Shedd Aquarium Reviews

So many fishes! It's beautiful and laid out well. 1st recommendation is to buy your tickets online and get them at the Will-Call window, gr general admission can get long. 2nd recommendation is after getting in, go straight down stairs to get your tickets for the dolphin show (free), then you can go look around. I love how they have different water habitats from around the world. I walked pretty leisurely and saw it all in 3 hours. Definitely recommend!

Lovely aquarium. A place we visit every couple of years

It was a great experience. Great place for families with kids.

Was a great experience wish they had more things to see. Like a tunnel

Very good maintained. Nice experience with sting ray fish. Auditorium is informative.

Jazzin at the Shedd is a great event during the Summer nights. Great views

So many hidden gems here. In the architecture to the molding on the walls. Just gotta know where to look.

Love this place brings back memories from being a child would always recommend for parents who want a spot to show your kids how the sea can be!.

Very fun for all ages. Very accessible for wheelchairs and walkers, or strollers. We are 2 adults (40s) that went and enjoyed very much. Clean and safe environment. Free Dolphin show was interesting to watch. Restaurants fairly priced and good burgers.
Parking is a bit of a mess, suggest parking elsewhere and using a taxi or rideshare service.

It was amazing, I loved it if you ever visit Chicago you should go there because it will use up alot of time.

This aquarium is the bomb. So much to do and so much cool stuff to see. They have interactive events most of the time as well where you can touch stingrays and things like that. Thanks Shedd!

Landmark tourist site downtown Chicago. Located right on Lake Michigan. Great place to spend several hours.

So many cool creatures! We drove down for the weekend to visit the planetarium next door ( don't get me wrong that was fantastic too) but the aquarium had so many cool creatures to see and loved the show the dolphins and penguins. It was a bit expensive but the do offer some discounts for military though.

Would love to come back when I kids are older. If you're planning on visiting at least 3 museums in Chicago, plan on getting the city pass. It made things much cheaper.

A lot of walking and not easy to find your way around (I'm not great with maps). It's good for families with older kids, rather exhausting with younger ones. I'd go back when my kids are older and can appreciate it enough for the time and money investment. It's a long drive and parking alone is $20 before even entering. For now my kids are more satisfied going to little beans...

It's a great aquarium. I would love to give it more stars, but they seem to not want to sell you tickets unless you pay double to buy your ticket online or a city pass that isn't cheaper if you only want to go to one place. If the ridiculous tactic to scam money out of people were changed, I'd give them 5 stars.

My kids (all under 5) love coming here. Definitely do the teacher discount if you can for a free admission for the teacher in the fam. It really helped us save money since we dont live in Chicago, but the suburbs. Sign up for the dolphin show, its exciting, but not long enough (jus 30min, but 45 min would have been nice since the speaker talks alot). Less talk, more dolphin action please!

What a cool place. We highly recommend becoming members and enjoying those benefits. Aquatic life is something that is so far from us and The Shedd brings it to the upper Midwest.

My step daughter had a blast despite some of the COVID19 restrictions. Due to the pandemic most of the main attractions were temporarily down. Stingrays, jelly fish, penguins, polar bears and beluga whales and so much more!

Amazing!!! Stood out from most aquariums. Will recommend to go see the beluga whales and dolphins.

Nearly two years back I visited this place and it is still in my memories. Me, my wife and kid everyone enjoyed this place. Beluga Whales show was awesome. This was my first trip to any aquarium but I must say it was most memorable part of my trip to Chicago. You can find couple of more attractions near to this aquarium. I believe not even kids even adults enjoy this aquarium. Must watch place in Chicago.

I have been to multiple aquariums. This one my absolute favorite. Many interactive things to do. Many different types on marine life. Dolphin shows are very fun and entertaining. You should definitely com here if your in the area.

Beautiful aquarium. Be sure to by your tickets online at least a day in advance to avoid really long ticket lines. I also recommend going as soon as it open to avoid the crowds.

This is one of the best aquariums that I have visited in the country. Each wing of the building has it's own theme. You can even watch feedings of the different aquatic aninals in the center tank. The 4d theater is also a nice addition to the experience. A visit to here is a must on a visit to Chicago.

He'd a great time at the Aquarium. Good size and great exhibits.

It's a nice place. 3 hours easy. Dolphin show should be bit better

The aquarium is well laid out, making it easy to move from section to section.

There was a cool "colors" exhibit highlighting all the brightly colored and camouflaging creatures.

The Octopus is also fantastic.

I definitely recommend a visit if you like aquatic creatures.

