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The Shedd Aquarium is one of the most popular and important cultural attractions in Chicago. It holds over 32,000 animals and over 1,500 species, and was once the largest indoor aquarium in the world. It’s located at Museum Campus.
History of the Shedd Aquarium
The Shedd Aquarium was founded by John G. Shedd (1850-1926), the successor to Marshall Field (1834-1906) at Marshall Field & Company. Unfortunately, he only lived long enough to see the first architectural renderings of the building.
The Shedd Aquarium opened on May 30, 1930. It was one of the first inland aquariums in the world. A custom-made railroad tank car, the Nautilus, was used to transport fish and seawater to the aquarium until 1959. In 1930, 20 of these tank cars made eight round-trips to Key West, Florida, to transport one million gallons of seawater for the opening saltwater exhibits.
Today, the Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research provides on-site research at the Shedd Aquarium. Since 1991, it has been involved with researching the beluga whale in southwest Alaska. The aquarium also partners with organizations responsible for conservation in the Caribbean and Southeast Asia.
Shedd Aquarium Building
The Shedd Aquarium was designed by Chicago architectural firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. The design was in the Beaux Arts style to match other buildings at Museum Campus, including the Field Museum. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark on February 27, 1987.
The main building is octagonal and topped by a dome. Doric columns stand at the front entrance. Aquatic motifs decorate both the exterior and interior and can be found all over the building.
Visiting the Shedd Aquarium
General admission starts at US$37.95 for adults (as of March 2024) and varies by day with plan-ahead pricing. Children two and under are admitted free of charge. Allow at least three hours to fully enjoy what the aquarium has to offer. Check the official calendar for the most up-to-date hours and events.
Dining Options at the Shedd Aquarium
The Shedd Aquarium has several dining options. First, Soundings Café is on the ground level at the north lobby. It’s open daily and contains a full line of Starbucks drinks, sandwiches, and pastries. There are also great views of the Chicago skyline.
The Bubble Net Food Court is located on lower level 1 next to the sea otters in the Abbott Oceanarium and is open daily. It offers a full menu featuring Chicago foods such as pizza, hot dogs, and Italian beef as well as burgers, fish and chips, soups, salads, and vegetarian options.
The Deep Ocean Café is on lower level 2, serving fast food snacks such as hot dogs, nachos, pretzels, and popcorn.
In addition to these dining options, there are vending machines and other snack stations. Visitors are also allowed to bring their own food and drinks as long as they consume it in designated dining areas.
Shopping at the Shedd Aquarium
The Shedd Aquarium has two Shedd Stores. One is located on the main level and another is on the ground level. They sell books, clothing, stuffed animals, toys, and several other items.
Main Level of the Shedd Aquarium
The main level at the Shedd Aquarium holds three of its permanent exhibits. It also contains the oldest galleries in the building.
Caribbean Reef
Directly past the Main Lobby in the center of the building is the Caribbean Reef. It was installed in 1971 on the site of the first exhibit at the Shedd Aquarium, the Tropical Pool. The Caribbean Reef is a 90,000 gallon circular tank. It’s home to several rescued animals and was one of the first habitats to display schooling fish. One of the popular features of the reef is a diver that interacts with visitors while feeding the animals.
Waters of the World
The Waters of the World galleries make up the oldest exhibits at the Shedd Aquarium and cover four different aquatic ecosystems. Each gallery contains a different exhibit, outlined below:
Rivers
Starting on the north side of the building is the Rivers exhibit. It covers some of the animals that live in the 480,000 square miles of rivers on the planet. Highlights include species that have developed adaptations, such as the paddlefish. Some of the locations covered include Southeast Asia, the Amazon, and Africa.
Islands and Lakes
Heading in a clockwise direction is Islands and Lakes. It features animals living in isolated ecosystems around the world. The most interesting fish in this exhibit were the African species. Others came from Asia and Nicaragua.
At Home on the Great Lakes
Next is the At Home on the Great Lakes exhibit, which concentrates on some of the 3,500 species living in the Great Lakes basin. Turtles, ducks, salamanders, and several species of fish are displayed in this section. There’s even a sturgeon touch pool.
One of the most interesting parts of this exhibit touches on the effects of invasive species that live in the Great Lakes, especially Asian carp. One large tank shows an example of a healthy environment full of several different native species of fish. An adjacent tank shows what happens when Asian carp take over, and includes only a couple other types of fish and no vegetation. There’s also a tank full of lampreys showing all their teeth.
