Shedd Aquarium Reviews

Neat exhibits, but why does it smell so bad downstairs? Smells of something like cat pee and B.O. If they can get the smell out, that would make the experience a lot better!

Very cool aquarium, they cater to the kiddos a lot.

Balugas, Dolphins and violet-lime piranha. Amazon exhibit is excellent.

Wonderful and fascinating displays, very well done shows and movie, and very educational. Really enjoyed the hands on areas, and the views along Lake Michigan can't be beat!

Enjoyable experience with the family, will have to go again. While I was there they held a little event around the circular aquarium going in depth about the each species they had within the tank. Not only that, but we got to see one of the people go into the tank and feed. I do recommend Shedd Aquarium especially to families

Very interesting and educational
Everyone should go and see all the exhibits

Aquatic show is free with citypass/general admission which is awesome. Also, one 4d show is included. I am a little disappointed with the shark exhibit but beluga whales definitely stole the show. Another big attraction.for us were the penguins and dolphins which are pretty good too. Also liked the waves in wild reef section

This was very amazing and I really enjoy it. It's very fun you should bring your kids to the Shedd aquarium

One of the best aquariums I ve ever been to. Loved it. Go check it out if you re in Chicago.

a lot of exhibits to walk around. interesting stuff to see

One of the best aquarium's I have ever been to. The art work based on plastic waste found in our oceans was amazing

Just the best if you want to learn about the ocean.

Tons of excitement for the whole family! Would recommend going on a weekday, or right when they open on the weekend, especially if you are taking multiple children. The place filled up very fast. No public bathrooms near the parking lots either so park close if you have to go!

Wonderful place to go for a day trip. Make sure you have lots of time and are not rushed. Great for kids and adults.

This an amazing place. If you have a large family your children would really love it. They have a wide variety of animals. You will never get bored anytime you go. One thing you might not like is the lines that they have to get into the building. Because when I went it was kind snowing like flurries and raining and it was very cold so one thing I suggest is to go on a not snowy or rainy and cold day. Other than that they have good food they have very good travel guides or people to help you around the building. If it will be your first time going hope you have a great time.

The shed is the best public aquarium in our great country

Nice place for the family. I think it should be updated though it's been the same set up for years and they should offer more for the general admission.

Between the aquatic experience live show and the Amazon Riding exhibit, my family was thoroughly entertained. Add on entertaining guides, cool animals, and good food at the cafe and you've got a great way to spend the day. If your family loves zoos and aquariums, you should easily be able to spend 5 hours. Pro tip: buy your tickets online and avoid the line!

Excellent aquarium. Be sure to book the Land and Sea show ticket as soon as you get there it was a great show and you don't want to miss it.

Take your kids, dates, friends, family. Super cool aquarium, very interesting and informative. 3D movies are really good. Food courts are pretty good too. One thing I would suggest is, buy the tickets online to avoid lines. Definitely, in the list of must go places.

I can't wait to go back and see the show again and see all the things I couldn't see this trip!

Very big and good place to visit, they have huge variety of sea life, dolphin show is a must watch. Avoid going on holidays & weekends as the place gets crowded

We visit the Shedd at least two time a month! Sad to see it off the Chase VIP membership.

Enjoyed.... but missed the full experience of the 4d

Amazing! And free days if you live in Illinois, check it out on the website.

This place is a dream come true. The facility is beautiful and the employees truly take care of the presentation of each exhibit.

Lovely place. Very nicely maintained and very tidy. A huge collection of fishes and other water creatures. An awesome way to get kids introduced to aquatic world. They allow unlimited flashless Photography and have some great knowledgeable staff to help you out if you have some queries about the species kept in there. The aquatic show is also great. They don't make the dolphins do some painful stupid stunts to get public applause instead keep the performance of dolphins educational and fun. The whole emphasis is on teaching about conservation and inspire the visitors to appreciate and vast aquatic world.

We did the behind the scenes tour at the museum today. It was awesome! We got to see the lab, water testing, the kitchen, DNA testing and behind the aquarium and alot of animals not for public viewing!

Very nice collection of fishes from around the world, as well as a nice collection from around the Great Lakes.

First, there are many wonderful and amazing creatures to see in the different areas of the aquarium, including the Wild Reef and the dolphin show. That, of course, is the best part and the reason to visit. Second, expect to pay an arm and a leg to get in and see anything other than the basics. You can get a lower cost ticket, but that doesn't cover special areas or shows. We went with a member, so everything was covered. Look on the website beforehand so that you aren't surprised by the price. Third, if you have a stroller or are in a wheelchair, you can go through the accessible entrance. If not, you'll have to wait in a pretty long line for the main entrance and go up the front stairs. Lastly, bring you own food and drinks unless you want to fork over some more cash. They allow you to bring your own stuff, so no worries about that. Then you can sit in a cafeteria or in an outdoor seating area. Overall, you should definitely visit! Just be prepared for the cost.

