Daytrip: A Go West outing to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago

The last time I visited the Shedd Aquarium, my husband and unknowingly went during the spring break week for many schools. I was in my 2^nd trimester, and remember shielding my belly against sharp elbows in the elevator.

A beluga whale. Photo courtesy of Shedd Aquarium.When we went in November, it was with our 2-year-old daughter in tow, and I had to shield the stuffed animals in the gift shop from her grabby fingers.

Seriously, when you visit a place like Shedd can make a huge difference in your experience. We visited on a Friday afternoon in mid-November, and while the place was busy it was not overly crowded. The Shedd offers 52 days a year when admission to the aquarium’s original galleries is free. You can find upcoming dates here; keep in mind you will likely be dealing with some heavy crowds, but with thestandard ticket for an adult starting at nearly $27 and for children nearly $20, those “Community Discount Days” could save you a bundle.

No matter when you and your family visit the Shedd, you’re in for a treat that likely will enchant even the youngest visitors. (Unlike the zoo, even a baby has tons she can view from the comfort of her stroller here.)

You probably know that the Shedd edges up against Lake Michigan and is located on the Museum Campus along with the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium.

If you visited as a kid, you likely remember that massive, 90,000-gallon circular aquarium in the rotunda that holds a Caribbean Reef. That’s still there, and still impressive – and four or five times a day, you can watch and listen to a narrated dive by a Shedd staffer who hand-feeds the animals.

Children play in a tide pool in the Polar Play Zone. Photo courtesy of the Shedd Aquarium.The Oceanarium – home to the beluga whales, white-sided dolphins, California sea lions and penguins – closed back in 2008 for a major renovation. It’s re-opened about 18 months ago, and it seeks to re-create a coastline in the Pacific Northwest. It really is quite beautiful.

The other three permanent exhibits are: Waters of the World (covering 80 habitats and occupying the Shedd’s original galleries); Amazon Rising (featuring crocodiles, spiders, rays and snakes); and the Wild Reef (starring sharks, eels and some fascinating facts about coral. This is also where you can spot a clownfish, in other words, find a Nemo.)

Overall, the Shedd houses more than 22,000 aquatic animals representing about 1,500 species of fish, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, birds and mammals from around the world. Whoa. I’m tired just typing that. So in other words, you’re not going to see every single animal in the aquarium.

So it’s worth spending a bit of time on the website and talking to your kids ahead of time about what interests them the most. For us, we of course knew we wanted to see the aquatic show. I had researched ahead of time, and I thought we’d have two shows to pick from, but when we got there, it turned out we had to scurry to reach the last show that day. While the Shedd has a schedule of showtimes, those are subject to change.

We had our pick of seats and enjoyed seeing the beluga whales and white-sided dolphins, although they were prepping the animals for the holiday show, so it seemed like our experience was maybe a bit shorter than normal.

After the show, we explored the Oceanarium (designed to resemble the Pacific Northwest Coast) for closer looks at the dolphins, whales sea otters and sea lions. We had to pry Johanna away from the “Polar Play Zone,” where she slid around in a penguin costume and crawled through an "icy cave."

A sea otter at the Shedd. Photo courtesy of the Shedd Aquarium.We also enjoyed the Wild Reef, where Johanna loved an exhibit that simulated the surge of waves but was not impressed by the sharks. Crazy toddlers. We decided to save the Amazon Rising for a future visit, and we had decided against any of the "4-D" movies when we first bought our tickets.

Dan and I were tired by the end of the day, but and our daughter wasn’t, so we ended it by letting her run in and out of the Waters of the World galleries. Because they are organized like a spoke and wheel (with the Caribbean Reef in the center) you can stand or sit in one place and keep a close eye on the energetic little one in your life!

Here are a few other important things to know:

• Just off the main lobby you’ll find coin-operated lockers where you can stash coats and bags. In that area you’ll also find several family restrooms and a dedicated nursing room.
• Note that you are not allowed to use flash photography while in the Shedd, and the lighting is very low in many spots, so getting decent shots would be hard. If you’re looking to lighten your load, leave the camera at home and buy some postcards.
• There are two places to eat at the Shedd: The Soundings Café, which is only open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and Bubble Net Food Court, which features hot dogs, hamburgers, salads and some veggie options including black-bean burgers and falafel sandwiches. You can get a kids' meal for about $5; sandwiches are around $6.
• The Polar Play Zone features a spot where kids can play in water, therefore my obligatory recommendation to bring an extra set of clothes.
• Parking for the Museum Campus is in the Soldier Field north garage. Rates are $16 for the first four hours or $9 for up to 12 hours. But note that those rates will likely be higher if there is a game or concert going on at Soldier Field or nearby Northerly Island. On weekends, valet parking is available at Shedd for $25 at the guest drop-off area on the south side of the aquarium.
• Before you go, spend some time on the Shedd’s website at least considering what ticket might be the best option for your family. For us, that was purchasing an “individual membership” in my name for $80. The membership allows me to take a guest (usually my husband) each visit, and our daughter gets in free until she’s 3. We figured if we visit the Shedd just one more time during our membership, we will have saved more than $30.
• You can also purchase tickets in advance online and avoid what can be some pretty long lines and proceed directly to the will-call window. 

Comments

[Jennifer]

We just went to Shedd today and it was great ... almost like having the place all to ourselves! Plus, I found a coupon on their website (buy one admission get one free) so we saved about $27! I think the coupon is only good in February.