Shedd Aquarium, Chicago

Last visit-8/27/06. The revamped Oceanarium reopened in May 2009 along with a new aquatic show called Fantasea

The Shedd Aquarium comes up on the must see list of every guidebook with good reason. It is the world's largest indoor aquarium and if you are into fish, you can spend hours here.

There are 3 parts to the aquarium:

Main aquarium, the highlight is the Caribbean Reef, a 90,000 gallon round tank when you first walk in. Catch one of the daily feedings, look for the enormous green eel and the green sea turtle. In another section, be sure to see Granddad, an Australian lungfish that has been there since 1933 when he was used to lure visitors to the World's Fair.

The Oceanarium, added in 1991, is supposed to resemble the Pacific Northwest. There's a new aquatic show called Fantasea that replaced the old dolphin show, reviews make it sound like a Sea World type show. The wall of windows in the Oceanarium creates the stunning optical illusion of connecting with Lake Michigan in the background. There are also several beluga whales that seem to enjoy posing for pictures, playful sea otters (some rescued from the Exxon Valdez oil spill), seals and penguins.

The Wild Reef, added in 2003, features sharks and a coral reef. It's most famous resident, Bubba, a 140 lb. Queensland grouper that had successful cancer treatments died in 2006 :-(

If you have a short amount of time, you used to be able to visit the main part of the Shedd for $6-8, I don't see that info anymore but it can't hurt to ask.

DISCOUNT DAYS-there are 52 days a year that offer free general admission to Illinois residents only, the main part is FREE, extra if you want to see the Wild Reef or Oceanarium.

Best time to go-when it first opens or on a weekday

For more pictures and some interesting stories of some of it's residents, see my Travelogue

Fun Fact-when the aquarium opened in 1930, the saltwater was sent from Key West to Chicago by rail, the final shipment of salt water was received in 1970! Now the Shedd mixes it's own.

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providing an aquatic things to do in Chicago besided Lake Michigan and Chicago River

hours:
Monday through Friday: 9 am.– 5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 9 a.m.– 6 p.m.

Admission:

Adults $8 (total experience: $ 32.95)
Children $6 (total experience: $ 22.95)

again you can just buy the Go Chicago Card to have a cheaper entrance and also savor 29 other Chicago Attractions.

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Before other aquariums became popular, like the Atlanta one that we went to, this was the king. It was the idea of John Shedd, who ran Marshall Field department store who contributed $3 million in 1920's to make this the premier icon. It was the largest back in 1930 when it opened. Now it has 32,500 animals for view. It is a child interactive type now with the updates recently. Little changed until early 2000's and they just re-opened with upgrades in last couple of years. We could not spend time to go inside, but it used to be fantastic, and you could look into many small and quaint fish tanks of a great variety of them.
Fee is $25 and it is located in the museum complex by Grant Park along the lake shore.

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Located on the shores of one of them big lakes, Shedd Aquarium holds a heck of a lot of marine life. One of the draws, at least for families and kids is the diving show, where a diver gets in a glassed-in tank and feeds fish. Weee. Well, it's somewhat interesting to hear what they have to say, but if you can afford it, the real experience is much more interesting. If you can't, save up until you can. It's worth it.

The aquarium has exhibits and animals from most of the worlds aquatic habitats, from sea horses to large snakes. I bet the snake would be so happy to get free...

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Located on the shores of one of them big lakes, Shedd Aquarium holds a heck of a lot of marine life. One of the draws, at least for families and kids is the diving show, where a diver gets in a glassed-in tank and feeds fish. Weee. Well, it's somewhat interesting to hear what they have to say, but if you can afford it, the real experience is much more interesting. If you can't, save up until you can. It's worth it.

The aquarium has exhibits and animals from most of the worlds aquatic habitats, from sea horses to large snakes. I bet the snake would be so happy to get free...

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This aquarium was founded by a self-made millionaire, John G. Shedd.
He decided that a world-class aquarium would be the most beneficial gift he could make to the city that had given him so much.
He envisioned a stand-alone world's largest aquarium.
Shedd Aquarium has been a Chicago icon and a leader in the zoo and aquarium profession for more than three-quarters of a century.

Note:
Between Sept. 2 and early summer 2009, the Oceanarium will be closed for a $50 million renovation that will be as breathtaking in scope as it is in speed.

Chicago has plenty of museums and attractions to choose from, but the Shedd Aquarium has been one of my favorites since I was a kid. Whatever you do, don't miss the dolphins and beluga whales - they live in a beautiful setting with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Lake Michigan.

I recommend the Shedd Aquarium, Alder Planetarium, Industry and Natural History museums and the Sears Tower as "Must See" items. The Magnificent Mile is spectacular and you can plan to spend an entire day there if you want to shop.