Rainy Day At Shedd Aquarium

Ranking: Value - 3; Dad Fun Factor - 4 out of 5; Kid Fun Factor - 3 out of 5

There is one thing that us suburban dad's hate, even more than expensive gas, and that's going in the city with the kids. I bit the bullet the other day. We bought an annual pass to Shedd Aquarium last winter while visiting for the first time (as we are want to do) and I've regretted it ever since. I really like a good aquarium. We moved to Chicagoland from Atlanta which has a great kids aquarium and we loved going there even when the boys were younger. Shedd is a good aquarium but not great. We spent the $15 on parking under Soldier Field (which is worth visiting by itself) and walked over to Shedd, jumping and splashing in the puddles as we went. The Field Museum, which we have never been to, is between the two and boy do I want to check that grand old place out. If you've been let me know. The first time we went to Shedd we ran into a very long line to get in. Not this trip. It was pretty dead, probably due the NFL Wild Card games, and was I ever happy. We peeled off our jackets and headed up the elevator to the main level. If you have not been, as I may assume, you enter with strollers at the ground level and take the elevator up. It's a huge elevator that carries about 50 people.

The main exhibit halls are very classic looking. It's a hub and spoke set up with a very large tank in the center and several specialty exhibits, such as the Amazon, Game Fish, River Systems, etc., spoke outward. The boys love the main tank, the Caribbean Reef, at the center best. It houses sharks, a cool sea turtle, rays, and a very nice looking Green Moray Eel. Best of all, there are often divers in the tank. The boys find that really cool and dad gets to brag about how he and mom both dive. He can't wait.

My favorite, and surprisingly the boys' least, is the sea mammal section. The dolphin pool is enormous and really neat. It's an infinity pool that looks out over Lake Michigan. The dolphins are not the normal grey variety but rather Pacific White Sided versions that are smaller and a little less acrobatic but I'm sure no less lovable. The show is a little too educational for the little men and they were ready to leave after 5 minutes. I wanted to stay (love the dolphins) but was out voted. We like the show at Brookfield more but this one is included in the cost of admission and is a way better setting. We headed down to the Beluga tank to see the new arrival, a good looking little man (whale) who was born recently. Of course, the little men were not interested in the little whale. The last exhibit we looked over was the Penguins. Man, are they cool. I really, really like the penguins at Shedd. They must feed them speed or something because, when compared to Brookfield, they are as hyper as can be. One little girl kept calling them Happy Feet which was a little sad, but besides that it was excitement. They chase each other under water and duke it out on the rocks. It was almost a little gladiatorial if you ask me.

My favorite part, and one we did not take advantage of this trip, is the snack/picnic area with underwater viewing of the dolphin pool. How cool is this? You can eat lunch right next to huge windows looking into the pool from about 20 feet underwater. This trip we decided to go to the food court, which is pricey but not as pricey as Six Flags, and ate looking out at the Chicago skyline. It was pretty awesome.

This was a quick visit to a place we will likely visit more as the boys grow older. They are a little young for the straight fish displays but a little old to be strapped into a stroller and wheeled around. We like the attempts to make it more child friendly, such as the dress-up sessions (want to be a sting ray) and the puppet shows (diver down!). One thing that we really need to have a great day is a little outside play and that's not easily found at Shedd. In the end we're going to skip Shedd for a year or so but come back when we are all ready to enjoy it.

For more information check out the Shedd website at: www.sheddaquarium.org