We got there as soon as they opened on a Sunday morning. Parking was easy to find, but we did park in the parking lot between The Field Museum. The walk to the entrance was easy with our double stroller.
One thing we didn't even think about was there's no carrying knifes at the museum. J did have to run back to the van to put his pocket knife away. While the rule makes sense and we were happy to follow it, the security guard gave us a hard time about not wanting to just throw it away. I waited with the boys an area off to the side and multiple times I heard her telling other security guards about her 'inconvenience' of having to search J a second time when he came in. Once he came back through she was sweet as pie, trying to give us pointers about the map, but the whole experience was just strange to me, especially as we were quick and happy to follow their rules.
Moving on, you take a short elevator ride upstairs to the main floor which smelt like buttery popcorn and fish... an odd mixture I will never forget. Bathrooms and Mother's Rooms are located on the main floor. Their mother's room was clean, with a few chairs and a changing table.
After exploring some of the Caribbean Reef tanks, we went to the Wild Reef area by the elevators near the Amazon Rising exhibits. The Wild Reef was not busy at the time we went and we got to see the sharks up close!
We finished walking through the main level before going to Lower Level One to watch a show. The amphitheater was impressive! The views of Lake Michigan were stunning! When the show started we discovered we picked terrible seats where we really couldn't see what was happening. To make things better, or worse I guess, they only showcased one animal. We thought we were going to be seeing a few during the show. However, all of the animals were in their tanks and you could see them afterwards. This was probably my favorite floor because you could see belugas, seals, and dolphins! We missed the sea otters and if I were any younger, I may have cried.
Continuing on to the Lower Level Two, we got to pet star fish! This was a really cool experience! Penguins are also on this level which are always so much fun to watch, but I think the best part about this floor was the little play area, the Polar Play Zone. This was great to let the boys out of the stroller and move around, pretending to care for the play penguins. You also get another opportunity to watch the belugas down here.
We took the elevator back up to the Ground Floor to the Stingray Touch. This was the highlight of our time here for myself. Watching Rhett get to pet the stingray was so cool! He was so excited when it swam under his little hand!
Overall, we had a really good time! Both boys enjoyed seeing all the fishies, corals, and animals. Pushing the double stroller around the museum was easy, but we did leave it parked next to the oceanarium and put Beckett in the Tula wrap for some portions. If we get the chance to go back to Chicago, we will definitely visit Shedd's Aquarium again.
Have you ever been to Shedd's Aquarium? Would you go?