beautiful items. read more

I have been wanting to come here for a long time. What a great neighborhood. The house wasn't what I expected, but I think that Wright designed his best homes after leaving this one. The tour guide was awesome. I'm still hoping to catch the Robie House open, but this was a GREAT substitute. If you are a FLW fan, it is a must see if you're in Chicago. read more

First trip to Chicago and I'm already planning my next trip to do the walking tour. Great information and great gift shop. The house and studio are remarkable. Definitely worth the $5 extra to pay for photos. read more

Didn't tour his studio but the walking tour of his houses is worth a few hours when the weather is nice. It's a tour everyone that lives in Chicago should experience. read more

A wonderful history tour to go on, I think everyone in the area should do it at least once. Be on the lookout for the Smithsonian Free Museum days, because the Frank Lloyd Write Home and Studio tours participate! I've done the tour a couple of times with people in from out of town and it was different each time because of the person who took us on the tour. One wasn't better then the other, just different styles. I haven't done the architectural tour yet around the neighborhood yet though. read more

My date and I were walking around Oak Park and he wanted to see the Frank Wright homes in the area. So, we stopped by this center which is one of his homes converted into a museum. That being said, it seemed like a cramped space for the store. Waking tours of the homes are available and meet outside under the big tent. We vouched to save our money and walk around the area and find the homes ourselves...they are easy to spot! However, you do start to wonder if people live in them and how creepy it must be to stare into people's property like that...I am assuming they must be used to it. I was also surprised that people respected people's lawns and did not approach the homes too closely...people don't have boundaries sometimes. A nice attraction since the area lacks any other options other then food and drinks. read more

The architecture is great (who am I to judge), and Oak Park just lovely - a perfect place to spend an afternoon!

Very informative docents (although they do tend to gloss over FLW's unsavory side). Extremely interesting tour of a beautiful site.

Amazing! I think this was our favorite museum/tour of our Chicago stay. I've been a FLW fan since my college art class days but my hubby was largely ambivalent about him. After seeing the house and studio, he definitely gained a new appreciation for FLW and his timeless style. Unlike others, we had a very good tour guide. He was quite knowledgable, particularly about the architecture and design elements found in the house/studio. He did a great job pointing out examples showing how the house exemplifies the evolution of Wright's prairie style design. He was friendly without being too chatty and moved things along at an appropriate pace. The home itself is beautiful. The restoration is magnificent, especially considering how the house had been changed to accommodate multiple apartments. The attention to details like the murals, period furniture and decor, and personal touches is terrific. The gift shop is quite nice with varied options for souvenirs from your visit. Some of them are a bit overpriced but there were affordable things as well. I do think it would have been difficult to visit with our elementary age children. There was only one, extremely well-behaved child in our tour group and our guide was friendly and patient with her. But I'm not sure my own children would have managed to not touch things and remain quiet and still throughout the tour. read more

We were really hoping to be seeing some really good architecture made by FLW, and we kinda did. There were a bunch of houses made by him in the neighborhood of his house, but what we really wanted to see was his house. Coming from the transit system (CTA), it felt like forever to get here. When we finally got to FLW's house, the only entrance was through the gift shop which, like many gift shops in popular sights, has overpriced items. The bathrooms were a bit shady, but then again, the house IS old. My family decided to take the tour which was $17 a person. After the tour, they were not impressed. There wasn't really anything special about FLW's house. After that experience, I don't really think we will be coming back here again. read more

My parents and I had a Saturday afternoon to kill in the Chicagoland area. I knew very little about FLW, only what my aunt and uncle had told me about him. We did the neighborhood audio tour, well worth it. I was quite impressed with his homes in the Oak Park neighborhood. I wish we had done the tour of his home, but seeing the homes and hearing the audio commentary whetted my appetite to visit here again with my wife. read more

Excellent tour for both interior and exterior. Plus you've got to see many other Wright houses (exterior only) in the neighborhood and Hemingway birth place. Better to buy a Wright Plus membership if you are touring with some one or planning to tour several Wright sites. Two free tickets per visit for a year is definitely worth it! Thanks to the membership I've been to every single site in Chicago myself and with family/friends. read more

Very fun tour of an amazing house. An hour well spent.

We purchased tickets online because they stated that that was the only way to buy tickets, Not True. We had to pay a service fee of $4.50 per ticket, I call BS. Their website scammed us for the 6 tickets at an additional $4.50 per ticket. When we arrived at the studio, there was an opportunity to but tickets on the spot, cheaper than what I paid online. I recommend to go to the studio and see if tickets are available, if you have flexibility, or call and find out what they have available. Of course, you run the chance of not getting tickets if you don't buy online, but when we went in August, they had an abundance of tickets available and the tour runs every 20 minutes. The tour was awesome and if you are a FLW or Architecture guru, go see it and buy the map to drive to other houses in the neighborhood, but you really don't need a map, if you know FLW, you can pick out his homes at first sight. read more

