Shedd Aquarium Reviews

Very amazing place to see n many new beautiful fish as welll

Needs Better professional Attitudeness hospitality more it is Not the Place pkace is Fabulous it is the ppl folks in office and Staff and Mgr and Supervisors and Employees

Very much enjoyed my time here. I went on a Sunday morning and the lines were not bad at all. (nor were they when I left around 3:00) Some of the smaller tanks were crowded with people but with a couple seconds of patience it is easy to see everything. Considering the size and scale of the tanks, habitats were very clean. Animals were happy and active. (All of the mammals were swimming and playing) The sheer number of species was impressive, and its wonderful that so many animals were rescued.

The live show was very educational for younger viewers. My fiance and I really enjoyed watching the belugas, as they were enthusiastic to interact with their trainers.

You are allowed to bring a bagged lunch and eat in the cafeteria. Its a good idea if you don't want to pay $10 for a meal.

Great place to spend time with kids! 4D theaters are highly recommended as well. Easy to spend a half day in the building as there are so many things to see.

Can be very crowded at times but no aquarium in the midwest even compares

There are all kinds of fish and whatever marine animal you wanna see. It is the best aquarium I ve seen in my entire life. Beautiful.

Not too impressive, the organization of the exhibit is poor and the show is subpar, I'm amazed they charge 40$ for it. It's not the fish's fault though.

Lots of marine life. Great way too cool off in the summer

Amazing place! I've been here so many times, and it does not disappoint. Definitely the best of the museum campus.

Really nice place but could use a little better signage for show locations. My granddaughters loved it.

Have not been to the Shedd in over 10 years. Was excited to go and see what was new and bring my daughter for the 1st time. We purchased tickets online before we went (saw that it was highly recommended to do) SO glad that we did after seeing the line to get in when we left. Who would even stand in a line like that?! Why was the line that long and isn't there a max capacity? We got there at 930am and it was already super busy, good luck seeing anything after that mass line of people finally got in! Anyhow, this was sadly the LAST time I ever visit the Shedd. The aquatic show if that's what you call it was ridiculous, they talked 15 minutes about a rescued dog? I was half paying attention since my little one was bored out of her mind and I tried to keep her busy. I mean, I don't need a "show" but if they could of zoomed in in the whales and dolphins, told us about them, where they came from, gave us information about them - anything, it might have held a little bit of interest. Instead we watch them jump a few times and watched a movie/sound/light effects. The line to get in to see the 15 minute movie was 25 minutes behind, the sting ray thing was closed (which i heard is 90% of the time). So yea, you can do and see everything in about 1 hour. But I would recommend paying the general admission. The $75 we spend for 2 tickets was such a waste! We got nothing for it :( everything was closed or extremely behind.

It was a good time. Had a lot of different exhibits. The staff was very friendly and helpful. It was quite busy, but the foot traffic actually moved very well.

The Shedd Aquarium is a well worthwhile site to visit when you are in Chicago. The fish are extremely varied and the curator has sought to bring a strong sense of continuity between the exhibits. The waters of our world are well connected just like the exhibits in the museum. The exhibits each provide ample habitat to their residents so please plan to spend a little time at each looking for the many camouflaged residents. I saw all the fish I was looking for but casual observers missed a lot. In fact you wouldn t believe how many people missed the anaconda in its habitat. I think this aquarium offers visitors a chance to slow down and work on observation, a skill we seem to keep losing in modern society. Spend a while and see what s out there. Side note... the book buyer for the gift store has great taste and a selection you won t want to miss.

My son really enjoyed The Shedd Aquarium. Lots of things to do.

Not impressed at all. Most the stuff you can see in your local per store. When you add in all the screaming, crying, rude children that are not being supervised it really is not worth the price of admission. The aquarium at the Omaha Zoo is much better.

It has a lot of interesting things about fish and their habitat. To look at sharks so close is amazing. The coral reef it is stunning. They also have shows in 4D where you can learn a lot ant and very entertaining as well. The views from the terrace is great, you get to see a lot of the Chicago skyline. If you are going with kids they will definitely have a good time.

Great aquarium, the 4D Sharks show was killer. You could spend a lot of time here but we breezed through in about 2 hours. So many animals to check out! The penguin were my favorite though.

The shedd aquarium is a very interesting place to go and if you have kid's they'll love it all the exotic fish to see they shows to attend all around place to visit.

Very well cared for and amazing creatures on display, I have been to plenty of aquariums and I saw beautiful animals I had never before seen.

