Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium unveiled new details on Tuesday for its yearslong renovation plan that will make waves for both visitors and animals, including new immersive exhibits with bilingual signs and updating 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.
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.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke about the transformation during a news conference Tuesday.
“The latest expansion reminds us why Shedd leads on the national stage of conservation and environmental education and ensures that more students from Illinois and across the nation will benefit from the education provided here,” Pritzker said.
Johnson said he was especially excited about the aquarium’s continued commitment to Chicago’s young people, especially Chicago Public Schools students and kids from the South and West sides.
“This aquarium is a crown jewel for the city and for the state,” Johnson said. “I’m excited to see this transformation because it furthers our city’s status as a world-class destination and a leader of innovation.”
The 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 exhibits and creating new ones, making all signs 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.”
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.
“Wonder of Water” will replace the Shedd’s Caribbean Reef tank, which has greeted visitors since it was built in 1971. The animals in the tank will be moved to a new Caribbean exhibit.
The existing “Amazon Rising” gallery exploring the Amazon River basin will also be updated.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 “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 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.
