Shedd Aquarium – Chicago, Illinois is a place to truly explore the world under the water! It is the largest indoor aquarium in the world, with more than 8000 aquatic animals.
The Aquarium contains several exhibits, the most notable are the Caribbean Reef and the Oceanarium. The Caribbean reef contains about 70 species of animals, including sharks and stingrays. You get a good overview of all the life in the Caribbean reef from behind the glass windows, and several cameras inside the 90000 gallons large aquarium allow you to see the animals up close.
The fish are fed 5 times daily by divers who give the audience some information about the animals while feeding them.
Oceanarium
The huge (3 million gallon) oceanarium, gives an overview of the sealife at the pacific northwest coast. The oceanarium contains Beluga whales, sea otters and seals, but the stars here are the Pacific white-sided dolphins. Shows are scheduled during the day. Thanks to the massiveness of the aquarium, the dolphins have quite some room to show off their speed to the spectators. You can watch them from the windows at the lower levels or during the shows from the ‘amphitheater’.
Enjoy the dolphin show in the 1,000 seat Amphitheater. This is a show offered numerous times during the day. You can also see a number of other special areas from the penguin area to the otter home. This is probably as close as you will ever get to the real thing!
The Building
The aquarium was built in 1929 by the architects Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. The modern 1991 glass extension of the building was designed by Lohan Associates. From the oceanarium housed in this extension, you have a spectacular view on Lake Michigan.
Location: 1200 South Lake Shore Drive on Chicago’s Museum Campus.
Hours: May 29, 2006 – Sept. 3, 2006
Daily 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. –
Thursdays June 22 – Aug. 31
9 a.m. – 10 p.m. (The Oceanarium closes at 8 p.m. The Wild Reef closes at 9 p.m.)
Regular Hours – Labor Day to Memorial Day
Sept. 5, 2005 – May 28, 2006
Weekdays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Weekends
9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Admission tickets sold up to one hour before closing.
Closed Christmas Day.
Admission: ADULTS $23 Senior Citizens (65+) Children (ages 3-11) $16
Discounts
Discount Days
The Sara Lee Foundation presents Discount Days at Shedd Aquarium. During this time, general admission is free, and admission to both the Oceanarium and Wild Reef is available for an additional fee. The Discount Days schedule for the rest of 2006 is:
September, October, November: Mondays and Tuesdays.
Resident Discount
Residents of the city of Chicago receive a 25 percent discount on admission every day.
Other Discounts
We offer a discount to teachers, active-duty military personnel, Chicago police officers and firefighters. With proper ID, you will receive free admission to the aquarium and the Oceanarium. Wild Reef is just $6.
There are no student discounts at this time.
Great Kids Museums Passports
Great Kids Museum Passports is now 2 adults and 2 children for General Aquarium Admission Only.
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