Our family loves a good aquarium. My husband grew up in Monterey so our kids visited the spectacular Monterey Bay Aquarium that is so much better than the Boston Aquarium. When we are on vacation in a large city, the aquarium will rank higher than the art museum though we try to do both.
When we visited our daughter in Chicago for Parents Visiting Day, we made time to see the Shedd Aquarium. It did not disappoint though the best part came last in the new addition downstairs. We almost missed it because it doesn’t seem like there is much in the basement when, in fact, there is a massive addition to the original building built down a slope.
The original building has aquarium tanks that definitely look like an older style of aquatic display. The fish and other creatures are not in a space that resembles their natural habitat. There doesn’t seem to be enough space to swim around and that feels sad.
The new building is quite different in style, resembling Monterey Bay Aquarium with more modern tanks where the fish look happier. Or at least, we feel happier looking at the fish and animals on display. Our favorite part was watching the Beluga whales being fed. There were also dolphins cavorting nearby.
If you are in Chicago, don’t miss the Shedd Aquarium! What is your favorite Aquarium to visit? Ours is Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Finally, here’s a picture book on the penguins at Shedd Aquarium!
Edward and Annie by Caryn Rivadeneira, illustrated by Katy Tanis
Things are different during the pandemic shutdown. There are no human visitors at the aquarium. This allows Edward and Annie, two rockhopper penguins, to take a stroll around the Shedd Aquarium to visit the other animals and learn about the special circumstances that brought them here. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
p.s. Here’s a playlist of all our aquarium visits.
p.p.s. Related posts:
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My books:
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
