Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium unveiled new details on Tuesday for its years-long renovation plan that will make waves for both visitors and animals, including new immersive exhibits with bilingual signage and updating existing animal habitats.
This summer marks the start of the major changes of the eight-year, $500 million transformation.
“Over the course of the next four years, we are going to lean in to our ability to connect people with the natural world, come eye to eye with nature, build compassion, and then be a catalyst to a groundswell of community efforts in conservation,” said Bridget Coughlin, president and CEO of the Shedd Aquarium.
Some of the changes began earlier this year, which involved combining all of the aquarium’s labs and the animal hospital into one space and opening a new bilingual exhibit on plankton in July. The larger and modernized lab space will be completed by September.
The Shedd Aquarium has unveiled new details for its years-long renovation plan, including upgrading the aquarium’s entrance to make it more accessible for visitors, as this rendering shows.
Shedd Aquarium
Shedd plans to complete all of the planned renovations by 2030 in time for its centennial anniversary. The aquarium will stay open throughout the project.
The new upgrades will be opened on a rolling basis as they’re completed. They include remodeling the aquarium’s entrance to be more accessible for visitors, updating existing exhibits and creating new ones, making all signage in the aquarium bilingual and offering more educational programs.
Shedd is also changing how visitors experience the aquarium. The focus of the exhibits will be on the animals, their behaviors and the greater biodiversity of their environments, rather than the current focus on geography.
Andrew Pulver, the vice president of animal care at Shedd, said the upgrades to the animal habitats were designed to give visitors a closer look at how the animals behave and interact with their environment.
“These changes will create a deeper appreciation for the very large, diverse collection of animals at Shedd. We have 30,000 animals and over 1,000 species and we can now bring visitors closer to them to get a behind the scenes look,” Pulver said.
The aquarium unveiled its Centennial Commitment last year, transforming much of the Shedd’s mission.
“Every single element of the Centennial Commitment is committed to positive impact for animals and erasing the divide between humans and nature,” Coughlin said. “That’s never more important now with the globe in crisis and with the increasing urbanization of the world.”
The Shedd Aquarium will add a dual-habitat system called “Wonder of Water” in the aquarium’s rotunda for both freshwater and saltwater creatures, as this rendering depicts.
Shedd Aquarium
From this summer to next, the Shedd will remodel the entrance, add new ticketing and security technology to the atrium and transform the gardens surrounding the building into living classrooms and native habitats for local birds and insects.
Those renovations will also create a dual-habitat system, called “Wonder of Water,” in the aquarium’s rotunda for both freshwater and saltwater creatures. Visitors will be able to observe vibrant coral on one side and a lush freshwater fish habitat on the other.
The existing “Amazon Rising” gallery exploring the Amazon River basin will also be updated.
The Shedd Aquarium will be upgrading the existing “Amazon Rising” gallery as a part of a multi-year renovation project. As shown in this rendering, habitats for the arapaimas, one of the world’s largest freshwater fish, and the anacondas, will be changed to show how the animals adapt to life in the Amazon environment.
Shedd Aquarium
The next three phases will be completed over four years:
Summer 2024 - Summer 2026
- “Changing Oceans” will be a new immersive experience at the aquarium. Visitors will be able to follow from the top of the ocean down to its depths and learn about how the animals and their environments have been impacted by climate change.
This rendering shows the new “Changing Oceans” gallery which will take visitors from the surface of the ocean to the depths of its floor.
Shedd Aquarium
- Within Changing Oceans, there will be exhibits on towering kelp forests and the new ecosystem that is created when a whale dies. The gallery will also feature a new 40-foot “Caribbean Tunnel” — which visitors can walk through to experience the Caribbean Reef habitat, featuring Nickel the green sea turtle, blacktip reef sharks and spotted eagle rays.
As shown in this rendering, the Shedd Aquarium’s renovation of its Caribbean Reef habitat will feature a 40-foot tunnel guests can walk through to view the animals.
Shedd Aquarium
- The Lakeside Learning Studio will be the new home for educational programming at Shedd. The classrooms will be moved up from the basement to the main gallery areas. The aquarium will be able to go from hosting 180,000 students annually to beyond 230,000.
The Shedd’s new Lakeside Learning Studio will bring the aquarium’s classrooms up from the basement and into the main galleries.
Shedd Aquarium
- Shedd will expand and restore the North Terrace, providing more space for visitors to enjoy the view of Lake Michigan and the city skyline.
Summer 2026 – Winter 2026
Two galleries will be updated during this phase:
- The “River Wonders” gallery will show visitors the biology and behaviors in and around an Illinois stream.
The Shedd’s new “River Wonders” gallery will show Illinois streams and envelop guests in the sights, sounds and sensations of rushing water.
Shedd Aquarium
- The “Living Lakes” gallery will highlight the habits of freshwater fish and visitors will be able to learn about how the Great Lakes provide an ecosystem that supports thousands of species.
The new “Living Lakes” gallery at the Shedd Aquarium will show how lakes, which nearly one-fifth of the Earth’s surface, provide a critical ecosystem for animal and human life.
Shedd Aquarium
The Shedd’s foyer, the Grand Hall, will also be restored to create a more welcoming atmosphere. The room will feature animal encounters, learning programs and interactives.
The Shedd Aquarium’s Grand Hall, will be restored as a part of the renovation. The Grand Hall features Georgian marble, limestone and Chicago brick work from its opening in 1930.
Shedd Aquarium
The Shedd Aquarium’s atrium and gift shop will be renovated, as this rendering shows. There will be new ticketing and security scanning technology and ramps will be added to significantly reduce the number of level changes.
Shedd Aquarium