Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
even a full-scale model of a Maori meetinghouse).
Africa
, an
assemblage of African artifacts and provocative interactive multi-
media presentations, takes viewers to Senegal, a Cameroon palace,
the wildlife-rich savanna, and on a “virtual” journey aboard a slave
ship to the Americas. Allow 3 hours.
Roosevelt Rd. and Lake Shore Dr.
&
312/922-9410.
www.fieldmuseum.org. Admis-
sion $12 adults; $7 seniors, students with ID and children 4-11; free for children 3
and under. Discounted admission Mon-Tues mid-Sept through Nov and Jan-Feb.
Daily 9am-5pm. Closed Dec 25. Bus: 6, 10, 12, 130, or 146.
John G. Shedd Aquarium
The Shedd is one of the world's
largest indoor aquariums, and houses thousands of river, lake, and
sea denizens in standard aquarium tanks and elaborate new habitats
within its octagon-shaped marble building. The only problem with
the Shedd is its steep admission price ($23 for adults). You can keep
your costs down by buying the “Aquarium Only” admission, but
you'll miss some of the most stunning exhibits. A CityPass can also
save you money if you visit enough of the other included attractions.
The first thing you'll see as you enter is the
Caribbean Coral
Reef
. This 90,000-gallon circular tank occupies the Beaux Arts-
style central rotunda, entertaining spectators who press up against
the glass to ogle divers feeding nurse sharks, barracudas, stingrays,
and a hawksbill sea turtle. A roving camera connected to video mon-
itors on the tank's periphery gives visitors close-ups of the animals
inside, but I'd recommend sticking around to catch one of the daily
feedings, when a diver swims around the tank and (thanks to a
microphone) talks about the species and their eating habits.
The exhibits surrounding the Caribbean coral reef re-create
marine habitats around the world. The best is
Amazon Rising:
Seasons of the River
, a rendering of the Amazon basin that show-
cases frogs and other animals as well as fish (although the sharp-
toothed piranhas are pretty cool).
You'll pay extra to see the other Shedd highlights, but they're quite
impressive, so I'd suggest shelling out for them if you plan to spend
more than an hour here. The
Oceanarium
, with a wall of
windows revealing the lake outside, replicates a Pacific Northwest
coastal environment and creates the illusion of one uninterrupted
expanse of sea. On a fixed performance schedule in a large pool
flanked by an amphitheater, a crew of friendly trainers puts dolphins
through their paces of leaping dives, breaches, and tail walking. If
you're visiting during a summer weekend, you may also want to buy
your Oceanarium ticket in advance to make sure you can catch a
show that day.
Wild Reef—Sharks at Shedd
is a series of 26
