The John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago opened in 1930 and will look considerably different when it turns 100 years old in 2030.

Chicago has 5 huge, very famous museums/cultural centers.

  • Shedd Aquarium
  • Museum of Science and Industry
  • Adler Planetarium
  • The Field Museum
  • The Chicago Art Institute

They're all great and worth your time if you have never been, but everyone has a favorite. You wouldn't be wrong picking any of these as your number one, but you'd be especially correct (in my opinion at least) if you picked The Shedd Aquarium as your number one.

I was petrified of the aquarium when I was young. I wasn't scared of much but in my head I had dreamt up a scenario where all the glass breaks in the aquarium and I'd be eaten by sharks. And I hadn't even seen Jaws yet.

My parents explained to me that a scenario like that was highly unlikely, if not impossible, and dragged me in on a family trip to Chicago when I was about 6 or 7.

I instantly fell in love with the place and eventually my parents had to drag me again, but this time it was out of the aquarium because I did NOT want to leave.

If I fell in love with that aquarium 30 years ago, future generations will go head over heels for what Shedd Aquarium will look like in a few years.

That's because it is going to undergo quite the transformation over the next 8 years with the aquarium's $500 million "Centennial Commitment"

There are going to be a lot of new things to do and see at Shedd Aquarium after the remodel, but the biggest and coolest one will be a 40-foot long underwater tunnel that will let visitors "walk through" the middle of a giant aquarium.

Shedd Aquarium
Shedd Aquarium
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If it's anything like the one they have at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, it should be quite an impressive display.

There are many other changes coming, like better accessibility, and learning centers for kids. It sounds like the new aquarium will be much more interactive and educational, which will only make the experience better.

The project is not going to be completed until 2030, so you have plenty of time to plan your next trip to Chicago.

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Shedd Aquarium
Shedd Aquarium
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