District 214 Community Education

This great holiday tour starts with a late afternoon departure as we are off to dinner at the landmark White Fence Farm Restaurant and its proclaimed "World's Greatest Chicken.” Beautifully decorated for the holidays, the restaurant has served travelers on historic U.S. Route 66 since 1926. The famous chicken is pressure cooked thoroughly before being flash-fried for only three minutes and delivered immediately to your table, along with the restaurant’s famous relishes, corn fritters and mashed potatoes and gravy. A special holiday treat follows at Morton Arboretum’s “Illumination: Tree Lights at the Arboretum." Illumination is a spectacular holiday lights display using amazing new technology. Walk along a paved path to see the trees glowing with dazzling LED lights. You will not only see them, but interact with them as well: You can hug a tree to make it glow brighter, sing to a tree and watch it change color and swipe your hand to make it do both. It’s a new experience at every turn! Enjoy a cozy fire and some hot chocolate and stop in at the Visitor’s Center to see other themed displays. Illumination is becoming a true yuletide tradition. (Illumination requires walking along a relatively level outdoor pathway about ¾ to 1 mile in length.)

Kick off the holiday season at the Fireside Theatre in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, to see a timeless classic! Based on the beloved Christmas movie, “Miracle On 34th Street” is a big brassy Broadway musical with a heart. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade needs a new Santa. Enter Kris Kringle – a sweet and jolly old man who claims that he is the real Santa Claus. Thus begins this funny, warm, tuneful, and inspirational musical as Kris has to prove his claim in court and teach his cynical neighbor and her daughter to believe in Christmas. You will be treated to lunch in the theater’s lovely restaurant before enjoying the matinee performance in the 700-seat theatre in the round. You’ll also have time to shop before the show in the popular gift shops, offering a complete selection of gifts and collectibles for all ages and occasions.

Celebrate the holidays on one of CET’s most popular tours - a special event at Place de la Musique, the spectacular Sanfilippo Estate in Barrington Hills. We begin our day with an elegant catered holiday meal in the Estate’s Carousel Building. We’ll dine next to the “Eden Palais'' carousel, the only complete European salon carousel in the world. The spectacular 89-foot wide and 42-foot tall-carved façade has life-size carved horses, giant art glass butterflies and an 89-key gavioli band organ. You will see and hear this masterpiece in its full glory while learning about the estate's amazing collection. Following lunch, visit the Sanfilippo residence for a 90-minute Wurlitzer Theatre holiday organ concert performed by Dave Wickerham, one of the finest theater organists in the world. The afternoon concludes with a self-guided exploration of the mansion where docents will explain and demonstrate some of the world’s greatest collections of restored antique music machines. This elegant afternoon will help you ring in the holidays!

Broadway’s spellbinding sensation “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is coming to Chicago on its first-ever North American tour. Join the next adventure and experience the wizarding world like never before at this record-breaking, Tony Award-winning hit, hailed by Forbes Magazine as “one of the most defining pop culture events of the decade.” When Harry Potter’s headstrong son Albus befriends the son of his fiercest rival, Draco Malfoy, it sparks an unbelievable new journey for them all—with the power to change the past and future forever. Prepare for a mind-blowing race through time, spectacular spells, and an epic battle. Enjoy a great lunch before the matinee at Chicago’s Weber Grill!

Peek behind the closed doors of Buckingham Palace in “The Audience,” an intimate portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the pivotal private audiences she held with her prime ministers. From Peter Morgan, writer of “The Crown,” this award-winning play cleverly imagines a series of pivotal meetings between the Downing Street Prime Ministers and their monarch. “The Audience” is an enthralling exploration of the delicate balance of power and unspoken rules of engagement that underscore these confidential meetings. Masterfully blending the personal and the political, “The Audience” gives an extraordinary glimpse into the woman behind the crown and the leaders she outlasted. Upon our arrival at Drury Lane, an elegant luncheon is served at the theater’s Lucille restaurant with a preselected choice of entrees before we step into the grandiose proscenium-style theater!