Set Sail Through America's Five Great Lakes With This Architecture-Packed Cruise Itinerary

A native of the American Midwest, famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright pioneered 20th-century structural architecture by using inspirations from the natural environment to achieve modern spaces that cohesively merged the indoors and outdoors. Home tours of Frank Lloyd Wright's work are perennially popular and are a great way to learn about design philosophy and Wright's influential aesthetic. While travelers can embark on the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail, an overland road trip route that winds through several of the architect's Midwest masterpieces, people who prefer to travel in luxury will now be able to indulge their architectural whimsy with a new cruise route through the Great Lakes region. 

In partnership with the Taliesin Institute of the Frank Lloyd Foundation, Victory Cruise Lines offers onboard educational activities about the architectural pioneer. Each cruise itinerary also features potential ports of call at Frank Lloyd Wright structures and other design-forward spaces and architectural marvels throughout the American Midwest. Highlighted showstoppers include Meyer May near Grand Rapids and the Smith House outside of Detroit.

Victory Cruise Lines is a North American and Canadian coast-centered cruise line with routes throughout the five Great Lakes and Canadian Maritimes. In 2024, the line renovated two Great Lakes cruise ships, the Victory I and Victory II, offering top-tier, all-inclusive packages launching from its exclusive homeport at Navy Pier in Chicago, as well as ports in Toronto, Milwaukee, and Montreal. Not every cruise itinerary will offer the same optional add-on experiences, but a select few will allow travelers to visit some of Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest creations.

Small, continental cruises like those on the Great Lakes have many perks for people who may not want to fly long distances or may not have a passport. They also tend to be more intimate. The Victory ships accommodate up to 190 guests and 80 staff, a contrast from major international cruise lines. The 95 suites and staterooms on Victory vessels range from a 335-square-foot owner's suite with an outdoor veranda to smaller rooms with queen or double beds, all featuring premium amenities and outward-facing windows.

Victory Cruise Line's LakeLorian program is unique, offering scholarly on-board presentations and discussions about topics from history to culture, led by experts to deepen the travel experience. At each port of call, Victory Cruise guests are invited to take advantage of a variety of shore excursions. Included shore excursions range from carriage rides on Mackinac Island in Michigan, the dreamy, car-free vacation destination straight out of a storybook to the Ford Museum, one of Detroit's beloved museum attractions. However, there are also optional "Premium" and "Immersive" excursion add-ons. These half to full-day tours range from historic points of interest to parks, natural highlights, and architectural marvels, each led by experienced guides and scholars.

As of this writing, the all-inclusive Victory cruises start at $4,999 per person for an excursion like the 10-night Milwaukee to Toronto cruise, while an adventure like the 15-night Chicago roundtrip costs $8,699 per person. Each includes a night in a hotel prior to setting sail. The premium and immersive excursion add-ons cost more, but travelers should reach out directly to the cruise line for a quote.

"Frank Lloyd Wright: His Home and Vision for the Future" is one of the full-day, premium experiences available in Chicago that traverses a few buildings in the city as well as the small-town, walkable suburb of Oak Park that's filled with timeless architecture. Wright famously began his career in Oak Park, and his Home & Studio is located there, as is the Unity Temple, a Wright-designed UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark. This excursion features visits to both, as well as to the Rookery Building in downtown's Financial District and the Frederick C. Robie House. 

Frank Lloyd Wright himself didn't design the original 1888 Rookery Building, but he did redesign the lobby in 1905. The newer look stands out with its tall, two-story ceilings and open sky-light windows. The Robie House, located just south of Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, is considered a prime example of Wright's signature and innovative "Prairie Style." The dramatically horizontal configuration combines natural elements with environmental simplicity. This excursion can be added onto the 10-night Chicago to Toronto cruises and the 15-night Chicago roundtrip and requires moderate levels of physical mobility. All locations are wheelchair accessible. 

If you're wholely interested in architecture and not just Wright's works, you may consider booking the narrated "Chicago Architecture Cruise." This add-on features a boat ride down the Chicago River through the incredible riverfront skyline, during which you'll hear stories behind 40 or so architectural wonders. This half-day trip requires a moderate level of activity and is available as a post-cruise add-on to the 10-day Toronto to Chicago trip and as a pre-embarkation excursion for both the 10-night Chicago to Toronto cruises and the 15-night Chicago roundtrip.

