The Shedd offers a wonderful taste of ocean and sea life in our own back yard. My kids could easily spend our entire visit at the main tank (I forget what it’s called) at the front lobby. It can get quite crowded so it’s best to go early. It can be pricey for a family but sometimes the Shedd offers free days so you may want to research that ahead of your visit.

The Shedd is a fun place to visit. However, things have changed and general admission only allows you to stay on the main floor. So you can't see the penguins which our grandson loves and will sit and watch their antics for about 10-15 minutes. You also can't see the dragon exhibit which has from tiny ones to the huge Kimodo dragon. You can't see the whales and dolphins swimming underwater which mesmerizes our grandson as they swim by. We have purchased a membership which is not expensive and allows us to go anywhere in the Shedd. Get the schedule for the diver feeding the fish in the main tank and get there early to get a good seat on the floor -- so interesting! We don't enjoy the Dolphin Show because it is more "tell" than "show". For parking, get there early and park at the meters on the street between the Shedd and the Planetarium. Buy lunch in the cafeteria or bring you own, or you might want to picnic outside on a nice day.

BUDGET: 1 out of 5 stars for regular admission. Regular admission can range from $18 to $21 for kids and $25 to $28 for adults depending on how many exhibits you want to visith. 4 out of 5 stars if you go on a discount day when admission is free. The remaining discount days for 2008 are September, Mondays and Tuesdays (Sept. 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30) October discount week (Oct. 6-9) October, Mondays and Tuesdays (Oct. 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28) November, Mondays and Tuesdays (Nov. 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25). Parking in pricey in the Museum Campus Parking lot. Public transportation via bus and free trolley are good if you have a small budget.

AMENITIES: Lots of Pay Parking in the Museum Campus lot. Plenty of Bathrooms. I would recommend bringing a sack lunch if you have a small budget. The restaurant onsite is expensive. There is a hotdog stand outside the Museum that is more affordable. Room for bringing a stroller. Lunch room for those who brown bag it.

FUN FACTOR: The exhibits are great. My son loved the huge tank in the lobby. The seahorses and seadragons are amazing to watch. I like how some of the tanks go all the way down to the floor so toddlers can stand and see the fish at eye level. The Rainforest exhibits are quite nice with many exotic fish. The Wild Reef and Oceanarium are included in the premium price and not included on Free days. The Wild Reef is amazing and very unique. The Oceanarium dolphin is mostly an education show rather than entertainment.

THINGS TO BRING: Sac lunch and beverages if you have a small budget. The aquarium has a restaurant and cafe onsite but the food is very pricey. There is a hotdog/burger stand outside between the aquarium and the field museum. There is also a hotdog stand usually at the corner of the field museum. The prices for both place are high for hotdogs and burgers but they are less than the prices in the restaurant inside the aquarium. Stroller for the long walk from the parking garage to the aquarium.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: We love the Aquarium. The aquarium is a bit big for a one day visit if you want to see every fish and exhibit. I recommend going as early as possible. The stroller/handicap entrance to the right near the sculpture/fountain of the man and a big fish has much shorter lines, especially on discount days when the line into the main lobby can snake through the whole lobby and down the stairs. Going on a discount day is definately a MUST if you have a small budget.

Buy one get one free at the Shedd. This only works on entrance fees greater than $15 though.
Buy One, Get One Free! Through Feb. 28 Only!
Present your Jewel-Osco Preferred Card at Shedd to redeem a special offer: Buy one admission and get one free admission of equal or lesser value. You must present your Preferred Card at the time of purchase. This offer is only valid for on-site ticket purchases and is limited to two tickets per person. Offer expires Feb. 28, 2009. It is not valid with the Total Experience Pass or with other coupons, offers, or promotions.

I have loved the Shedd since I was a child, and the Oceanarium is amazing! There is so much for a child to learn and see. I am disapointed that the free days have been changed-the entrance fee is steep.

My young son loved the reef exhibit. We sat on the floor right by the tank and just talked about fish for a long time. The main tank exhibit when you first walk in was pretty nice. One thing I did not like was the cafeteria. When it first opened it was pretty dirty. Had to really wash down the table and disinfect the table myself.

My son enjoys going here, but I've got to say, it's really expensive. The basic enterance fee only gets you into the main aquarium, which is nice. The large tank is loaded with beautiul fish. There is a diver that swims with and feeds the fish that kids love.But it is an additional fee to see the new exhibits which includes the Wild Reef, which is ok, and the Oceanarium which is a much see. The Oceanarium is where the dolphins, beluga whales and penguins live. Definitely a must. Skip the ticket price for the dolphin show. It is more educational and less entertainment, kind of boring.

Elizabeth is right. . . you MUST go early and beat the crowds. Oh, and skip it the Aquarium in the summer because tourists take over the place.

The Shedd is crazy expensive, which knocks down the "Parent Fun" rating to 4 stars. You can get a FREE museum pass at your local library with a library card. There is also a city resident discount of a few bucks.

A trip to the Shedd Aquarium is well worth it! Although street parking is somewhat sparse, and the parking garage is a good hike to the Aquarium, once you are inside it is a water wonderland. The admission price may seem steep, but it does include many exhibits, including Wild Reef - Sharks at the Shedd, Oceanarium, Amazon Rising, Waters of the World, and Caribbean Reef. The admission also allows you to enjoy the dolphin shows and caribbean reef dives that occur at various times each day. For those of you with small children, Tuesday is a great to visit...every Tuesday Shedd offers activities created especially for the preschool set including story times, crafts, animal touch programs, videos, costumed characters, dancing and singing. My latest visit was on a Monday...and here's how it went: I arrived at the Aquarium with my 2 year old son (walking) and infant daughter (stroller). We met up with another mom and her two kids. Immediately we made our way past some of the enormous fish tanks into the Oceanarium for a dolphin show. The show was a little too much narration for my young kids, but seemed well-suited for young school age kids. The main attraction for us during the show was the dolphin jumping set to music, which in my opinion could have lasted much longer...the kids loved it! After the show we headed down to the underwater viewing area where we got to watch whales and dolphins swimming in a huge tank...very impressive. We then headed to the dining area where we took a break with a bagged lunch we had brought. Many options were also available at the food court for those of you who prefer not to brown bag it. Next we headed to the Wild Reef exhibit - my personal favorite. It is a winding tunnel of fish tanks filled with coral, fish, sharks, etc. The exhibit surrounds you from the sides and overhead, making it great for the energetic toddler to explore at his own pace and also great for the infant to watch from the stroller. After about 2 hours of exploration, we had pretty much maxed out the attention span of the little ones, and made our way out. We will certainly be back for another visit. The only caveats to those of you who are planning a trip...(1) go early - it gets very crowded with field trips, and (2) although the stroller is nice to have...the multi-level aquarium has limited and slow-paced elevators making it a bit annoying to navigate among the various exhibits.

there are plenty of fish to see here! a whole day of fun and everything about it is good. plenty of food choices as well. they have fish and dolphin shows to keep you occupied throughout the day.