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Shedd Aquarium - Chicago, IL
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Eyerater's Review
Shedd Aquarium - Chicago, IL Review
1200 S Lake Shore Dr • Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 939-2426 • www.sheddaquarium.org
Chicago's Shedd Aquarium - It's a "Must Sea"
museum goer, always ready for fun, love nature, a classic music fan, a creative, a man, a writer
NOV
13
2008
Shedd Aquarium - Chicago, IL —
Our recent visit to the Shedd Aquarium was with two grandchildren, one 15 and one 8, It was a free day for families, although we did not know that when we planned our visit. We learned it at the entrance to the facility. We also learned that there is a charge for certain "special" exhibits. Last time there, several years ago, we loved the dolphin show. So, we put up $23 for the four of us to see the dolphin show.
To end suspense, let me say right up front that the Shedd is a fabulous experience at any price. More about that later in this review.
First, about the dolphin show. Not there. We didn't know it but the dolphin show venue was being renovated and the dolphins were temporarily not in residence.
We only learned about this, however, from the third staff member we asked for directions to the show. The first staffer we asked was downright rude in her response. The second confessed ignorance about the question. The third told us that the exhibit was closed. She added that we could use our paid tickets to enter the Wild Reef exhibit or to see the "dog show."
Since I did not come to an aquarium to see dogs, unless they had fins, we opted for the "Wild Reef".
This was a great choice. You enter a space that embraces you with water on all sides and overhead. Thousands (it seems) of reef fish swarm around and above. From menacing sharks to tiny fingerlings. It is a remarkable experience, comparable to the famous Sydney Australia aquarium.
There are lots of photos and descriptions that help with identification of the varieties of fish in the tank.
That is only one aspect of the Shedd, however. There also are smaller aquaria with regional geographic themes. One of these is specifically for Australian lung fish. Lung fish are fish that breathe through both their gills and their lungs. The Australian exhibit hosts a lungfish that is 75 years old. It was donated to the Shedd in 1933, before the current iteration of the Shedd was constructed.
They call the old fish, 'Granddad', and make a lot of the presence of this remarkably aged fish within their care.
There also are tanks devoted to other areas, especially river habitats, from Asia to Europe to Africa to the Americas. The variety of fish seems endless and endlessly fascinating.
There also is an exhibit dedicated to the flood plain and to the mangrove habitat that serves as a nursery for the world's fish.
At the entrance to the exhibits is a large circular tank, also with a large variety of fish: many angel fish, a large tarpon and other creatures. This tank is one in which divers enter to feed the fish, who eat from the feeders hand. While he dives and feeds, he entertains questions from the audience, referred to him by staff members who gather the questions from individuals.
Included in this tank is a large turtle that was saved from death when it was recovered by caregivers who nursed it to health after it's shell (carapace) had been slashed and cracked by a motorboat propeller.
Nickle, the turtle's name, floats on the surface because the cracked shell prohibits natural buoyancy control.
It is a good lesson in careful boating for our young co-visitors.
There also is a sizable, but not large, area for eating foods available at two lunch kiosks. One serves hot dogs, a Chicago favorite. The other serves sandwiches and salads.
I can't think of a better way to spend a day with kids (or on your own) than the Shedd Aquarium. A bonus is that the Field Museum of Natural History is right next door. If you run out of interest in the Aquarium, just step across the drive to the Field.
Drawbacks? Chicago is in a constant state of road construction. Convenient parking is non-existent. We drove around in a circle, looking for a place to park, five times. We had to park about 300 yards away at Soldier Field. At that, it was $18 for four hours or more.
I guess this is to be expected with cities running short of revenue in these times. But it still adds to the expense of day in downtown Chicago.
Despite the drawbacks, my advice is to put the Shedd on your list of things to do when you visit Chicago, or live there. But be sure what exhibits are open before paying any admission fees.
Last edited on Nov 13, 2008
Shedd Aquarium - Chicago, IL is recommended by Eyerater
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