Shedd Aquarium Reviews

Helpful friendly staff everywhere! Clean nice family environment.

Loved the Show and eco responsible educational videos. Great place to take kids for the summer or winter vacations. Live and enjoy learning.

It's small but overall a good variety of sea life. Family friendly.

One of the best Aquariums that I have been to! Lots of different things to do & the dolphin show is amazing!

Amazing acquarium with jelly fish, dolphins and sharks.

Really nice staff, dont buy food if you plan on watching the short films. You will have to throw it away as you can not bring it with you.

Amazing aquarium! Such a variety of fish and sea creatures. Friendly and knowledgeable staff.

The building was nice and clean. Parking was not far away. Was very disappointed in the prices. Double the price for out of town guests is outrageous. Plus the staff that were working there were not nice and had attitude if you asked a simple question. $80 for 2 adults from out of town is crazy!

I loved this aquarium especially the belugas! We paid for the penguin encounter and while it was informative we only got to touch the penguin for 20 seconds. You don't get to hold them at all even for the photos. We also paid for photos and got a flash drive with a whole different day and people on it. Would go back for sure but wouldn't so the encounter.

This aquarium is always a favorite. Even our teenagers enjoyed visiting! Other aquariums around the US have been a disappointment lately but not the Shedd! Admission is a bit on the pricey side at almost $40 per person. We spent a half day here but only because we had other stops to make on our short visit. We could have spent longer if we would have taken more time to read all of the interesting information posted.

There is free admissibility for people on low income programs and there is plenty of space to move about no matter how many people are walking through. The museum has many guides and is well kept. There are attractions such as the stingray touch, the 4d theatre, the starfish touch, and the dolphin show. We spent all day there and we took the train from Kenosha there and back along with the aid of 1 Chicago transit bus. It was also a pleasant walk through the campus.

Had a blast today with my 4 yaer old daughter we were nervous how it was gunna work with the new guidlines but we had a great time thank you so much her favorite was petting the stingrays I also love how everyone kept there distance

Great place for kids. Dolphin show is amazing, kept my daughter entertained.

Great experience for our family. Recommend going early if you have small children. It wasn t too crowded and it was easy to see all the exhibits.

The experience was amazing overall! The show was great and the kiddos really enjoyed their time there. The 4D experience is ok, but a bit short. Overall, I d recommend for families.

Everything was better than expected! Clean exibits, superb friendly staff, and more variety than you can see in a day!

Always a great place to see, experience, and interact with aquatic life. Shedd Aquarium provides a wonderful space to get closer to nature and some amazing animals. With all of the education, rehabilitation, and work they do to ensure the quality of life, you can be sure that paying admission at Shedd is going towards a wonderful institution.

It was beautiful. I went there with my family some days ago. All parts of the aquarium were awesome and friendly staff!!

Awesome experience! The residents seem to be well taken care of. Interesting special exhibits and shows. Not so long as to lose the interest of the little ones.

Beautiful however shows end to early. It is a walking distance from Field Museum so you can do both in one day. Ensure to be early to have access to one of the shows at least, it will take you no more than 3 hours however the Field Museum may take you one week if you like to read and learn. Plan your day

Cool but a lot of the same old stuff. Some coral, a few fish, ooo look a turtle, fish, fish, shark, more fish and coral

the aquarium is nice, but Saturday is not an ideal day to visit. There are too many people here.

The Shedd aquarium is a great place to see the wonders of the world without leaving the beautiful city of Chicago

There was enough space for everyone to meander freely. Guides and helpers all had great attitudes. Ill definatly make it back soon!

From the interactive Stingray Petting Pool, to the extraordinarily entertaining One World show, the Shedd Aquarium is an excellent and informative way to spend an afternoon.

A word to the wise however is that the queue to get in can be very long, so buy your tickets online (no need to print them if you have a smartphone) and waltz right up to security and walk straight in.

