After our visit to the Field Museum, we headed back to the Museum Campus, this time to explore the Shedd Aquarium. Although the building itself isn't especially large, it cleverly accommodates around 1,500 aquatic species within a series of impressive habitats.
We arrived at the Shedd Aquarium right as it opened and stopped at the Stingray Touch Lagoon just inside the entrance. The lagoon features both stingrays and eagle rays, and getting up close to these graceful creatures was a cool, hands-on experience.
Once inside the building, we made our way down to the Abbott Oceanarium, home to the beluga whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins.
The belugas were cruising around, seemingly just as interested in us as we were in them.
These unique creatures captivate with their gracefulness, agility, and, most of all, their intelligence.
Sharing the Abbott Oceanarium is an acrobatic pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins, instantly recognisable by their striking black-and-white markings.
We stayed for a while and watched the dolphins run through a series of skills with their trainers. They are an incredibly active and agile species, bursting with energy.
From the underwater viewing area under the Oceanarium, we could watch the belugas and dolphins from below the surface—where they are truly in their element.
Adjacent to the underwater viewing area is the Polar Play Zone, home to both Southern rockhopper and Magellanic penguins.
The Abbott Oceanarium can be quickly transformed into a show arena by dropping curtains in front of the panoramic windows overlooking Lake Michigan. Images and videos are then projected onto the curtains, creating a colourful backdrop.
We moved up to the main floor of the Shedd Aquarium, where an array of large aquariums showcases wildlife from a wide range of ecological zones across the planet. The variety is staggering, with aquatic plants and animals displayed in an expansive and thoughtfully designed space.
From vibrant tropical reefs to Amazonian freshwater rivers, each exhibit offers something completely different.
The Wild Reef, features a vast enclosure filled with sharks, rays, and a host of large fish, including grouper.
The Shedd Aquarium is a surprisingly impressive facility, especially considering the relatively small footprint available.
As we left the Shedd Aquarium, we discovered that some of the best views of the city are from the Museum Campus. The only way to truly take in the full skyline is from a bit of distance, where the skyscrapers come together as a single, impressive panorama.
