Shedd Aquarium

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Similar · Cosley Zoo

Similar · Lincoln Park Zoo

Photo: Setiawan Soekamtoputra · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

🦒 Zoo · Chicago

3 hours · $$$ · Reservation required

age fit

0–1 yr

★ 4.0

1–3 yrs

★ 5.0

3–5 yrs

★ 5.0

5–10 yrs

★ 5.0

🚗
About 45 min drive
From Naperville · Parking: Soldier Field garage (about $25–30); 10-minute walk from the Metra Museum Campus/11th St station; bus 146
🍼
Stroller-friendly
Flat surfaces — bring the stroller
🌳
Lots of shade
Rain-OK · Fine on cold days · Handles heat
⏱️
Typical visit: 3 hours
Best seasons: Winter · Fall · Spring · Summer

The 1930 aquarium plus the Oceanarium reaching out into the lake: belugas, dolphins, penguins, sea otters, a Polar Play Zone where kids crawl through a penguin ice cave and drive a submarine, and daily diver feedings with talks at the big Caribbean Reef tank.

💡 Tips

Admission is about $40/adult (check the website), and you must buy timed tickets online ahead; Illinois residents get free days, so grab them early. Get in at 9am opening on weekends, when it's quietest before noon. All three Museum Campus museums are within walking distance.

What this place offers

✓aquarium

✓belugas

✓penguins

✓toddler zone

✓lakefront

✓coffee

✓restrooms

Featured in these guides

This weekend's weather in Chicago

Forecast at the destination itself (coast and hills often differ from home)

☀️

Sat 10/17

Sunny · 35–57°F · 4% rain

☀️

Sun 10/18

Sunny · 48–63°F · 0% rain

Location

Chicago, Illinois

Shedd Aquarium

🦒 Zoo · Chicago

What this place offers

Featured in these guides

This weekend's weather in Chicago

Location

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