Shedd Aquarium Reviews

Excellent!! Very interesting and a lot of information for the whole family

If you've been to a really good aquarium, you'll be disappointed. I was expecting much, much more. Plenty of river fish. No information about the fish, the rivers or habitats, nada. Not educational. Very disappointing sea water section.

The beluga/ dolphin show was pretty cool but honestly, I'd be just as happy simply being able to view them swimming and doing their thing rather than tricks. I gotta say though, seeing them leap out of the water is pretty spectacular.

Very cool sting ray touching attraction. Don't know if it's stressful for the rays though.

Small selection of food with a great view of the lake.

Highly recommend for family time, or on a date. Kind of pricey for out of state residents but well worth every penny

Incredible experience! There are variety of fish to see around. The dolphin show is short and well organized. The staff keeps the crowd entertained. Plus the location of Aquarium is awesome. Besides it you get the lake view.

An amazing all day family experience. My kids love the dolphins, be sure to bring some snacks as food and drinks are WAY overpriced. Some of the staff are less than friendly. Reccomend going on a weekday to avoid huge crowds and go early to get parking. A few updated exhibits would be great as it's been the same for awhile but still a good educational trip.

Too expensive. Can only afford if you are well off or on Wic. Remember the days when it was free?

We have gone many times. Lately the entrance line seems to go really really slow last time we were in line for over 2 hours. So buy your tickets ahead of time and pick them up will call. But the attraction itself is fantastic! The land and aquatics show makes it worth going there by itself. I would recommend seeing this place atleast once in your life.

Dolphin show is extraordinary.. and all the other exhibits also wonderful.you can see a wide range of marine life here..

Beautiful aquarium - Beluga Whales so adorable and the Dolphin show was great. I personally liked the jelly fish!

A great place indeed. Tho for me, an aquarium of such high standing should have had more of the 'Oceanarium', more of the larger fish like whales and sharks

Our family enjoyed our weekend at the Shedd Aquarium. Though our teens had been there as children, they both enjoyed seeing the exhibits through more seasoned eyes and we enjoyed lingering and studying the exhibits more in depth and learning so many new things that I remember rushing through when they were littler. The girls enjoyed trying to get great photos too. We enjoyed the "behind the scenes" tour very much as well and would recommend it! What a great new perspective. Our guides were very knowledgeable and welcomed all our questions.
We purchased a membership online before we came because that enabled us to take in the museum over a day and and a half and not feel the hectic rush. So much better in my opinion. The membership was a great value and we even received extra benefits we hadn't expected since it was member appreciation month.
We enjoyed the aquatics show, belugas, but also all the smaller animals. Such beauty and richness here. The art on display was beautifully sobering.
All the staff and volunteers that we interacted with were very accommodating and helpful.
We loved the way the Shedd is reducing it's footprint and encouraging awareness and would suggest that as part of their #Sheddthestraw that they at least sell stainless steel or glass straws in the gift shops.
Only thing we would skip next time would be the 4D show as we are looking for less sensation and more substance.
We were visiting from out of town and stayed overnight at a downtown hotel and utilized CTA to get to the Aquarium which worked pretty well.

Love shedd been going since i was a little girl and now i take my little girls so much to learn and see it never gets old

Omg this aquarium was sooooo pretty! I went alone on my 25th bday and I enjoyed it soooo much it s was amazing. The views are spectacular

Beautiful and peaceful place. The dolphin show was short, fun and informative

Really a neat place. Haven't been there since I was a kid. Which was about 20 years ago.

Very nice aquarium. Friendly staff. Family friendly and clean as well.

Amazing aquarium and definitely a must see while visiting Chicago!
The variety of fish and other animal species exhibited is wide and include species from all over the world! I was hoping to see some bigger sharks instead of the few smaller species displayed but the dolphins, beluga whales, penguins (and more!) definitely made up for that!
The aquatic show was fantastic and so much fun to watch as well as educational!
There are several gift shops around the aquarium with fun souvenirs that are priced as is expected for places likes this (a bit too much but not over the top).
Since we didn t get food or drinks, I can t say much about the quality or prices of that but I can imagine they would be in a higher price range.

We had a great time. We went in the free day and it was a whole lot of people there. We went to see the dolphin show and some saw the 4D movie. We will return.

The whale/dolphin show is great. Plan to spend about 4 or 5 hours going through everything.

Shedd is amazing. At first I thought they were a little pricey, but now I know the many aspects of maintaining and improving such an exquisite display. You should experience this.

Omg there are not enough words in the english language to express how amazing this place is !!!!

Very fun for people of all ages and there is plenty to see!

Cool stuff but a few super rude staff members. For the price of tickets (steep!), you'd think they'd have customer service down to a science.

Fun for the whole family and a lot of interesting facts.

