Shedd Aquarium, Chicago: How to Visit and What to Do Nearby

Shedd Aquarium sits on Chicago's Museum Campus along the Lake Michigan shoreline, opened in 1930 as the first inland aquarium with a permanent saltwater collection—seawater was shipped in by rail from Key West, Florida. The aquarium holds roughly 32,000 animals representing 1,500 species across 5 million gallons of water. The Abbott Oceanarium, added in 1991, features a 3-million-gallon habitat for Pacific white-sided dolphins, beluga whales, sea otters, and sea lions. The Caribbean Reef exhibit, a 90,000-gallon circular tank in the original rotunda, has been a centerpiece since the aquarium's opening. is just one of many options in Chicago. Major attractions worth considering include 360 Chicago Observation Deck (Formerly John Hancock Observatory), Adler Planetarium, and Chicago River.