Shedd
Aquarium

A Day at Shedd Aquarium

Otters and an octopus, lizards, whales and dolphins. Sea jellies and a sea turtle. And, of course, a wild assortment of fishes, from tetras to sharks. All under one octagonal dome. Shedd is home to 32,500 animals that swim and crawl, slither and fly.

Oceanarium

The 3-million-gallon saltwater Oceanarium at Shedd Aquarium is the largest indoor marine mammal habitat in the world.

Beluga whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins, Alaska sea otters and harbor seals thrive in a dramatic re-creation of a Pacific Northwest coastal environment. Nature trails wind through a stretch of rugged rain forest, immersing guests in a naturalistic ecosystem that demonstrates the fragile relationship that exists between animals, plants, land and water.

The Oceanarium offers millions of inland guests the opportunity to see and learn about marine animals they might not have a chance to see in the wild.

Waters of the World

Travel the world in 80 habitats.

Dive into Oceans, from coastal kelp forests to the seafloor. Explore the self-contained ecosystems of Islands and Lakes. Visit Rivers — big and small — and learn more about our own Local Waters. Meet hundreds of amazing animals, from tiny mantella frogs to a giant octopus, from Grand Cayman blue iguanas to Nile knifefish, and from moon jellies to sea stars.

We even have map turtles, in case you get lost.

Polar Play Zone

Kids command a kingdom of cool in Polar Play Zone, Shedd's first permanent exhibit designed just for children.

In Polar Play Zone, you can slip into a penguin suit and try being a bird in the Icy South play area. From there, head to the Icy North to explore the belugas' Arctic waters in a kid-sized submarine. Don't forget to shake hands — or is it arms? — with colorful sea stars in the touch pools.

In Polar Play Zone, you'll learn about polar opposites — big and small, fast and slow, shallow and deep, even north and south — while you play.

Caribbean Reef

Take a 360-degree tour of an underwater reef community.

Follow a green sea turtle. Peek at a moray eel in a rocky crevice. Watch regal rays glide by. Get eye-to-eye with parrotfish and sharks.

Visit Caribbean Reef, Shedd's award-winning 90,000-gallon circular habitat in the grand rotunda.

Amazon Rising

Take an exotic journey in the Amazon, home to one-third of all living things.

Watch out for anacondas and piranhas, spiders, rays and crocodiles. In churning river channels, still lakes and even flooded treetops look for tetras, turtles and fruit-eating fish called tambaqui.

See how the region's animals, plants and people adapt to the water's dramatic annual rise and fall.

Wild Reef

In a crash of waves, descend into Wild Reef and get a diver's-eye view of a diverse marine metropolis.

Get as close as you want to sharks. Explore underwater gardens of iridescent corals and — yes — garden eels.

Wander through a lagoon and mangrove forest and visit a fishing village where residents saved their reef from destruction — all in this award-winning exhibit.