Shedd Aquarium
The first inland aquarium in the world to keep a permanent saltwater collection — they shipped the ocean here from Key West by railroad tank car.
Coming soon on iOS — be first to walk Chicago offline.
32,000 animals across 1,500 species — fish, marine mammals, birds, snakes, amphibians, and insects — inside a 1930 National Historic Landmark on Lake Michigan. The Wild Reef exhibit won the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' best-exhibit award in 2004, and the aquarium was Chicago's most-visited cultural institution by 2007.
What to look for
- Wild Reef, the 2004 AZA award-winning exhibit
- The species breadth: marine mammals, snakes, birds, and insects share the same building as the fish
- The 1930 building itself — designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987
On Museum Campus along Lake Michigan; the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium are steps away, so a single afternoon can cover all three.
Shedd Aquarium is one of 37 sights worth the detour in Chicago, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Chicago pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Chicago
- Willis TowerIt held the world's tallest title for nearly 25 years after opening in 1973 — and the Skydeck is still the highest observation deck in the United States.
- Art Institute of ChicagoFour paintings you've seen your whole life — Nighthawks, La Grande Jatte, The Old Guitarist, American Gothic — hang in the same building.
- John Hancock Center (875 N Michigan Ave)A moving platform pivots you 30 degrees outward over the Magnificent Mile — 1,128 feet of nothing beneath your feet.
- Aon CenterWhen it opened in 1973 as "Big Stan," this 83-floor tower was the fourth-tallest building on Earth — and clad entirely in marble.
- United CenterThe Bulls hardwood floor is literally assembled over the Blackhawks ice and taken apart game by game — two teams, one frozen surface, shared by puzzle.
- Soldier FieldThe NFL's oldest stadium lost its National Historic Landmark status because of the renovation meant to save it.