The Chicago Board of Trade is located in the heart of Chicago's financial district (the loop) at 141 West Jackson Blvd.  It's an easy "L" ride in from either O'Hare (40 minutes) or Midway (25 minutes) airport.  In addition to housing the corporate offices and the exchange itself, the CBOT building is home to a bar/restaraunt (we've frequented the bar on numerous occassions - make sure you tip your waitresses well or they'll call you a cheap SOB to your face!), specialty shops, and additional corporate offices that are for lease.

The below information was taken from the CBOT's web site about visiting them:

There is no better place to catch the excitement of the open outcry auction market and the price discovery system at work then the CBOT® Visitor Center. Feel the pulse of the agricultural and financial world. Learn how it operates and how the market affects you.

The CBOT Visitor Center is open to the general public between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Visitor Center is located on the fifth floor in the historic Art Deco, landmark Board of Trade Building in the heart of Chicago's financial at LaSalle Street and Jackson Boulevard. Note: The exchange reserves the right to close the Visitor Center at anytime due to national security concerns.

Requirements to Enter the Visitor Center Gallery
For security purposes, visitors must register at the Security Desk and will need to present a photo ID and sign in, at which time a temporary visitor badge will be issued. All visitors will be escorted from the lobby to the Visitor Center and back to the lobby. Visitors must be in possession of the temporary badge at all times during the tour and the badge must be returned to the Security Desk before departure. No parcels and packages are allowed on the fifth floor Visitor Center, nor is a holding area for such items available. Purses also may be subject to inspection.

Additionally, cameras are not allowed in the Visitor Center and the taking of photographs while in the Visitor Center is prohibited.

About the CBOT Visitor Center
Education is a key function of the Visitor Center. Artifacts and photos tracing the early days of commodity trading are displayed throughout the Visitor Gallery. While visitors view the trading on the agricultural and financial trading floors, Visitor Center staff provides running commentaries regarding the activity on the trading floor.

Also, the CBOT's award winning 16-minute film, "A Window on Futures, " is available for viewing on the half-hour in the Visitor Center Theater. In addition to presentations in English, audio and video explanations are available in 12 languages Japanese, Chinese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Greek, Danish and Polish. Informational brochures also have been translated into foreign languages and are provided to guests of the Visitor Center. Our bi-lingual staff is on hand to answer questions from guests whose primary language is not English.

A Visitor Center Gift Store located near the gallery offers CBOT merchandise for sale.

Making Reservations for Group Tours
Reservations are required for groups of 10 or more. Minimum age for individuals in a tour group is 16 years old. For reservations or further information, please call 312-435-3590, or schedule a group tour online. The Visitor Center is wheelchair accessible.