Shedd Aquarium Reviews

Plenty of aquatic life to spend several hours exploring. A couple different eating options. Lots of activities for the whole family. Handicapped access for all activities as well.

Overly underwhelming. Belugas and Dolphins are a treat and the free "pet the rays" was a thrill. But overall? It felt a lot like shopping at PetSmart for glow fish, pet turtles, and other common aquatic pets.

I'd save the $100 for two adults and do the aquatic architecture tour (any) instead.

Perfect place to bring my two year old on our Chicago visit. The aquatic show was a lot of fun, and there were plenty of exhibits to keep us busy. In one tank, a few of the fish were pecking the eyes off of another fish, which was pretty metal but a bit too much nature for my wife. My brother in law ordered the fish and chips at the cafeteria, which I think he enjoyed just fine but I thought it was kind of a weird move given the company we were in. Sea lion was a hit.

Great place to take the family. Just wish I had planned more time to spend there. The place is huge!

We love the idea of this park that it is indoors. We saw a lot of sea creatures in this park. The facilities are great and there lots of food options in the area.

Awesome aquarium tons of things for the kids to do. Also free for active military.

Too little expositions for too much money. For a family of 4 you spend more than 160. There are 4 floors but only the main floor had significant number of species. The rest 3 all together had less to present than the main level.

The dolphins and sharks were amazing to see so up close.

I will visit again when they have a full staff and able to keep up with the husbandry of aquatic life. Amazing layout and beautiful exhibits. Some algae bloom is to be expected... But the cyanobacteria and dirty tanks. Not at all acceptable

It's a great aquarium! You can get a good view of all the sea creatures on exhibit. It's got a great layout and very clean. The manatees were beautiful, and the sea lions were cute. Definitely a cool experience!

Great exhibits but a little pricey, everything can be seen in under 3 hours.

Overpriced for what it offers, but it is a large aquarium with many exhibits. Maybe consider a city pass, rather than only admission to the aquarium if you are coming to town for a weekend. You could spend half a day to a full day going through the aquarium depending on your pace.

The live show was entertaining for children, and the dolphin tricks were impressive.

Always superb...pay the extra money for a behind the scenes tour and plan to get there when they open and stay the the whole day.

We had so much fun at this aquarium! There is so much to see and we easily spent 2.5 hours there. It was very clean, and staff was very nice. The beluga whales were the best!! We would also recommend buying a City Pass to access the aquarium, that way to save money on it and other sights.

I hadn't been to the Shedd in over 15 years and so much had changed, but it was still amazing! They are focused on educating the public about the importance of preserving these waters and the creatures in them in interactive and fascinating ways.

Crowded but a nice place to visit. Lighting could be better and it was a little difficult to find my way around

Well kept aquarium with plenty to keep families occupied, large variety of marine life and very knowledgeable staff who have a passion for what they do. The belugas were our favorite! Seasonings cafe has good food, overpriced a little but that s typical for these attractions. Worth a visit if you re in Chicago.

This was a nightmare!! The place is poorly kept, full of mold, dust and bad smell! I am a Doctor and I can tell you that is a life hazard in there!
We arrived ar 3:30 pm and all the shows were done for the day! Also the food court was closed! We asked for our money back and of course we were refused and very badly treated! We are world travelers and this never happened to us! I told them that I will place my comments in all the social media venues, so this predatory business will stop! Shame on you AQUARIUM!

Lovely aquarium. On the smaller side; can check everything out in about 2 hours.

Exceptional experience! Lots and lots of exotic fish and other animals

It's a great aquarium, but a better experience will cost you much more.

Cool aquarium. A little underwhelmed by the aquatic show. The Sea Monsters 4d movie was well done compared to most things like that I've seen. By tickets online in advanced and save yourself an hour long wait in the ticket line

My kids had a blast! We went on a Free Museum Day & found parking off the street. I reserved tickets on-line, printed them out & went to will-call with no wait. We enjoyed everything especially touching the sharks & sea stars. Great place!

I've always loved the Shedd Aquarium and had been wanting to go for the longest. Me and my fiance and friends that took us out had a blast! It was Jazzin at the Shedd Aquarium and that was amazing! First time being on a boat for both me and my fiance but we absolutely loved it and will surely do it again!!

The Jazz in the Shed event is nice. Grown and sexy vibe

One world - the aquatic show is great. The stingray touch is amazing. So much knowledge and fun.

Took my kids here. We spent 5 hours checking everything out. Incredible place to visit. Highly recommend watching the dolphin show!

Good value of money, if you are into wildlife and sea creatures. Good educational tour for children

Lovely place. Went on a free day and it was very enjoyable. You can tell workers are caring and knowledgeable about the animals. Love the emphasis of conservation!