A fantastic well-informed walking tour. If you enjoy history and architecture, this is a must-do if visiting Chicago. Even if you live in Chicago (or the 'burbs) and want to do something different on a summer weekend, consider doing this tour. It's educational. It's fun and you'll get plenty of walking exercise (so wear comfortable walking shoes). Of course, if you are not into "walking" for at least one hour and you cannot remember the last time you exercised, then this tour may not be for you. I highly recommend that you bring your own ear plugs from your I-pod. They provide ear plugs, but they are cheap and did not fit me very well. They kept slipping off and even though I tried to adjust them to fit my small head I still had no luck. The walking tour is fantastic. Each house is described in great detailed with the little gadget that they give you. If you are not into technology and don't know how to use an I-Pod, no worries. They actually give you a quick overview and demonstration on "how to use" these. When I went on this tour there were people of all ages (from senior citizens to the 20-something generation). read more

My friend is in town from Montreal and she had expressed a lot of interest in going to see FLW's architecture. I took off yesterday and went with two friends into Oak Park, which was a straight shoot West for me. Stopped at lunch at Buzz Cafe beforehand and then onwards to FLWland. We purchased the audio tour for $12 apiece because we wanted to walk around and see things for ourselves. They gave us each a sleek black ipod loaded with the tour and uncomfortable headphones. Off we went. It was cold, but perfectly do-able. Taking the tour in the spring would be dreamy. We started outside the home and studio and then we wound our way around looking at the rest of the stops. Some of the information was pretty dense, but overall they did a pretty good job with it. My biggest beef was that the speaker didn't say "Please Pause" or some equivalent every time that you had to walk some distance before you were looking at the structure being spoken about. If my parents want to go here, I'd like to take the home and studio guided tour instead to see if having a tour guide would do an even better job. read more

The FLLW Home and Studio (Chicago Ave. at Forest Ave. in Oak Park, Il.) cannot be beat for those yearning to get a glimpse of what Frank Lloyd Wright utilized as a starting point for his stellar architectural career. The outwardly somewhat unremarkable structure is in fact a treasure trove of wonderful architectural detail and innovation. And the guided narratives given by the "interpreters" allow for real insight into the early part of his career. Give the tour the time it deserves; take the self-guided house walk too... it is worth the time taken!! read more

The home is beautiful, and I'm glad I took a visiting guest to see it. I deducted two stars simply because the tour was oversold and our docent Susan was unpleasant. She hustled us past some rooms and stalled us in others, apparently more concerned with how we were pacing with other groups than actually showing us the home. She became quite agitated when she took us into the studio and people began looking around a room rather than gathering in the middle to look at the ceiling -- something she did not initially ask us to do. She kept repeating, 'I'm not lying' (or something to that effect), which no one in the group had suggested was the case. After the tour, seeing a member of our group on the street, the conversation unfortunately centered around how unpleasant our guide had been, rather than the beauty of the home. Perhaps an off day for her, and it made for a less than stellar experience. read more

Proviso: No two people are alike, so you may completely disagree with this review. I can only offer my experience. I am a fan of Wright's architectural styles. However, the tour annoyed me for a couple of reasons, a few of which are common to other reviewers. First off, the tour guide I had, who was otherwise quite knowledgeable and accessible, was just too much. There's too much information....and not all of it relevant. It is fine to tell people specifics, however, the interpretation of why Wright may have designed a window or something in a particular way, which is comparable to a symphony or whatnot is really speculation and doesn't add to the tour....at least not for me. Rather, it makes me feel cheesy....in addition to the fact that I don't agree with the interpretation. Unfortunately, the tour isn't the time for friendly disagreements, if you respect the other patrons. I would like to interpret things for myself.....you can give me information. However, if someone asks for your interpretation, then it is perfectly reasonable to give it. It is very rushed. You don't have time to really look at things. I felt herded from room to room having to listen to the guide when it probably would have just been nice to have the time to look at the rooms and not have to look at the guide. (provided, i know that i could have just ignored the guide, but that wasn't the ambiance and would have seemed rude.) Moreover, the guide rushed people out of rooms when they were not done looking at things. If the tour is Free, this is excuseable. However, it is not. It is 12 dollars. And although that may seem reasonable, it assumes many things, like you will get to look at things in a room for longer than 3 minutes. All things considered, it probably was worth it to 1) pay 12 dollars to go on the tour 2) take a train ride which lasts about 1.5 hours to get to this place, just to revel in the beautiful architectural styles and look at the eclectic and unique houses in the area. Looking at Wright's house and studio made me think about designing my own house. I was documenting in my head the type of windows I would have and how I could make the most of each space. However, just a few changes would make this tour absolutely worth it, instead of probably worth it. read more

I took a tour of FLW home and studio several years ago when I was still in high school and remembered really enjoying it. I went back here last month with my family. We pre-booked online to make sure we got the time we wanted. We got there a little early so we looked around the gift shop where they have plenty of books, jewelry, and other random stuff. Our docent was very nice, enthusiastic, and genuinely seemed to love giving tours. It was a pretty cold day so she made sure to keep her opening speech (while outside looking at the facade of the house) to a minimum. She had an iPad to help illustrate what she was talking about and to show the whole group different photos related to what she was talking about. She seemed to know enough about the FLW Home and Studio to give a full days worth of a tour! It lasted 45 minutes to an hour but it flew by! I really enjoyed our tour and would love to do a historical neighborhood walking tour in the summer. read more

A must for all architectural fans. The only sucks is no photo allowed, but go ahead and sneak some!

I'm a total dork and I love this place. I do agree, the tour is a little slow and they don't let you walk around on your own. But the guide knew his stuff and was very good. read more

Went on a tour here a few years back with my class at college of dupage.... It was excellent and very interesting! I would definitely go back or take others there. read more