Good one, must visit in Chicago. You need an entire day to explore the details.

The Penguin Encounter was really cool - well worth the extra money. So many great exhibits. The food court was affordable.

Ridiculously crowded almost always but I love seeing their exhibits. There should be adults-only weekends, ha.

Love this place different experience, 4d movie is awesome you have option to view kids and grownup 4d movie. If you are planning to go for shows like seal show check timing. The view is lake from parking simply jaw dropping experience.

Great experience. The dolphin show was highly entertaining and informative. Hats off to the trainers who stick around to answer audience questions after the show

We decided to visit the Shed and when looking online we discovered that for the 3 of us to go would cost $120. We couldn't decide if this was worth the money with so many other choices of things to do for this cost then I remembered that when we visited the Science and Industry museum we used our teaching credentials (2 of us are teachers) to get in free. Well the Shed offers this as well. So we used our passes and paid the one admission for the one person who was not a teacher. So for $40 for all three of us to visit was wonderful. We did enjoy our visit but wished they would have explained how to sign up for dolphin show when we gor out tickets that was a bit of confusion after waiting in line only to be told we had to go get a different ticket so we missed the show. Other than that we enjoyes our visit.

Extremely crowded. Go during the week! Underwhelming for the cost.

Loved the amazing and wonderful display of creatures one does not see everyday

Good place for kids! If you want it less packed go on a weekday and not weekend!

Pretty good. Can be pricey, I would recommend going on Illinous free days . Don't forget to go downstairs for whales and sharks

Probably my favorite tourist attraction in Chicago. Mostly small animals no orcas and Pacific dolphins are the only show animals

First time at the aquarium and it was great. They have a lot of amazing displays with an awesome aquatic show. Definitely a must see if you are visiting the city.

I had a fun time there's a bit of a line to get in but otherwise they have a wide array of animal to look at they all seam well fed happy and healthy

The aquarium is pretty good but lots of exhibits were closed and everything seems like it takes an additional ticket. Might have been better if everything was open when I was there.

Solid aquarium with all the bells and whistles. They have aquatic shows and lectures as well as a shallow petting pool. their signature feature is buluga whales. If visiting be sure to make time. Oh they also have an octopus.

So many things to see! Pro tip, at the hands on exhibits, grab a fish, free sushi! Security aren't used to chasing people so it is pretty easy to get away with everything you need to make a dragon roll. Shedd aquarium, more like Shedd Sushi to Go!

I declared before I went that I was not going to watch dolphins in captivity - wow that was the best part - Cruze the blind sea lion was awesome - so happy to see him so well looked after

Loved all with the exception of the seating for the dolphin show most God awful ,miserable, horrible seats, who's dumb Moron idea was the pebbly hard cement absolute agony the whole show could not even enjoy it. Now my back is out because of them! No place to sit in the cafeteria once you got food either, absurd!

It was a very interesting, learning experience for me and my family

Wonderful visit! Visiting the area for our daughter's PIR.

Bought the city pass and this attraction was one of the attractions included. They did a really good job of making the exhibits as realistic as possible. Furthermore, the staff are super friendly and are always happy to help/answer any questions you may have. The 4D show which is included in the pass was quite fun. Overall, a must visit in Chicago.

This is a must see attraction if you are visiting Chicago!!

Great time for kids..alot better at slow times for sure with children

Expensive and kinda short. No type of Management. Everyone is everywhere and no one says excuse me they just walk in front of you or hover over the aquarium and you can't see anything. Random people having conversations in front of the exhibit. Cool place but not worth it to me. Rude staff

Beautiful aquarium with animals both big and small. Has local aquatic creatures from the great lakes and rivers, which makes it a wonderfully unique visit for marine lovers both young and old.

Great place to take the kids, go for a date or by yourself. Many types of fish, squid etc can be found here. The food they offer for purchase isn't bad either. You can even buy cute souvenirs here.

I would highly suggest eating outside if you have the opportunity to do so because the views are amazing. If you have the opportunity attend a Jazzin at the Shedd event. It is perfect for a date night event even if you don't like Jazz!

Waited in line to see a bunch of pet store fish. The majority of the tanks were fresh water fish that I have in my tank at home. The Toledo zoo has more exotic fish than this. You have to spend the extra money to see the good stuff apparently. Basic admission gets you a large PetSmart view of some ick covered fish.

Always fun but would love to see thing rotate a bit more.

I love seeing all the fishes! It's always clean and well kept

Most inefficient entry process I have ever seen in my life. Line is an hour long to pay, only a Liberal city would create a huge bottle neck on taking your money! Line is outside in the cold weather. The exhibit is clean and very well maintained. We went to Atlanta aquarium a few weeks ago, but like this one better.