Came here for a date with my girlfriend. There were mostly kids here, but her and I felt like we still enjoyed it. It wasn't overly focused on kids only. Great exhibits, helpful staff, and clean all around. The only thing I thought wasn't great was the 4D Theater. It's $5 for a 15 minute show. We saw the shark documentary, and it was well done except for the 4D part. It wasn't very immersive. The air hoses we're louder than the speakers and the vibrating seats made a ton of noise too. Didn't seem very well done. But, the overall experience at the aquarium was well worth the time.

I am fond of the Shedd and what it means to Chicago... as a multiple-multiple visitor to this extraordinary exhibit of fish and amphibs, I cannot say enough. Summertime... the Navy Pier... the Shedd... what a wonderful place.

Always a wonderful, informative visit to the aquarium.

Too Expensive for just fish and a few other animals. Also was very packed, you barely get to see anything. Food was pricey.

Great place to go on a free day, but go early. The lines can be outrageously long to get in. That being said, if you know you're going to be waiting to get inside its not that bad. Of course, find a free day where it's not the middle of winter because you'll be standing outside for a long time. Parking isn't that hard to find if you don't mind a small walk. Also, skip the show unless you've brought kids with you. It's kind of a waste. But everything else is lots of fun and you can easily spend 3+ hours walking around looking at things without getting bored.

Good please to learn about marine life. They refused taking my EBT card

Love love loved this place! Wish they stayed open later, as we had to rush through everything. But still amazing! Could easily spend all day there

Great places for kids, more than half a day can be spent easily

The Shedd have some of the most unique aquatic life that I've ever seen.

Phenomenal aquarium. I'd block out four hours for this. It's a must go!

Great for kids and adults, with excellent signage and layout. They could do a lot to streamline their method of checking people in with mobile passes. If you can, save yourself the time and print your tickets, then you can just walk in instead of waiting for the scanning and bottlenecking that occurs there.

The aquarium itself is nice, though very crowded. Other than that, I have no complaints. I like aquariums in general. There are shows but we didn't go to any.

Though it is very close to Adler Planetarium and Field Museum, it didn't offer much benefit to us since we spent a lot of time in Shedd and the other places close early at 5pm.

The lakeside area from here to Adler Planetarium has a great view of the Chicago skyline, so check it out if that interests you.

There are 2 lines, one for those with strollers, wheelchairs etc and another for the rest. There doesn't seem to be any advantage having Go Chicago or Chicago CityPass.

There seems to be parking nearby but it likely fills up fast. We ended up parking in Soldier Field.

Visited September 2015

Kids and adults will enjoy it. I recommend getting your tickets the day before because the line was out the door. There was barely a wait for will-call though, so we breezed through. The frantic kids can be overwhelming so you want to get there before noon. It was also pretty quiet after 4. The 4D experience was interesting and unexpected fun.

I definitely loved coming to this aquarium! It is such an awesome experience for anyone of all ages. Seeing these beautiful creatures makes me appreciate life even more. There are lots of exhibits everyone can enjoy but my favorite is the dolphin exhibit! I am such a lover of dolphins. I would definitely come back here when everything is back to normal.

The Shedd Aquarium is an extremely cool place to check out, there is so much to see and do. Could spend a whole day here easily if you really wanted to!

Great place to take my kids lovely shows and very educational

Amazing different types of animals, and beautiful colors and patterns. Loved the otters

Love it! Great variety of fishes nicely present it.

It's been a while since our last visit. There were many improvements.
I loved seeing all the animals in person.
We used to go there more often when our kids were young, little. Now, our children are in their early 20s. I'm glad they still want to spend time with us.

Shedd is still a "Go To" place whenever in Chicago. It really is a very nice facility.
They always welcome new members to support their cause/efforts.

If you are just starting out a family, being a member of the Shedd Aquarium and the Zoos in IL is recommended. It's what we did.

Entrance fee is quite expensive if you're from out-of-town. Better check if you want to spend the money before going there.

Go early to really enjoy what they have to offer.
Finding parking yourself can be less expensive vs parking lots or valet parking.
Perhaps Uber or Lyft or Taxi is better option.

If you haven't been to an aquarium for quite sometime, visit again. Refresh your memory how it was when you're a kid, when you're just going out with your date, when you're a parent, when you're a grandparent.
It really is nice to see the animals in person once again.

Enjoy and support the Shedd and the Zoos of IL!

Was fun. A bit pricey but then again how often do you get to see exotic fish from around the world.

Always a high quality experience. The dolphin show is as ethical as such things get and is moving. The otter exhibit is a favorite. Don't miss the area on jellyfish life cycles. Avoid the touch tanks- crowded and dubious hygiene.

Beautiful museum and amazing architecture. Fun dolphin show with multiple shows throughout the day. If you come on an IL free day the show is free.

Was super busy on Saturday morning. Buy your tickets early or on your phone that way you don t have to wait in the long lines just to get in. Love seeing all the animals, exhibits are colorful and I always learn something new when I m there. Got to pet a stingray and starfish during this visit!

Expected it to be bigger. Kinda pricey for non residents. The aquatic show was awesome!! Recommend a visit.