Fascinating museum, but prices are steep. Nearly $40 per adult and that doesn't include parking. We went on a free day (list of dates is on line), parked at Grant Park garage and walked there. If you don't mind crowds, this is the most economical way to enjoy the museum. You can get your ticket on line for a $3 service fee and skip the long line to get in.

Go on the trainer for a day it was an unbelievable day

Good place. Watched the whale show. M6 kids are 4 and 2 and it wasnt goid for their age they lost attention span quick.
Very expensive. Food options need to be worked on not much and very expensive. 11 dollars for a veggie sandwich.
Also parking was 26 dollars. And u have to pay to do the 4d exhibit

The beluga whales were so precious. This was our favorite part.

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.

amazing place, the show was so cute i melted a little.

Amazing. The price is rather steep. But luckily the ladies in front of us paid for my kids (3 of them) mine and my boyfriends entry. Overall my kids enjoyed it.

Jazzin' at the Shed was AMAZING! The view of the fireworks were great. The crowd was very diverse and the food was good! Both bands were great inside and outside.

Cool and fascinating place to walk through. Fish are grouped according to region and there are a few interactive spaces, although fewer than I expected.

Definitely worth seeing if you're in Chicago! Vast selection of animals (including Beluga Whales, Dolphins, Anaconda, sea lions, penguins, otters). I'd visit again!

The beluga whales alone are worth the trip! A multi level aquarium with chances to see some of the displays from multiple angles, marine life around the world, and interactive learning for children.

The best aquarium in the world, ideal for adults and kids, perfectly maintained and personnel always there to help

Admission is pricey for non residents but I was glad to see that they participate in the Museums for all program. So many animals to see and it's such an educational experience. Wonderful place to take children!!

Enjoyed the exhibits at the aquarium. Particularly the otters trail and the jellyfish. Just be sure to go early enough to get the times for the shows presented by the otters and dolphins.

Some of the best views of the city skyline with friendly staff and fishy fun.

Great time! Customer service was amazing. Treated the Navy Graduates that accompanied us like royalty. Really made their day. Thank you

Won't recommend anybody instead watch geographic channel

I was really surprised to find this worth the money, because it cost an arm and a leg to get in. I go to lots of aquariums but this one stood out for having the beluga whales and free dolphin show. The best part was the little areas for kids to play on. Sometimes they get bored of seeing animal after animal and want to climb on some rocks. Lunch for 3 adults and 2 kids people was $80 but reasonably tasty.

Had a great time today at the Shed. Very glad I got to see the whales and dolphins on the lower levels. I recommend starting on the lower levels due to the crowds. Very clean easy to get around the whole aquarium. There was a lot of people coming in and out but the lines moved fairly quickly. Lines for the elevators were long for strollers wheelchairs.

Nice Aquarium, take the time to visit all sections ! Go and see the dolphin show, you will need to sign up on-site when you get there and choose from different show times !

Fun place well presented. Next to every exhibit there are touch screen that gives you information on the exhibit and the animals that feature is really different from other museums.Lost a since they had exhibits closed for a private party.

Take the behind the scenes tour! It was so cool to see everything that goes on backstage and how well they care for the animals

Truly amazing facility, thoughtful exhibits, and really friendly and helpful staff. We loved our day at the Shedd!

It was good to visit the Shedd Aquarium during this pandemic as most of the usual exhibits were open for viewing and experiencing. This is completely opposite of what we found when we visited Brookfield Zoo a few weeks ago, where very few exhibits were open for viewing/experiencing. Most of the zoo was closed due to the virus situation. It wasn't really worth the time to go there. It is worthwhile going to the Aquarium though!

Great place but arrive early. It gets packed. Fantastic exhibits and shows

The best aquarium I have ever been to. My family visits there every time we are in Chicago. You could spend all day there.

Make sure you get there early enough to see the land and water (dolphin) show, tickets are free but you need to reserve them! The show is a must! They also have some pretty cool exhibits from time to time. Definitely the place to visit if you like marine life! If you re an Illinois resident they have days where u can get in for free so look into that before going!