I really like Shedd Aquarium, only only o e drawback; I am retired military and they only give a $3.00 discount, that is sad

Wonderful place. I took a Trainers for a Day tour. Though I didn t have time left to have a walk around the aquarium, the tour itself is wonderful enough to prove me one of the best aquariums in States.
Trainers are true animal lovers and have strong passion into their job. Overall, very instructive tour for animal and how aquarium works.

Amazing facility and had a great time spending the day there! The fish and tanks all seem really well taken care of! And the aquarium itself is right of the lake!

Great for everyone. Shows are not that long but entertaining. Know where to park before going. Filed Musam walking distance. Lake view amazing.

My family and I have been to a few different Aquariums, and this one was at the bottom of our list. The best part about it was the dolphin show. I'm assuming it is always crowded here, and when it is it is very difficult to get your little ones up close to the exhibits. When you walk into the aquarium it's easy to assume it's going to be BIG. It's not. And the crowd makes it feel even smaller. We had the City Pass for this trip and the wait just to get in was AWFUL. If you DIDN'T have the city pass you were able to purchase tickets on your phone and by pass the looooong wait. You just bought your ticket, showed them your phone and walked right in. This made no sense considering the City Pass is supposed to get you into things quicker. We waited for an hour to exchange the city pass for an actual ticket, and by that time we were ready to leave. If you are going to go, try to find out when it is LEAST busy just to make your trip worth it.

Awesome amazing exhibits. The animals and fish are easy to view. They can answer ylur questions and the staff is very kind. Great place a must see

If you are in Chicago this is a must see. Make sure you get your tickets online tho. The lines to get in without pre buying them are very long!

Nice place to have fun. Kids like this place most. Huge collection. Dolphin show is special.

Love the Shedd!!!! Workers are helpful. It's pricey. But a membership is great! The show is awesome!

Overall not bad
Very helpful staff
Descriptive information
You need a whole day to explore it
They should reduce the halogen and external lighting inside the building which glares the aquarium glass from all angles and the true colors of the animals wont be visible
They do have varieties of aquatic animals but the water inside is not cleaned frequently
Stinky smell in many places
But did enjoy by seeing the rare and variety of species

Not sure why the line for purchasing tickets is always so long. They definitely need to implement a better system. Otherwise, I always have a good time at this aquarium!

Decent aquarium but the line was really long when i went

Amazing aquarium! There is a $3 discount for students but it's a $40 Admission fee. I would recommend for every tourist and resident.

Best fish prison in the Midwest. The museum campus is awesome now.

Nice place for a family outing. We have a membership this year and it was really nice not having to go through the normal line. Many cool fish to see and exhibits to explore. Food is expensive. We ate a stand outside in the park area that was decent. The dolphin show was nice and exhibited other animals as well. The wild reef area with the huge aquarium and sharks is really cool!

An Absolute must stop for tourists. Hell, even the locals should come here now and then. This place is WONDERFUL. If you can, try to come in off season. Once the weather starts getting nice, this place gets PACKED.

This is a good place to see in Chicago. They have nice exhibits and we particularly enjoyed the Beluga Whales show. Would recommend.

So far the best aquarium I've been to. Very well kept too. Managed very well, you cab take your own food... And sit in their peaceful and beautiful dining areas or buy from their Cafe.

I recommend going there its a bit pricey but if you have a link card you dont really pay much at all. The 4d shark movie is really cool also.

Don't get me wrong the place ifnu a good learning for the kids but for adults not much ..

A wonderful aquarium in the beautiful city of Chicago. This was my 6th or 7th time attending. I did feel like some parts of building were dirty and worn down. Overall a beautiful building

Maybe it was just talked up to much for me by adults who visited it as children 20+ years ago. It would be a great place for kids, but as a middle-aged man it just didn't have the same appeal.

Great staff and well maintained exhibits. Can easily spend the whole day looking at the fishys. Best time to be here are winters and non public holidays.

Really neat place and I loved all the interactive displays. They even have monkeys!

Cool aquarium experience. We arrived before opening on a Friday morning. Definitely a good choice to get there early.

I felt like a kid again I found myself wanting to see everything. I was all over the place and had a great time the staff is very helpful and very knowledgeable and willing to answer any questions you may have.

We had a great time!!! It was fairly crowded but I'm glad we set aside most of the day to go and view everything. The maps are a little vague but we still got to see everything that we wanted.