Very entertaining for the whole family. Lots to do and see throughout the day and if you plan ahead, there's a large dining hall for you to bring your own food in coolers (the food there is VERY expensive). Discounts available on certain days or with coupons on admission if you're local. Exhibits always changing so you can always see something new. Educational and exciting. Only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is for the expenses, but hey, that's Chicago :)

One of the better aquariums with nice beluga and dolphin exhibits

The shedd is very fun. Adult events are great if you want to avoid cramped areas and children

Very nice place but 1 elevator to transfer ppl up and down... Disappointing

First time there alot of cool stuff asked the staff diffrent questions they should of knew but didnt still had fun and awesome experience

I can't say enough good things Shedd Aquarium and the wonderful staff. One fast food worker with a bad attitude lost our business but didn't spoil the day. There is so much to do and see; from petting the stingray, the dolphin show, sharks, penguins, the whale, and so much more. I'm not sure you can see it all in one day.
I highly recommend a visit to the Shedd!

We won free tickets to come here. Very impressed, and we enjoyed the aquarium. Nice variety of exhibits. However had I not won free tickets I wouldn t have paid the full price.

Huge aquarium with lots to see. Several tanks were dirty and unkept. The staff could work on those. A bit pricey to get in but you can spend all day here. The building itself is something you could study all day with all the aquatic detail that was put into it.

The Amazon exhibit with all sorts of fishes and monkeys is very neat to see. Loads of fish from tiny tetras to massive arapaimas.

Right now they have the traveling exhibit "Underwater Beauty." Gorgeous colors and those tanks have been perfectly kept up.

Also a cafe here to eat if you chose. We did not eat here this time.

Very stroller and wheelchair friendly.

Arguably one of the best aquariums in the world. A must see if you're in Chicago.

My favorite place on earth. I could legit live here. So much to see and do it's definitely a weekend visit.

Growing-up in Chicago, the Shedd Aquarium was always a favorite destination for me.

Now that I'm on the west coast, I look forward to my visits back to the Windy City, and can't wait to get back to the aquarium.

What they've done & added over the years is truly amazing. It seems like there's always something new and interesting.

Felt like a sardine! Visited on a Monday during our spring break. So many people compared to everywhere else we went! Still stood in line quite a while with our city pass. Everything just seemed inefficient and confused. With its many levels, it was difficult for first-timers to even get oriented.

Must visit place in chicago
Have a lot of stuff going on there a lot of shows and a lot things to see

Haven't been in ten or twelve years. Went with wife and kids. Substantially upgraded and improved over passage of time with better exhibits that are all up to date. Worth the trip.

Absolutely phenomenal and reasonably priced. When I was there last they had $5 admission with any student i.d.!

First time in Chicago and I stop here and there lots of great thing to see

Way more to see and do than I ever imagined! Definitely worth the price

Really excellent displays. People were friendly and helpful. Very crowded on weekend, would recommend a weekday and get there at open.

Way to many people. Loved everything we saw. Costs a bit to much.

Terrible entrance experience. I have not even gotten inside. We are currently lining up to get in, or worst it's not a line, it's actually just a crowd of people without staff directions or signs. People don't even know where or what to line up for. It's -20 degrees Celsius outside and everyone is freezing.

There is literally one revolving door with a hundred people waiting to get in. This is the most ridiculous line up experience I have experienced in memory.

If I didn't already pay the $19 for parking, I wouldve left.

Loved it, we were going at a fast pace but over great Aquarium

Very well planned and executed aquarium and the animals seem well cared for! The caiman agrees

This is a cool place, especially if you're interested in sea creatures. It's also a great venue for private events; I had my senior prom here years ago. For me personally though, I find it gets kind of boring. After you've been once, I can't really imagine why you'd want to go again, since it'll pretty much just be the same stuff.

A wonderful aquarium. Very educational, great exhibits! Many hands on features - pet a stingray, or a starfish, see a turtle! All with guidance and obvious care for the animals. There are some amazing views of the city as well. All in all, great staff, a great collection, and great education.

Had a great time walking around. Had the chicagopass so we got one free 4D movie which was cool

We always love coming to the Shedd. Whether we stay for a short or long period we always leave knowing that we learned something new and enjoyed our time with Sea life.
The only thing we have missed our past couple visits is the special cafe being open so that we could split one of their delicious burgers together.

We had a good time at the aquarium. My fav was definitely the dolphins and those beautiful white whales. I can sit and watch them all day. My 4 year olds favorite was touching the stingrays. After that, he just wanted to touch everything. Thanks to all the staff that keeps it beautiful and well kept.

