I've been here before and it was great. This last time the Dolphin and Beluga Whale exhibits were closed without any adjusted price for admissions. I do not think it is worth the price without those exhibits open. Actually the aquarium at The Mall of America is better these days. The staff was rude as well and did not answer me when I asked what was included in the general admission tickets. I wouldn't have spent so much if that stuff was not included.
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Amazing. Had such a wonderful time looking at all the different animals/reptiles etc. If going, I highly recommend the dolphin show, its included and is very entertaining.
Has become very expensive as opposed to an year back. Now you have to see everything and pretty close to $40. Good thing is online booking is possible don't have to wait in long queues.
Can't go wrong with a free admission. This place was packed full on MLK day but nevertheless it was worth it...I will.visit again before the end of 2019.
Everything in the gift shop is cheaply made and highly priced. Not very much to see without paying extra. Pretty lame and expensive and this is coming from a Chicago resident it is also very packed in there.
What a magical place! Here there's an adventure waiting for children and adults alike! The place is so big and filled with attractions you can make an entire day out of it! I went to explore because I don't remember having gone here before, and man did it surpass my expectations. Not only were the employees knowledgeable and kind, they also genuinely seemed to be enjoying their job. It was nice to see. The facility itself is clean and definitely worth every penny.
There are exhibits, movies, live shows... You name it, they've got it. Enough learning and fun for both a developing mind and a curious parent. I had a brilliant time photographing so much aquatic life I almost forgot to stop and take in the sights myself! I saw dolphins, whales, penguins, fish, frogs, and so much more.
I highly recommend this place, as I'll probably visit at least once more this year. My recommendation: get Chicago's City Pass. I skipped a 2 hour admissions line and didn't have to buy the expensive ~$40 ticket. It gets you into Chicago's iconic attractions quickly at a value price with tons of perks. I saw 2 movies at the aquarium in 4d and it was glorious. They came with my pass.
Shedd has a great diversity of sea life neatly displayed. We really enjoyed the aquatic show. My kids loved petting the stingrays and sturgeon too (especially our 4yr old daughter). We went on a weekday morning and were able to park closer to the planetarium on the street ($2 per hr).
The Shedd is a great family friendly place to enjoy nature and aquatic wildlife. Our whole family always enjoys our time there. They have interactive aquatic galleries and a friendly staff to support you and share knowledge about the species there. If you get a chance - definitely check it out. Easily my favorite museum in Chicago.
Very nice Aquarium with beluga whales and interactive experiences like being able to touch a Starfish. Make sure if you want to see any show that you make your reservations for tickets earlier in the day as they are not first come first serve on site. My only complaint was that some of the staff members were not very friendly when I asked a question about the show policy.
Everything was great! My only complaint was if I'm going to spend $25 on a souvenir photo I should be able to pick my background. It wasn't busy. The employees at the photo counter were helpful. But my pose only worked with one background so why would I pay for all of them.
Plus they printed the photos. Way to make people feel guilty after spending the day being told not to be wasteful!
Many different things to look at. Something for everyone. Petting the stingrays was a fantastic experience. Only downfall was finding parking and the price$$. Place was very crowded.
Amazing aquarium, a lot of species. There is also a show with dolphins and sea lions. Tickets can be found at main entrace. Chicago residents have special discount.
It's a good way to spend half a day. For nearly 100$ for two people kinda expected a little more excitement. But it is very big, it has 4 different levels with decent cafe court.
Absolutely stunning Aquarium! Their exhibits are amazing, specific to various areas of the world. Not only do they rescue aquatic creatures, but dogs and other animals too! Great family attraction! It's the #1 attraction in Chicago-make sure to get there early or buy tickets online!
We went because we read Shedd had attained a humane certification and researched the criteria. Not sure how this could be considered humane. Cramped tanks and enclosures, people banging on glass, loud music, and Sea World-esque shows with beluga whales and dolphins performing stunts. They looked so sad in their tanks...dolphins swimming in circles and the whales huddled together behind a cage rather than coming out to be seen. We left quickly despite paying $80 to get in.
It's amazing. Awesome for families. The food is awesome, good job Sodexo. They offer many healthy items. Animals are treated well here. My only issue is parking is far and especially in the winter it hurts your face to have to make that walk! How about indoor parking please?!?!
I was expecting something better. They have a nice amazon collection though. We were visiting during the weekend holiday so there was waaaaaay too many people. Hard to enjoy the aquarium.
Way over priced for out of towners. way to crowded 2 hour wait to eat. Seen the whole thing in less time it took to drive there 2 hours i was expecting a days worth of fun
Soo good to visit with plenty of species. Spectacular see dolphins under water level, should have a priority pass for CityPass owner. Also close too early.
