Shedd Aquarium

While Seldovia, the rescued northern sea otter pup found swimming alone in the waters near Alaska’s Southern Kenai Peninsula garnered much media attention after his late 2023 arrival, Chicago’s sprawling Shedd Aquarium has 32,000 other animals to behold. With 5 million gallons of water, it’s the third-largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere and offers a wide range of experiences across its 422,000-square-foot facility. 

Sea otters like Seldovia are part of the Abbott Oceanarium, which is representative of the Pacific Northwest’s coastal ecosystem, where you can also stand shoulder to shoulder with white belugas. 

A visit to the Shedd Aquarium is all about experiences, be it touching leathery-skinned sturgeons in the At Home on the Great Lakes exhibit or getting a glimpse of Pacific white-sided dolphins — one of only two aquariums in the United States where you can see them. 

Kids will love to spot Magellanic and rockhopper penguins in the Polar Play Zone as they learn about polar opposites in the animal world. There is also an area designated for kids and an opportunity to touch sea stars in this part of the aquarium. Elsewhere, the Wild Reef exhibit takes visitors 8,000 miles from Chicago to the Indo-Pacific region for an immersive experience featuring sharks (you can feed them for an additional fee), brightly colored clownfish, guitarfish and spotted rays. 

Book an extra experience with your ticket such as an animal encounter. These add-ons allow visitors to get up close and personal with beluga whales, penguins, sea otters and sea lions. When weather permits, visitors can go beyond the walls of the Shedd Aquarium on the Kayak for Conservation excursions, which take participants on a paddle down the Chicago River guided by one of Shedd Aquarium’s nature experts. 1200 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, Illinois 60605, 312/939-2438, sheddaquarium.org