1.5 hr wait in the cold. After finally getting to the door to go in they pulled front of line to a different entrance, they could've probably done that sooner. Once in, the place was amazing!

Service in food court sucks! Other than that the friendly staff is great! Some of the restrooms were a little too dirty for being a downtown tourist area.

Google George Justak shed aquarium.
They fired this man for breaking up a fight at the dolphin show. This place is a disgrace. This man should be honored by the shed and instead was terminated.

Loved it, need to go back and experience more. Make time to spend there and explore, with a toddler - you will need it.

Extremely pricey, considering my employer gets me in free. Seeing the aquatic animals was interesting but at almost 100 for two kids 3 and 6 plus another adult was not good value. Won't be back

Great aquarium! So much to see, but it tough to see it all in detail in one day (but it can be done). Everything is fantastic except for the 4D movie theater. At $5.00/person extra the movie we saw wasn't really worth the extra money. The aquatic show with the dolphins and other Shedd animals was superb. Go to the 10:30 AM show. Again, you need to get there early to get into the shows and see everything. Great walking path outside and gardens around the aquarium too!

In addition to everything else, they have one of the best views of the Chicago skyline

We had a great time at the shed aquarium. Parking was on the street at a meter. We went during the week in the afternoon and parking was not hard to find. There is no free parking that I'm aware of, so you need to have an idea of how much time you plan to spend in there so you can pay the appropriate amount. The establishment itself was clean, all exhibits were open. Not very crowded at the time we went.

Attended Jazzin at the Shedd to support a friend of mine who was performing.

Just visited the Shedd with my granddaughter. Was not a pleasant experience. There were 4 bus loads of kids there and they were unruly and rude. They would shove and push and talk disrespectfully. Laying all over the floor and you almost trip over them. . Maybe in the summer it s better as parent are there with them. The dolphin show was very good. The rest of the place seemed unorganized and some of the staff was rather rude when you would ask something. Some of the tanks the water was not real clear. Will not be coming back.

Great place to take the family...was very crowded but that is to be expected on a Saturday.

Beautiful aquarium. Such a fabulous location. Close to everything. We saw the dolphin show and the new baby beluga whale. Part of our City Pass and well worth it. Another great destination and star in the crown of Chicago!

Wasn't too busy because there was a soccer game going on. Had to pay $50 for parking because of the game, but that was our own fault. Shedd Aquarium is a lovely place to visit and have information about conservation programs and what they do to give back!

I had a great time. Tickets for out of towners is a bit steep for me at $40.

Pro tips

- don t come the weekend before back to school because it s chaos
-active military ID = free service person + 5 family members free
-if you are purchasing tickets full price (General admission: Adult $39.95, child (3-11) $29.95 & Chicago residents: Adult $19.95, child (3-11) $14.95) do it online and then do Will Call because the GA line can be crazy
-pack your own food because the food there is overpriced and nothing to write home about
-don t forget to see the jellyfish because they are cute

Awesome place to go to I Chicago. Touching the string Ray's by far the best thing along with the dolphins and beluga whales

This aquarium is quite large and well stocked but like so many other sizable aquariums, the price of admission is pretty high.

The Shedd Aquarium has a ton of exhibits for all types of fish big and small. Some of my favorite exhibits were the sharks, dolphins, beluga whales, and the pet a stingray. They have several different areas showcasing fish from different areas of the world. There are also several small cafeterias and places to get a quick bite to eat.

One of the best museums in Chicago. The exhibits are incredible, and they are always changing so it never gets old. Plus, it's in a great location, perfect for exploring the rest of the city when you're done.

Kind of pricey but worth it. Would definitely visit again. Beluga whales are so cool.

Amazing experience! Thank you to our ticket taker for telling us to go straight to the ticket machines for the must see dolphin show! We would have never known that!

Educational, but teaches evolution. Otherwise an excellent experience.

It is amazing, colorful, educational, and diverse. I love that the admission fees go towards animal rescue and conservation, but it is very expensive. That is really my only gripe though.

This is a great place to explore. It may take you 2 days to really take in all that the Shedd has to offer. Make sure to check out the wild reef below!

Recommend going with the family, though tickets are very expensive (look for a free day) and parking is expensive ($25). Also try to avoid cold days as there is no covered path from parking lot (can be brutal with freezing wind from the lake)

Always an awesome experience when coming here. Place has alot of aquatic fish and plants from all over the world

Kids loved it. Nice aquarium. Get there early, though!!