It was a nice big place. It's perfect for kids. The 4-D experience was epic. I highly recommend coming here.

Very interesting and I loved getting to touch the stingrays

I don't get it. I mean its a nice visit and lots to look at but every time I go there I walk around thinking this is just not all that cool. Lots of large fish tanks and its cool to see all the different water creatures but I just do not think its that magical of a place. I am always thinking there has to be more there must be some special magical part of this place I do not know of because people talk about it like its amazing. I just don't get it and its very expensive plus you have to pay extra to see the cool stuff like shows. All and all its worth a visit but if you plan right timing wise you will never have to go again.

A fun place. Went on a particular night set aside for persons with disabilities and / or sensory issues. Great night to explore the aquarium

You need at least 3 hours to visit it. Itnis amazing!

I love Shedd Aquarium I went on one of the resident free days and even though it was PACKED we still had a great time. We were able to see everything and the dolphin show was pretty good we went to the last showing of the day and they still had enough energy to make the show good.

Great exhibits and facility. We've gone many times and have a good time every visit. Some of the staff could be a little friendlier

This place had some very beautiful exhibits and many species of animals and fish. I'm not sure if it is always as busy as it was. But my main concern is that there is no sense of direction in that place. It is very easy to get lost and there's no Rhyme or Reason to keep you on track to see if you have seen a place already or not. I ended up having to backtrack a couple of times over the exhibits because I wasn't sure if I'd seen them or not. It's kind of hard to explain but if you go there make sure that you try to follow the map so that you are able to explore the whole thing.

There should be a clear warning on the website that this location is extremely old compared as new facilities. Unfortunately, This was not open to us before we arrived. While the quality of the team members was outstanding, the building itself could use a face lift. It was a cold snowy day, so I realize it's hard to keep the bays dry, but the heaters barely kept us safe.

So many things to see & do my toddler enjoy the dolphin show.

One of the best, biggest aquariums I've been to. I live the huge tank with the diver in it, who answers questions from the crowd. Get tickets for the dolphin show(they're free). Great location, right on the lake.

I L VED IT BUT....& I SERIOUSLY MEAN BUT.....the amount of money this place makes & seeing how the fish/amphibians/reptiles are all good & chill.....Invest & FIX THE DAMN A.C. inside the building, especially upstairs all around...but other than that, take the kids & WHOEVER & enjoy.

The view outside the aquarium was amazing, sadly the day we went was foggy.

The special Amazon river exhibit was quite interesting. Not the best aquarium staff, and crowded, even on a week day, so there were problems with the general flow through some exhibits.

Beautiful aquarium with different biomes separated into different nooks. Highly recommend.

Very disappointed with this aquarium. Very expensive to walk through with not a whole lot to really look at. The 4d video which costs five dollars extra was the highlight of our trip. 64 dollars for one adult and child. I will not come back to this aquarium.

The wait to purchase entry on a Wednesday was absolutely ridiculous. We waited at least 30 minutes in line, and still waiting as I write this.. If you're charging $40 per person maybe having a kiosk or staff with mobile devices would be helpful. Two stars because of the other favorable ratings that hint at a quality attraction.

We had a great family day out. Lots of fun for the kids and adults. Interesting shows.

Great place to go, fun for kids, but over priced and drinks and food other than awesome animals to see!

Love this place I highly recommend that you go and visit especially if you have kids

Shedd Aquarium was delightful. No food is available but a quick bite of snacks from home on the patio outside was tolerable. It was not crowded and fun to visit without crowds!

Always a great experience at the shed. I went there alot when i was a kid and now we love bringing our kids there.

I have to say I thought the Shedd aquarium would be better unfortunately it did not meet my high expectations. We had gone to an aquarium not too long ago at Great Lakes crossing and that one almost seemed better and more interactive! Also to our disappointment The aquatic show had already started and the curtains were closed so we weren t allowed to go in. After that we continued to walk around until eventually leaving and heading to the next attraction on our city pass. I think the Planetarium would have been the better choice.

Great place to spend the day! The beluga whales are amazing creatures and were my favorite attraction. I could have watched them for hours. Definitely stay for the dolphin show!

Cool displays and settings for the fish and animals. Good variety of diverse aquatic environments. A little disappointed they no longer offer cheaper admission without access to the rotating exhibits and shows. Still, they had a mantis shrimp which was totally awesome. Wish they had a little more in depth information for such amazing critters.

I had an amazing time here!! Soooooo many different types of fish and exhibits. As an aquarist myself, I really enjoyed all the variety and the information about the different species and environments!