Fantastic place with different beautiful fish and animals. One day is not enough to see everything. This is A huge building.

This is the best place to bring your kids for a day of fun and education.

It's a great place to take the family. All ages can enjoy the different exhibitions available. The aquarium offers different sizes of lockers and a place to eat your packed lunch.

Beautiful displays, nice layout. It is basically a very big, high quality, zoo-style aquarium. If you are expecting dolphins jumping through hoops you might be disappointed.

Extremely crowded on the weekend. I would recommend to visit this place on weekdays.

Amazing aquarium! They have a large variety of fish and sea creatures with a few interactive exhibits. The show was fun and showed off a half dozen different animals. Token Turtle was the best there though, be sure to check him out!

Amazing. The way they have maintained the aquarium wow! Hats off to those persons.

Every time we vist this place they seem to have something new. You had better plan ahead and save those penny's. This place isn't cheap. But that's ok. We go every few years and return home with a camera full of new memories. Thx Chicago

It was super fun. It is nice seeing and touching so many animals. You see animals that you never knew about.

I absolutely LOVE this place it has hundreds of beautiful exotic fish it is also very informative if you don't know much about the fish it could be pricey though but in conclusion I give this place 5

Pretty nice considering these covid times we are in.

I love this place.. One of my favorite parts of Chicago.. Great atmosphere of people from all over the world.. Staff is great and always on point.

Great aquarium. Educational and fun for kids and adults. A bit pricey, should be affordable for families.

Beluga whales were cool and the penguins seemed pretty relaxed. Lots of people on here complaining of them having whales here yet it's an aquarium? Of course there's gonna be whales?

Long entrance lines are not necessary, they just don't staff all the available check-in stations. Exhibits are good but nothing that other zoos and aquariums don't have. Can't beat the view of Lake Michigan though and proximity to other museums.

Dolphin show came with admission. Always a great show and a great experience here. We are always happy to come back!

There is so much to see and new experiences to have (you can pet a starfish)! I would definitely go back if ever in Chicago again!

This is always a great place to visit. This aquarium is one of the best in the country. So close to other museums it's easy to make a day trip down here to see it all.

I love aquariums, so I may be a bit biased. I really enjoyed my visit to Shedd last weekend. I was so excited to see that they had so many types of sea horses and even a mantis shrimp! Try to catch feeding time at the center tank, it was great! I didn't see any of the shows, so I can't comment on that. On the negative side, there were several dead specimens still on display but I suppose some of that is to be expected (probably?). It was still a great trip. I recommend getting the City Pass ahead of time.

I love this place. I always find things I never seen before here

Great experience for young and old. The exhibits were arranged very well and the variety of the animals was excellent. Overall a great experience.

Good for small children! It's not too overwhelming or overstimulating. Lots of learning exhibits.

Beluga whales make the funniest sounds. Otters and sea lions like to play. Easy 5/5.

I just moved to Oak Park IL and this was the first place to visit on my list. Lots of amazing stuff to see here!

Family fun for all ages. Aquatic show is a must do. Visit exhibits at your own pace. Bring your lunch or buy it. Nice areas to eat inside or outside.

Loved the Baluga whales, highly suggest visiting.
There is enough to see to last a whole day.

Such a fun place to visit, especially the touch experience and the 4D show. Expect to spend about 3-5 hours here.

Huge aquarium with a lot of different critters. Greats for all ages. Best aquarium I've ever been to.

I always love coming to the Shedd. Love the dolphin show!

Almost too much to see. Great views and super show.

Awesome aquarium with perhaps one of the best surrounding area - Downtown Chicago & Lake Michigan. Great staff, modern up-to-date facility, phenomenal exhibits, solid gift shops. Highly recommend for anyone that is interested in the wonders of under water nature!

Shedd aquarium is over of the mainstay museums in Chicago. With over 35,000 residents including fresh and salt water fish, several species of frogs, a 14' anaconda, penguins, seven beluga whales (one is expecting a baby later this year) and dolphins.

Exhibits are done as native habitats. The Abbott Oceanarium is a large amphitheatre with a Pacific Northwest setting where guests can watch trainers work with the dolphins and a sea lion.

The Caribbean Reef is another nice exhibit where guests can see over 800 species of marine fish and Nickel, the rescued green sea turtle. Periodically, divers go in and have free the fish while a narrator describes what's going on and answers any questions guests may have.

Food in the cafeteria is really good and a nice variety. Mainly sandwiches, wraps and bakery goods.

Only downside is parking. There is none immediately adjacent to Shedd. There is a parking lot about a block away next to Adler Planetarium, or you can park at the North end of Soldier Field in there garage. It's well marked. There is limited street parking as well, available starting at 9:00 a.m. and is credit card based.

Parking is around $25/day.

Adler Planetarium and The Field Museum complete the museum campus and are both within walking distance of Shedd.

This is a really fun aquarium with a lot to see and do. There are tons of fish and other marine animals to look at. They also have a few shows and interactive exhibits. This is a great place for kids and adults.