The John G. Shedd Aquarium, a nonprofit institution dedicated to public education and conservation, cares for more than 32,500 animals representing nearly 1,500 species from around the world. Beautifully situated on the shores of Lake Michigan, Shedd Aquarium welcomes more than 2 million guests annually.
Strap a mask and flippers onto your imagination and chart a course to Shedd Aquarium. Have you ever gotten eye-to-eye with a shark? At Shedd, it's possible.
We haven't been in a few years because it's so pricey. But when we did go, everyone loved it. I wish they had more discounted days, they never seem to coincide with our schedule.
We have a membership, which, if you go tons, is worth it. I'd recommend it over just paying once in awhile. It is expensive for a family with four children - we would never go without the membership. The Jellies exhibit going on until May 28th is great and we learn something new every time we go. I also like that you can bring your lunch and eat watching the dolphins below. When we go - we plan to spend the day. As members, we avoid free days, because the line goes outside the building and down the street, even if you come before it opens.
It's definitely over-priced, but that is expected. The exhibits are okay.. we have yet to see the water show because seats fill up so fast. Parking is a pain, and I have yet to find a day/time where it isn't crowded busy-- I think we'd all enjoy ourselves more if it wasn't so crowded.
The quality of the exhibits is just OK compared to many other aquariums we have visited. We enjoy the holiday "fantasea" show. The best exhibit by far was the Jellies. I wouldn't pay full price for all of this (not worth it in my opinion) but we had a Groupon for $10/pp.
We love the aquarium and can spend a long day there. My daughter loves the polar play zone and the area in Wild Reef where you can "walk" on the rays.
It's definitely worth buying a membership if you are going to go more than once in a year. I also find that street parking is plentiful (and much cheaper!) if you get there just as the aquarium is open.
The aquarium definitely lacks an appeal considering the price you are paying. My tots liked the place, but were ready to go after only 1.5 hours. Best bet: museum of science and industry over the aquarium any day!
Jellies was amazing! Super cool to see all the different jelly fish variety. The Aquatic show was really disappointing though. I think I was spoiled by Seaworld. At the end of the dolphin show, we were like, where were all the tricks? The only cool thing is that they brought out little penguins and did some demonstrations with a beluga whale.
We LOVE the Shedd and it's well worth a membership if you're planning to go several times a year! Free days, if you get there early, are awesome as well. :) Our 2 and 5 year old really enjoy the variety and the hands on opportunities. Fantastic!
went there will all four of my kids and all of them had a great time. they each learned a few things and me and my husband loved how happy the kids were. all the animals and things that they have to offer was incredible. it was a wonderful time. i definitely recommend.
We went this summer. The dolphin show was more educational than I thought it would be. It was more of a talk rather than a show. The 4D was amazing and definitely worth the extra money. We also enjoyed the Jelly Fish exhibit and the afternoon feeding in the center tank. Before the show, the scuba driver even showed the kids the food he was going to feed the fish with. That was a neat experience.
We loved our previous experience especially because of the Fantasea show. Unfortunately, they changed it back to the educational boring informational show. They really need to bring back the awesome Fantasea show with the characters and a story. I will say the new 4D Dora and Diego show was the biggest hit of the day and made our visit worthwhile. The Jellies exhibit was cute too.
I had a great time with my 5-year old at the Shedd Aquarium this spring. We particularly liked the Jellyfish exhibit; I highly recommend visiting while that's still available.
My only complaint was the cost; it seems like the pricing is set to discourage visitors rather than to attract them.
