The U-505 is the only German submarine captured by the U.S. Navy during World War II and is now featured at the museum as part of a 35,000 square-foot interactive exhibit. The exclusive private tour begins at 8:15 am on  Sunday the 20^th of November, and lasts for 2.5 hours. The tour, which includes continental breakfast, a guided tour of the exhibit and an on-board tour followed by a presentation on a U-505 expert, only runs once in November and twice in all of 2011. The tour costs $50.00 for adults and $40.00 for children including breakfast, the tour and general admission to the rest of the museum once your tour is finished.

You can buy tickets for the event on the museum’s website, but be quick; the event is a popular one and is sure to sell out quickly! There are group rates available for the submarine tour through the same website and are a great way to save some money while keeping everyone you’re travelling with entertained during your stay in our Downtown Chicago Hotel.

If you can’t get to Chicago on the 20^th but are staying at our Ramada Chicago Hotel at another date in November you go on-board the submarine during free (with museum admission) 15 minute tours daily.

Chicago Hotel Packages

Our Family Chicago hotel packages are another great way to save some money on your vacation (money that can be spent on other fun activities in the Chicago area!) and if you’re visiting the museum, they include free shuttle service to and from the museum and our hotel!

Our Family Downtown Chicago hotel packages include:

• Accommodation for two adults, and two children for 1 night.
• Full American breakfast buffet for the whole family
• Free shuttle service between the hotel and the museum
• Scheduled free shuttle service into Downtown Chicago
• A special gift from our Ramada Chicago hotel to you!

http://msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/jim-henson-s-fantastic-world/

Get a rare peek into the imagination of Jim Henson—a brilliant innovator and the creator of Kermit, Big Bird and other beloved characters. This exhibition features 100 original artworks, including drawings, cartoons and storyboards that demonstrate Henson’s talent as a story teller. The exhibit also documents Henson’s process of “visual thinking” through renderings, photographs, documents, puppets and film.

View the iconic puppets created by Henson, television and movie props, photographs of Henson and his collaborators at work, as well as original video productions and experimental films from Henson’s early career. Guests will also get an opportunity to express their own inventiveness through a series of fun and original hands-on activities.

The White House Exhibit

This is a great exhibit if your coming to Chicago. You will get to see parts of the White House that no one gets to see!

Its inside look at the People’s House that few people get.
The Museum’s new temporary exhibit, The White House: A Look Inside, offers an unprecedented up-close look at America’s most famous and beloved landmark. It takes you from the East Wing to the West Wing, through notable moments in history to the White House as it is today, in grand dimensions and true-to-life scale. Like the home that inspired it, this exhibit offers an awe-inspiring experience for the young and young-at-heart.

It begins with a photographic timeline of the White House: learn about its original construction, and the renovations and expansions throughout its 200-plus years. Gain new insight into the ever-changing role of the First Lady, and behind-the-scenes details on the daily life at the White House, supported by a legion of dedicated staff. See authentic artifacts from administrations throughout history, ranging from White House china to holiday cards. Learn more about the people – and even pets including a pony and a sheep – who have made their home in this famous house, with a special focus on the four Presidents who have lived in Illinois: Lincoln, Grant, Reagan and Obama.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a meticulously detailed, 60-by-13 foot, 1:12 scale replica of the White House. Complete with hand-carved chairs and tables, stitch-by-stitch carpet recreations and even tiny working televisions, this masterpiece of miniature is the result of more than 600,000 work hours. This gift “to the people from the people” is truly a wonder to behold.

Opening with Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light on November 20, the doors to the White House exhibit will be open through President’s Day, February 15, 2010.