Seahorses and Pipefishes
A small exhibit in the hallway after At Home in the Great Lakes includes seahorses and pipefishes. It includes facts on these fragile species and information on how the Shedd Aquarium is involved in their conservation.
Oceans
The fourth gallery in the Waters of the World exhibit focuses on Oceans. It displays some very interesting species from the depths of the sea. They include a giant Pacific octopus, king crab, American lobster, and a kelp forest with rockfish and horn sharks.
Amazon Rising
The final exhibit on the main level is Amazon Rising. It’s an 8,600 square foot recreation of a flooded rain forest. It not only focuses on the fish and unique animals that live in the Amazon basin, but also how humans live and survive there.
Amazon Rising contains over 250 different species and the highest water level is 6 feet. Different flooding seasons are highlighted, showing how fish swim among the trees looking for food and shelter. Some of the most popular animals in this exhibit are the piranhas, anacondas, electric eels, arapaimas (pirarucú), caimans, freshwater stingrays, and poison dart frogs.
Ground Level of the Shedd Aquarium
The ground level of the Shedd Aquarium contains temporary exhibitions as well as other features and attractions.
Wild Reef
Wild Reef is one of the most popular exhibits at the Shedd Aquarium. The entrance is located on the main level, between the entrance and exit of Amazon Rising, where visitors take an elevator down to the reef exhibit.
Wild Reef gives insight into the aquatic life found on a coral reef. It opened in 2003 and contains a total of 525,000 gallons of water. It’s actually a recreation of a coral reef on the Apo Island marine reserve in the Philippines.
There are several species of colorful fish and rays on display as well as a handful of shark species. The main attraction is a huge 400,000 gallon shark tank with curved windows standing 12 feet high.
Wild Reef also educates visitors on how the Shedd Aquarium is working to save coral reefs around the world. One tank shows how coral is grown for this purpose.
Special Exhibition
Next, at the north lobby across from Soundings Café, is the entrance to the special exhibit area. During my most recent visit, the special exhibit was Underwater Beauty, which ran from May 25, 2018 to April 17, 2023.
Underwater Beauty focuses on the unusual beauty of sea creatures. There are three sections, Color, Pattern, and Rhythms. Over 100 different species of fish and invertebrates are displayed in ways that accent their most striking visual qualities.
Phelps Auditorium
In the south lobby is the Phelps Auditorium, which opened in 2009 as part of renovations at the Shedd Aquarium. It features a 4D movie experience with interactive seats, high-tech audio, scents, and other elements. There are usually a few different shows running frequently throughout the day, and a ticket costs an extra US$4.95 in addition to general admission (as of March 2024). We decided not to see a show because it would have been a little too intense for our toddler.
Stingray Touch
Just outside the south lobby is the Stingray Touch exhibit, which opened on May 17, 2013. It allows visitors to touch stingrays as they glide through the water. Feedings occur from 9am to 11am and guests can participate at an extra cost of US$5 (as of May 2023). The exhibit is outdoors and open May through October. Unfortunately, since we visited in the dead of winter, Stingray Touch was closed.
Lower Levels of the Shedd Aquarium
The lower levels of the Shedd Aquarium feature exhibits containing mammals as well as some kid-friendly exhibits.
Abbott Oceanarium
First, on lower level 1 is the Abbott Oceanarium. The oceanarium, which opened in 1991, includes marine life found in the coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest. It contains three million gallons of water, including a two million gallon tank which is the largest in the United States. Known since 2010 as the Abbott Oceanarium, it’s the largest indoor marine mammal facility in the entire world.
Starting on the north side of the Abbott Oceanarium is the otter habitat. When this habitat first opened, many of the sea otters came to the Shedd Aquarium as rescues from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.
Continuing along the path is the two million gallon tank featuring Pacific white-sided dolphins and beluga whales. The dolphins jump out of the water and put on a show for visitors while the belugas make noise to attract the attention of their handlers for snacks. There’s also a sea lion section but it was closed for maintenance during my latest visit.
Polar Play Zone
Lower level 2 includes the Polar Play Zone, which is a kid-friendly educational area. It contains underwater viewing areas of the Abbott Oceanarium.
One of the most popular sections of the Polar Play Zone is the penguin display. It contains rockhopper penguins and Magellanic penguins.
Across from the sea otter underwater viewing area is a starfish touch pool, where visitors can wash their hands and touch large starfish.
