Our family loved the Shedd Aquarium. We have been to others and this one ranks right up there with the best. A definite must see while in Chicago. Nice thing is, it is located right by Field Museum and Alder Planentarium, so you can catch another attraction nearby the same day.

Having a daughter who loves sea animals, visiting Shedd was an obvious choice. She loved seeing all of the sealife. The Spongebob 4-D show was great, it was our first experience in a 4-D theater. It was very cool. We were disappointed that the dolphins and beluga whales weren't there but we knew ahead of time that they weren't going to be there.

We went on Saturday morning before Easter and the line to get in the aquarium was really long. Luckily we were given the tip to arrive a 1/2 hour before it opened so we got right in.

Shedd Aquarium is loaded with lots to see. The new Wild Reef exhibit is awesome. Plan to spend at least three hours to see everything. Save money and take your lunch with you. They have lockers on site and a lunchroom. Also, if you plan to go back within the next year, save money and buy a membership. Parking is expensive at $16-$19. If you stay downtown you can save money by taking the train/bus.

My husband and I really enjoyed our afternoon at the aquarium. I think we were quite lucky as the dolphins and whales had literally just come back to the aquarium a couple of days before we arrived (they had been away for 9 months). We found all the tanks clean and quite large and no signs of dead fish or thick algae (as noted on some other reviews on this site). The place was well staffed and informative. Yes there were lots of children when we went which made it q crowded and a bit stressful but they turned up around lunchtime/early afternoon so perhaps if you go there early then you could avoid this.
We stayed downtown and walked all the way to the aquarium through the park to look at 'The Bean', past the sports stadium, and along the lakeside- it was a beautiful walk and worthwhile doing if your feet can manage!!