My kids have been begging to go to an aquarium for MONTHS…literally.  Last month we decided to take a little trip to Chicago.  We didn’t want to spend more than a day in Chicago- so we needed to be able to get to Shedd’s early before traffic picked up.  To do this, we spent the night in LaPorte, IN at the Best Western.  It was a great hotel with a nice pool and my kids LOVED it.

That put us only about 1 hour from Shedd’s Aquarium and Field Museum.  We arrived right at 9am when Shedd’s Aquarium was opening up.  We parked in the $22 lot right outside both Shedd’s and Field museum and this money was WELL WORTH it.  My kids were exhausted at the end of a long day of walking.  How awesome to step outside the door, hop in the car and head for home.

Things to note:  We were warned in advance that the line to get into Shedd’s can be LONG.  I did a lot of online searching for info to make this the best possible experience with kids that I could.  To do that- I ordered our tickets online in advance (including all the show times etc).  We got to Shedd’s at 9.  Found a parking spot within minutes and walked in the front door and straight up front.  We just showed our tickets and walked right in while others were in an already 20+ minute line that was growing longer by the minute.

I understand that the tickets are more expensive when you include the oceanarium show (beluga whales), but if you’ve never been to Shedd’s you should at least watch it once.  My daughter left the show with dreams of working with animals someday.  It was really cool.

So:  if you’re planning a trip to Shedd’s – start by visiting their website HERE!  Buy tickets IN ADVANCE, get there when they open, and definitely see the ocean show if you can swing the extra cost.

Here’s a link to their “special Offers” page–  Illinois residents can get free general admission on special dates.