My daughter liked learning about ciclids and alligators in the Islands and Lakes exhibit.įrom the exhibit Underwater Beauty, photo courtesy of the Shedd Aquarium The Oceans exhibit also features some of my favorites: the seahorses, whose tiny fins rotating and tails hanging on to seaweed always fascinate me, and the giant octopus with tentacles pressed against the glass, are fun to read and learn about. Our kids' favorite was the Amazon Rising exhibit, which shows how the waters of the Amazon rise and fall with the seasons and features animals like piranhas, tiger rays, emerald green tree boas, and Amazon milk frogs. This is interesting for those of us who have always wondered what zebra mussels and Asian carp look like after reading so much about them in the news. The "At Home on the Great Lakes" area shows fish that you might see in Lake Michigan, just outside the aquarium's walls. Many tanks have touch screens to help kids learn more about the creatures inside the tank. We recommend doing these first-they're darker and older, but still have a lot of interesting information and unique aquatic life. Kids can spend hours gazing into Chicago's Shedd Aquariums' huge tanks.Īround the tank are a series of galleries, each with a different theme. You'll also often see a diver in the tank feeding or caring for the animals inside. The variety and action of the Caribbean Reef could easily take up the first half hour of your trip. This giant underwater ecosystem is home to sharks, a giant green sea turtle, cownose rays, angelfish, butterfly fish, and more. Photo courtesy of the Shedd Aquarium What to see on the Main FloorĪs you enter the Shedd Aquarium, the first thing you'll notice is the giant Caribbean Reef tank. The Caribbean Reef Tank in Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. Here are our favorite features of the Shedd Aquarium for kids and families. You can also check out some of the other items on our list of the top 25 Chicago tourist attractions, and stay at one of our 10 favorite family friendly hotels in Chicago. Save money on Chicago's best attractions with a Go City card. Planning your Shedd Aquarium trip as part of a bigger visit to downtown Chicago? The Field Museum and Adler Planetarium flank the aquarium on either side and either could be a fun compliment to the aquarium. We suggest bringing a snack for a mid-morning break and planning some slow-down time to see the bigger tanks, especially if you have smaller children. opening time and move at a moderate pace throughout the day. Here, we think it's best to do the most educational stuff first and play at the end-you'll have time for everything if you arrive close to the 9 a.m. Usually, we recommend seeing the things your kids will have the most interest in first in case they run out of steam after lunch. ![]() While many museums have more exhibits than most little kids can handle in a day, the Shedd Aquarium lends itself to about a five- to six-hour visit during which you can see pretty much everything it has to offer.
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