Beautiful place with wonderful staff, they are really friendly and helpful. I loved the dolphins, adorable! Make sure you buy tickets early for dolphin show and stand at the queue. It was great watching sea lion play also. Fun to watch so many sea creatures at one place that's nicely maintained and Easy to navigate.
An amazing experience! The diversity of the exhibits and the presentations, especially the Caribbean Reef diving were excellent! So educational. We especially liked the touchscreens at some of the exhibits that provided info about each animal. My one critique is that the polar play zone level was understaffed, the restrooms were not clean at all, and the dining booths/floor were also not clean. Overall though, it's a great place to visit and staff members were helpful, knowledgeable and very accommodating!
Loved taking my grandson! We both enjoyed the time there. At times there was a lot of people in the same area so claustrophobia started kicking in but I made it thru
Shedd Aquarium was beautiful and entertaining. They have lots of sea, river, and land animals that are well taken care of. The only thing I would say that didn't go well was how long the wait and how crowded the building was. Overall, a great place to take the family.
I've been to many other aquariums and this one is a favorite. The animals are beautiful, and the Stingray Touch experience was once in a lifetime. The animals all seem to be kept safe.
They had quite a few exhibits to see. It took us a solid 2 hours just to get around to most things. Grant you we had a 1.5 yr old with us. It was great fun for her too with the buluga and dolphin shows. NOTE: Make sure you buy a ticket in advance or do so on your phone before going in. The line didn't look long, but it took a solid 40 minutes for the couple that walked in at the same time as us.
I went on a free day for Illinois residents this month. I paid a total of $3 for 2 adult tickets that s a fee to print from home, included with that ticket was the free dolphin show. Printing the tickets from home allows you to skip the line. Entry was quick and seamless! It was definitely crowded but it s so much to see that the vast space accommodates the large crowds appropriately. I found street parking on solidarity drive paid less than $8 and was able to monitor my time with the parking app. My cousin and I shared a massive order of nachos and surprisingly they were super good! So yes check out the food court, sharing is caring and save you cash. Adult tip there is a little liquor on premise too!
The aquarium has lots of different sections with marine life from different parts of the world. Fish from Amazon river, great lakes, Caribbean and more. Also, dolphins, beluga whales, penguins. Kids will love the place.
Excellent aquarium, staff was well informed, friendly, and helpful. It is a huge aquarium including aquatic life from almost all over the world. Movie shows are great to watch. Live performances are the best and the staff that manages and conducts live performances are talented! They do care for aquatic life. This place is worth the price. One can find a good deal on city pass for this aquarium. Worth the price! If you are in Chicago, do visit this place!
Very nice aquarium and reasonably priced! They give student discounts. I've been to a lot of aquariums but there was still cool things I'd never seen. The dolphins and beluga whales were awesome.
It's always fun to be in this place. But would recommend not to visit on free days they are too crowded. This was my first time with my 3 years old she really enjoyed whatever she saw. We even tired the 4D she absolutely loved it.
Great place for kids. Beautiful collection of animals. Wish the exhibits were a little more handicap friendly especially the inactive ones. Other than that, great experience.
Nice aquarium, lots of extras that aren't included in the admission price. We had to wait in line for >1 hour. You can pay extra to get in a shorter line.
I went on a free day and had blast! Very extensive range of animals to see and great show of dolphins and beluga. Great place for families and children.
It's a really great aquarium with a wide variety of marine animals and even has beluga whales. The Shedd Aquarium is very expensive if you have alot of people coming, around 40$ per adult and 30$ per child (for non residents which is probably most of the people here) But that's my only complaint, the aquarium requires a whole day to see the whole aquarium and is next to Roosevelt Station. The Museum Campus overall is very nice for picnics and has the best view of Chicago from ground level.
This is a wonderful place to bring your children (and yourself!). We visited it more than once but today was the first time we watched the dolphin show, it was too adorable for words. I am not giving 5 stars only because the venue is overwhelmingly big and can be confusing to walk around. Nonetheless, it's a must see in Chicago.
Also it seems to be a popular destination for school field trips, if you call Uber to collect you be sure to leave clear instruction of pick up point, we walked back and forth to find our car in this cold :( amongst 10 school buses.
All in all this is such a lovely place and a beautiful grand building. Will be back :)
This was a really nice aquarium with a circular layout so it didn't seem like you could miss anything. The thing about Chicago is that they itemize your experience. I was happy with the basic fee because I didn't have a lot of time. The store was great. I found a lot of cute items.
sheddaquarium.org