Amazing place. It's a long walk to the building unless someone drops you off out front. Because inside it's a huge place with tons to see. Best aquarium I've seen, besides like Sea World.

Good place to bring kids. Liked the exhibits on beluga whales, dolphins and also you get to touch stingrays during some parts of the year. Otherwise everything else was average.. wouldn't spend too long here ..

It s a great place to spend the day with family. Also, the view of the city from here is something else.

Fantastic experience, reasonable for $40 each. Plan on 3+ hours. The shark tank is amazing as is the Caribbean round tank. Tricky and expensive parking -- some walking to the aquarium no matter how much you pay. The aquarium gets overly full so plan accordingly. Quality exhibits that have been kept current. Not too many "additional charge" sections (4D Experience, etc.). Love the crazy antics of the penguins!

The penguin interaction was awesome. Go during off hours or it can be too crowded to be enjoyable.

One of the Attractions in Chicago.
They have vast vast sea creatures which is maintained so well.
Kids would just love this place.

If you are planning for Chicago Trip , then Shed Aquarium should be on your list.

We waited in line to get our entrance tickets forever with only 2 people working behind counter!! Tha it was so confusing finding things. Elevators were not working..would not return

A great place to hang out a cold Chicago day. The dolphin and whale shows are fun, and the quick 3D movies are cool to watch. There's a little cafe-style food place (Starbucks coffee, sodas and juices, cookies, pastries, sandwiches, all at reasonable prices) inside with spectacular views of the lake and the Navy Pier. Speaking of the Navy, admission is free for those of us who serve, just show your military ID at the ticket desk and you're in. You can see pretty much everything in 2 hrs, then head over to the Field Museum right across the way. It's also free for military.

Beautiful location. And easy to get to via CTA bus. Dolphin show is tremendous and the exhibits feature creatures from all over the world. You can definitely spend a whole day here. Lots of learning and fun for adults and kids alike.

Was missing the wow factor, but some parts are really interesting nonetheless.

A fun family place to be for a few hours. The dolphin show is great. The aquarium even keeps a few rescue dogs! Staff is all very knowledgeable about the aquarium and marine life in general. The in-house restaurant is a bit pricey, but not bad. You don't have to spend the whole day here, but you can also take your time if you want. I loved the beluga whales :) There's also a section about the fish of lake Michigan.

Absolutely beautiful! The kids were amazed to see beluga whales and so much more!

Great place and wonderful entertainment.. but bad food. Lol..

Fourth year renewing our membership. Always something new here to see and appreciate.

Always clean and well taken care of (especially the aquatic life)

Kids love it so we love it.

Great variety of water life in easy-to-view displays

It was definitely a fun experience. I would say the only issue I have is the entry process. I bought city pass and still had to wait in line for around 20 minutes because we have to go to the one and only counter. Spending as much as i did on the pass i dont see why they couldn't be treated like the member access which appeared to just be walk in and go. Only explanation is the need for the 4d tickets but even that I would think could just be shifted to be down at the 4d part of the aquarium. We didnt even end up using them in the first place as we were having fun seeing the animals instead.

They cost 40 per person but worth it . they have buluga whales. Sea lions otters dolphins . sharks and many fish . they also have demistrations . the ball park is near and so is the museum. You can also stand outside and see the pear. Too.

It gets crowded really soon, but it's really good to watch the corals and different varieties of aquatic life. The aquarium presentation was really good.

Love the Shed. If you get the chance go to jazz at the shed and sit on the patio. Amazing view, drinks and music.

It was ok. We were expecting something a little more wow than a bunch of sushi fishes

What a fantastic aquarium!!! Very well maintained and the staff clearly cares for and loves all the fish and animals. The kids loved it and were engaged the entire time, especially with the stingrays.

100% worth the price as it's fun for both kids and adults.

A must see when you are visiting the city of Chicago

Found a species of snail that has a parasite in several of the tanks on the main floor and a large crab with a red fungus like rash on it. all in all a lot of exhibits crowded spaces friendly staff.

Went for a "Shedd After Hours" event, and it was really enjoyable. Not too crowded and got to see all the exhibits. When it started at 6 there were a lot of kids there still, but I think they were daytime visitors who just hadn't left yet - as the night went on it seemed to be mostly adults there. The staff is very nice and knowledgeable about all of the animals. For a free event, this was awesome.

Awesome aquatic animals amd great rescues keep up the good work