Shedd Aquarium

The first attraction we visited was the Shedd Aquarium. It is conveniently located by the lake, very close to downtown.

Its main attraction to us, were the beluga whales, the sea dragons and the amazing Japanese spider crabs, huge monster-like creatures that would give kids nightmares.

The Amazon exhibit is first class. You have water level at eye-level through glass so you see above and below the water. They have a huge anaconda and many kinds of river fish (yes, including piranhas, which are not as fearsome as Hollywood would like you to believe).

The live show with Pacific white-sided dolphins was a little weak, having seen aquarium shows such as in Orlando's Seaworld. Nonetheless, I would certainly rate this aquarium into the top 5 of the ones I've visited.