Recommend to pick up the oceanarium show tickets right after you arrive. They are free with admission but must scan your tickets and get additional show tickets for a specific time. Food at the xoncession cafe was very good and reasonably priced.

Beautiful aquarium. Entertaining for the whole family. Easy parking at soldier field.

Great place for kids and even better if you are from Illinois because dolphin show and general admission is free. You can also reserve free tickets online for I believe three dollars.

Wish we had more time to spend there. It was amazing!

Kinda meh aquarium. If you have little kids I can see how this can be fun! But my wife and I went here without kids and paid a stupid amount of money, and were underwhelmed by the size (quite small) for the price. We didn't love our experience here.

Came here a couple of times as a kid, but recently attended one of their late night exhibitions, where adults come and have fun. The experience was of course much more enjoyable without tons of tourists ogling every square inch of the place. But, even if you can't come late at night, don't miss it! It's one of the best aquariums in the nation for a reason, you'll definitely feel that you got your money's worth.

The shark exhibit was worth the price of admission.

It was my first time there and i really enjoyed it...loved the dolphins

Great place to spend 30mins to an hour but no longer

I absolutely LOVED my day at the Shedd Aquarium!!!

One of the best places to spend your day with family and look at different types of sea creatures. It s fun and simple. Great information about the type of animal and where they re from.

Great place for families. Especially for kids. Make sure to sign up for the dolphin show when you get there at the kiosk nearby, for the next available show. I just felt the show was a bit longer and creative. There is cafeteria but didn t like the food. Better to choose from the ready to go sandwiches.But the overall experience was great. Cleanliness is maintained throughout the building.

Love this aquarium! Well laid out. Exhibits are well maintained. Animals are well taken care of. I emailed a question about a condition that I noticed on one of the fish and got a prompt and thorough answer from their veterinary staff. You can see everything in a half-day if you have other items on the agenda. A full day would be pretty leisurely.

So fun! Free days for residents allows you to have access to everything!

I thought it was a fabulous place, so many marine creatures and fish, on 4 levels, the size of the tanks and how close you are to the fish.
The highlight for me was the Beluga whales and dolphin spectacular, it just blew my mind I couldn't believe that I was actually there watching it, there is nothing in Ireland to compare to it.

Sheds a few pounds waiting in that line. Haha, but it's a great aquarium. See the dolphins!!

Very nice aquarium, only downside was the long wait 45 minutes in line outside in the cold on a Monday morning! This is especially a problem when you have young children with you.
Aquarium needs to have more staff in place to allow the long lines to move in more efficiently! Otherwise would have given 5 stars.

An awesome aquarium full of all kinds of amazing sealife. It's larger, beautifully architectured, and had plenty of interactive events for the kid in all of us.

This is a nice place to go with a family. They have exhibit that interest both young and old with a lot of hands-on activities that will interest everyone is well

When we went it was a free day and the line was a bit long, but moved pretty fast. The experience here is always pleasant. Love all the different types of fish, and reefs.

Love the fish. Tasty food as well. Would love to go again next time I am in the city! Go bears!

An amazing place to visit with family. A lot of different variety of fish and amazonian reptiles. Kids love the place with an opportunity to enjoy the dolphin show, beluga whale feeding and touching the sea stars and sting rays. The view of the shoreline is also very soothing.

Definite stop. Worth the money. City pass line was same length as regular tickets. Could have spent half the day here easily.
Cafeteria was fine, portions people had were pretty good for the price I thought. Better than Smithsonian cafeterias in Washington.

That s my mom s favorite place ..she is a science teacher and for her it was like live class..everything is just great at shedd aquarium and please go at backside for the view which is just spectacular..I had the best pictures there.

Absolutely loved this place, me and my mom went and for me being 22 I felt like a little kid in that place so awed by the animals and being able to touch some of them, it was just amazing and I would soo go back again