One of my favorite places that I visited while in Chicago! So much to see and do, I've come here both times I've been to Chicago. I absolutely love the interior and exterior architecture of the building. Amazing view of Chicago from the museum as well.

Wonderful experience. Beautiful and informative exhibits.

Such a fun time for the family. It's a bit pricey, so consider the City Pass if you are going to several of the popular Chicago sites. You'll view sea life from the Great Lakes region, and around the world. The highlight is the white beluga whale. His/her personality steals the show. Also, check out the large tortoise near the front, the dolphins and the shark tank. The shark tank is in a separate area, but the map makes it easy to locate. Eating in the food court will set you back. Buy tickets in advance to avoid a long line.

A phenomenal aquarium, the best I've ever seen. I spent the better part of a day here. It was crowded, but even that didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the displays. Had lunch here too. The food was nothing to write home about, but I ate outside and the view was beautiful.

Although I have been here before, it was my daughter and husbands first time visiting. They loved it! Especially our 3yr old daughter. She enjoyed exploring the MANY MANY rooms and exhibits. It definitely wore her out!! We went on a Sunday and it was nice and uncrowded. We were lucky enough to find a stop open for street parking and were able to avoid the $30 parking free to park in the designated lot they have closed to the museums entrance. Our spot was only about 7mins walking distance, and instead of paying $30, we played only $10! I chose 5hr parking. Considering they close at 5pm on Sundays!

Good place to visit while in the city. Plenty of things to see. The food there is okay, but you're not really going to visit here for the food. I would recommend coming on the weekday so it won't be as busy. Grabbing your tickets online would also be recommended so you can skip any long lines that could be possible.

Lots to see here. The aquatics show is well done with whales, dolphins and a sea lion that does tricks as well. Everything is in a well done exhibit.

Dolphin show gets boring after a couple visits. Kids still enjoy so we go. Lines are real for Illionis resident free days. We waited for more than an hour this past Saturday.

Great for kids off all ages. A little confusing about getting seats for the show; I would have liked to know that you need tickets in advance (they are included with admission, but you have to go to a kiosk and pick the time you want to go). The soonest touch exhibit is a must (also part of regular admission).

Buy tickets in advance either with Citypass, Groupon, or through the aquarium's website. If not you'll end up waiting in line. We were able to buy them on our phone and still beat the regular admittance line, so it would definitely be a time saver to do it before then. They have a person outside directing people where to go, which is very helpful!

Lots of different fish to see. Nice airy space that wasn't too crowded.

This place is amazing!! The building alone is worth going for. It is absolutely beautiful

It was great, lot of hand sanitizer. Unfortunately people were annoying and didn't wear masks/maintane social distance

Must go attraction when also visiting the Field Museum.

Wow. Haven't been here for years, and what a transformation! Aquatic show and the amphitheater was impressive; the main level exhibit tanks and coral reef are as fascinating as always. The lower level shark tank and manta ray exhibit was very entertaining. Food venues, while VERY expensive, allow families the chance to extend the day and minimize kid meltdowns due to hunger. LOVED the penquins. The Shedd is a true lakefront jewel in Chicago's tourism crown.

A pretty neat aquarium, good looking selection of animals. Good for families with kids, as most of the shows are directed for the youngest. PRO TIP: don't go there when it's a "free day entry" - it was well jammed!

Great place to visit with the family. Can be crowded but it's worth the lines and crowds. Did not enjoy the restaurant however as service was slow and food was sub par.

Extremely busy on the day we visited which made it hard to get around and see everything properly.

Great selection of exhibits. My family loved the beluga whales and the otters. Purchase tickets ahead of time and beat the line at the door. Educators can get in free, but plan ahead and print off the required page prior to arriving.

I have been to Chicago 3 times now, and this has been a must stop every trip. Did the behind the scenes tour this last time, and highly suggest it! I will be doing it again next time!

Love the Shedd. My daughter always has the best time.

Had a great time with my family first time taking my 1 year old son.

Not an impressive aquarium by any means but for an hour or so of fun it's a good choice

A great aquarium, especially if you have the city pass

Shedds is a little expensive in my opinion, if you compare it with other aquariums the price is pretty reasonable though. They have a lot of great exhibits and unique things for us you have kids.

Great place so much there to see,, 4 star is due to bit pricey and I recommend everyone to please buy tickets online to avoid long lines.

So good! Lots of exhibits broken down in different ways.

Had so much fun learning about the different kinds of fish! The Land and Water show was amazing as well! I would recommend this to any tourist thinking about coming to Chicago

One of the nicest places to visit in Chicago. Great spot for photographers to capture Chicago Skyline.