The 100 Best Affordable Vacations (45 page)

 
John Hancock Center,
875 N. Michigan Ave.

 
Marina City,
300 N. State St.

 
Monadnock Building,
53 W. Jackson Blvd.

 
Robie House,
5757 S. Woodlawn St.

 
Rookery Building,
209 S. LaSalle St.

 
Unity Temple,
875 Lake St., Oak Park

 
Willis Tower
(formerly Sears Tower), 233 S. Wacker Dr.

Chicago dining and lodging don’t have to break your budget. The Windy City’s famed deep-dish pizza can be had at classics like
Gino’s East
(www.ginoseast.com), with several area locations. For lodging, the
Chicago Gateway Hostel
(616 W. Arlington Pl., 773-929-5380,
www.getawayhostel.com
) offers private rooms from $57. The city’s hotels often run weekend specials.
[$
PLURGE
: For a splurge, stay in a boutique hotel named for a famed Chicago architect:
Hotel Burnham
(1 W. Washington St., 312-782-1111,
www.burnhamhotel.com
), a national historic landmark, offers rooms from $159 on weekends.]

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Chicago Architecture Foundation,
224 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60604, 312-922-3432,
http://caf.architecture.org
.

spend a night at the museum

NATIONWIDE

Museums, I love museums.

—
ACTOR TONY RANDALL (1920–2004)

57 |
What really happens at a museum when the lights go out? Even if dinosaurs don’t come to life as in the
Night at the Museum
movies, there’s still plenty of action after dark at some museums offering special overnight programs.

Although geared toward local residents, an overnight stay is a great way for visitors to expand their minds after hours. You’ll save on a night’s hotel cost and get a chance to experience special programs, like IMAX movie viewings, scavenger hunts, science experiments, games, and even dances. Usually snacks and breakfast are supplied, sometimes dinner, too. But when it comes time for bed, you’re often literally sleeping on the floor. Check with the museum; most suggest bringing a sleeping bag, pad, and pillow.

For kids, it’s an unforgettable experience. Even several years later, 13-year-old Grant Wideman remembers spending the night at the McWane Center, a hands-on science museum in Birmingham, Alabama. “It was great. We had the whole museum to ourselves!”

It’s the same story in New York. Gregory Cox has accompanied his grandson five times on sleepovers at Manhattan’s American Museum of Natural History. He says children quickly form a bond with the famed institution. “They leave feeling like they own part of the museum,” Cox says. It’s also a shared adventure for a family. “You’re making a memory and you know it right away. I know long after I’m gone, he’s going to remember spending the night at the museum with Grandpa.”

Most sleepover programs are geared for school, church, or scout groups, but many sites have family nights throughout the year, and a few even have adult programs. Usually children need to be at least age five. As with most sleepovers, there’s not always much sleeping, and there’s usually no way to go to bed before official lights-out, usually 11 p.m. or midnight.

Here are some museums to consider, as well as science centers, zoos, and aquariums that also offer overnight adventures:

 
American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York.
Don’t expect Ben Stiller as your night guard, but you’ll still have an unforgettable experience prowling around this museum, the setting for the first
Night at the Museum
film. Guests watch an IMAX movie and can participate in activities such as origami, totem pole construction, and making moon crater rubbings on a bronze lunar model. There’s usually a live exhibit of snakes, raptors, or butterflies, but the highlight is exploring the famed dinosaur halls by flashlight on a scavenger hunt. Guests can bed down there on provided cots or under the museum’s massive blue whale. The $129 per-person fee includes a snack, breakfast, and museum admission the following day. Still sounds pricey? Consider it a unique Manhattan hotel and it will seem like a bargain.
American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St., New York, NY 10024, 212-769-5100,
www.amnh.org
.

 
COSI (Center of Science and Industry), Columbus, Ohio.
The first museum “camp-in” was held here in 1972, and in 2009 the top-rated museum welcomed its one-millionth sleepover guest. COSI’s program is still one of the best, and cheapest, at $32 per camper, an incredible bargain since it includes a two-day admission to the hands-on museum and a big-screen movie (the two of which alone can cost $20), plus breakfast and a souvenir patch. An optional dinner runs $8 per person.
COSI, 333 W. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215, 888-819-2674,
www.cosi.org
.