On many Detroit ports of call, upgrading to the premium "Detroit's Designers, Including Frank Lloyd Wright" experience gives guests access to a "scholar-guided," half-day tour to several significant landmarks in the Detroit area. One is the Smith House, part of the Cranbrook Art Museum and Academy in Bloomfield Hills about 25 miles from Detroit. Designed on a small, middle-class budget by Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1940s, his Usonian design blends a lot of Japanese and Prairie-style elements against red cypress walls. The tour also includes architectural marvels from another of Detroit's noted designers: Finnish-American architect Eliel Saarinen, the father of Finnish-American architect and mid-century designer Eero Saarinen. The Saarinen House, also located in Bloomfield Hills, is an Art Deco gem designed in the 1920s and meticulously furnished and decorated. 

On this "Detroit's Designers" experience, you'll also visit the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, a sprawling, Tudor Revival-style manse inhabited by Henry Ford's son and heir. Designed by Detroit native Albert Kahn and landscaped by Jens Jensen in the 1920s, the massive structure copies the English Cotswolds, and remains a testament to the wealth and influence of the auto industry. Note that these tours are not considered accessible, as the homes feature stairs. 

This tour is available on the Chicago to Toronto 10-night cruises, the Toronto to Chicago 10-night cruises, the Chicago to Montreal 10-night cruise, and even the Toronto to Milwaukee 10-night cruise, where you can also opt for the premium "Towers and Design of Toronto" tour through the city's downtown.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed at least 30 homes in Michigan, and you'll have a chance to see two of them with the Chicago 15-night roundtrip cruise. At the Muskegon, Michigan, port, one premium add-on includes a trip to Wright's Meyer May House in Grand Rapids, the artsy city dubbed "Mini-Chicago," about 43 miles from Muskegon. The same tour will also check out Wright's Amberg House, just around the corner. 

Self-proclaimed a "Prairie Masterpiece," the 1908 Meyer May House, was commissioned by Detroit businessman Meyer May. It's a two-story, T-shaped brick structure with an interior filled with textiles, brass, colored glass, and contrasts facilitated by George Mann Niedecken. There's also a restored mural of hollyhocks Niedecken. As in all the Prairie-style homes, this one prides itself on Midwest geography-inspired earthy compositions and a seamless indoor-outdoor transition, complete with wide windows and large terraces.

Nearby, Amberg House is a single-story T-plan Prairie-style home commissioned by liquor distributor David Amberg in 1911. It was designed by a Wright apprentice, Marion Mahony Griffin, and utilizes colored ceramic tiles on the exterior as well as extensive natural materials like wood, stone, and sandstone. Though privately owned, the Amberg House is available for private and exclusive rentals. Both structures comprise the "Frank Lloyd Wright and the Frederik Meijer Gardens" premium experience, which includes the Meijer sculpture and botanical gardens in Kent, championed by Midwest grocery store heir Frederik Meijer. This tour is an all-day excursion requiring moderate physical activity and is available.

Besides LakeLorian's scholarly emphasis on shore excursions, Victory Cruise Lines sets itself apart with a commitment to upscale excellence. Unlike other cruise line competitors that may require add-on inclusivity packages, your all-inclusive Victory booking includes unlimited alcoholic beverages and unlimited WiFi, port-cruise transfers, some shore excursions, and typically a night at a hotel at the port of call before departing. Live music and events happen daily on board. Since parts of the Great Lakes freeze over and aren't accommodating for wintertime cruising, Victory Cruise Line only runs from May through the beginning of November.

With four dining room options, ranging from a Tuscan stone grill that grills food with volcanic rocks to an English-style tavern, Victory Cruise Lines prides itself on a menu of fresh selections from regionally-inspired meals and a balance of rich and healthy dishes, all with beautiful views of the Great Lakes. But don't worry: despite the elegance of Victory I and II they still both also offer the classic cruise soft-serve ice cream, available all day.