A must visit in Chicago. The Shedd has always been a captivating place and they never disappoint. The Caribbean Reef makes you feel like your out in the Caribbean experiencing the it there. The Wild reef will get you next to sharks and explain the habitat. My favorite is a day in the life of a sea otter pup. So cute to see them eat and play. Kids of all ages will be fascinated by the wide array of colors seen while at the Shedd Aquarium.

Be able to touch the stingrays was beyond happiness

Probably the best aquarium I've been to. Plan to spend a few hours there and don't miss the dolphin show and Beluga Whales. There's also a great food court and a bunch of gift shops. As for parking, I recommend parking by the planetarium ($19) and walking to the Shedd.

So many fishes, water species and all. A must see on your Chicago tour.

Great show. I can appreciate the respect for the animals that can live in representative habitat perfectly reproduced.

I mean... it is ok, but going on a holiday (or whenever kids are out of school) it is a nightmare, it gets so crowded that u will end up hatting life itself :)

Anyone who has ever been to the Belle Isle Aquarium, this is like that one on steroids. Its bigger, elaborate, but the building is old and beautiful. And the dolphins are amazing. Loved them. 10/10. Would reccomend

Very good covid rules....just some attendees arent clued in to social distancing. Great displays and learnind opportunitities. And take time to get pictures of the skyline from the north side of the shedd. We rode divvy bikes there. A rack right outside.

Superb place to see the cute little fishes... And don't forget to watch the dolphin show.. which is free and beautiful...

Always a good time at the aquarium. I ve been coming for many years and there s always something new to see.

I brought my two young children (ages 2 & 5) during one of the free days for Illinois residents. It was so awesome to see the curiosity on their little faces as they learned new things about the world around them. Ben gave a really informative, yet fun, shark presentation that actually held the kids' attention. Thank you, Shedd Aquarium, for helping us make some great memories!

Visiting the Shedd Aquarium was one of the high points of our visit to Chicago. The show was very entertaining and the kids loved it

Shedd is a fun place full of wonder and discovery. They have thousands of species from the mundane and commonplace to some of the strangest and most exotic in the world. Literally hours of enjoyable and educational experiences for the whole family.

Shedd is definitely a fun aquarium to visit. Best to go on a weekday during the slower season. It can get pretty crowded and hard to see the exhibits when they're a lots of kids running around.

Also, I think the aquatic show changes for the slower season. It's not as "flashy" or theatrical, but still a fun show to see!

AWESOME! As a frequenter of aquariums, I would say this ranks as one of the best I have had the privilege to walk through. There were a variety of exhibits covering many different species and habitats. The dolphin show was quite enjoyable. Especially with the surprise guests that joined us (Sea Lion and the Magellanic Penguins). Definitely a fun way to spend a few hours, though not large enough to take up an entire day.
The 4D shark show was a bit lame. The special 'interactive' effects were awkward and placed at strange times. Don't go out of your way to see that one.

Great place lots to see little expensive and parking is ridiculous

This aquarium was wonderful! My boyfriend and I went and had a great time! The land and sea show was fun and educational. We went on a Tuesday and it wasn't crowded which made the experience even better. I would highly recommend getting a city pass if you are visiting Chicago, you can save money and enjoy the perks of not waiting in line. All in all, we loved the whole experience!

Worth the money. I was born in Chicago but came back for a visit. The aquarium is better than I remember

Had a blast! Well worth the $40 for out of state adults.

Really cool place for to check the sealife and from around the world

Amazing aquatic adventure great animals educational and interactive sea star petting sting ray touch dolphin show and much more

Great place to go with the family. Try and get here early as it can get very busy. Very fun, intersting, and educational.

The Shedd has wide age range appropriate exhibits. Older kids can get deep into the detail and younger kids can amuse themselves in a couple of different play areas. There is decent food in the cafeteria. The special shows, movies, etc keep things interesting for frequent visitors. For locals who don't have memberships, it is worth noting you can check out free entrance passes at the Chicago library which cuts the cost down considerably. (This place isn't cheap especially for out of towners.)

Visited last year. It is true, it is crowded outside, but once in, it feels open and not crowded or rushed. Very robust displays, cool things to look at. Staff was very knowledgeable, answered all of our questions fully and patiently. Did not feel rushed or crowded at all. I would highly recommend a visit here. I come from Omaha, we have the Henry Doorly Zoo with a nice aquarium, this is definitely on par with that.

Amazing experience!!! Esp the beluga whales and dolphins aquatic show and the Art for save animals sculptures by Washed Ashore were the highlights

Fun, although it was for my sons field trip and we were on a time limit. Couldnt see everything

Nice break from the Chicago Heat, make sure to see the Aquarium show for a great overview of everything they offer. Stunning views of Lake Michigan .