Even though it is generally well agreed on zoochat that the Shedd Aquarium is one of, if not the, best aquarium in the United States, there isn't a lot of discussion on the exhibits themselves. @pachyderm pro did an excellent description of the Abbott Oceanarium for his America's 100 Must-See Exhibits thread. For me, the central Carribbean Reef feels like the most iconic exhibit at the Shedd and is likely the one I'll always think of first. It is the first exhibit you see entering the building and makes an incredible first impression -- it looks massive from the inside and seems filled to the brim with more fish than you can remember. Nickel the sea turtle is an iconic animal, and I always enjoy looking for the moray eel while there. It feels like a very 'alive' and active environment. Since it is in such a central location near the entrance/exit, I often take a second look on the way out, sometimes sitting and observing until the clock runs out or until anyone I am traveling with wants to leave. I still have a distant memory of when it contained nurse sharks and probably when Hawkeye was still around. I admit the Shedd is harder for me to discuss because it is overly familiar and I have never visited a second aquarium to contrast, whereas I have multiple terrestrial zoos to contrast, and that is part of why I look forward to some additional perspective on the aquarium's habitats.
Caribbean Reef is an incredible centerpiece exhibit that is absolutely packed with species. Despite being an incredible exhibit on its own it is probably Shedd's weakest exhibit. The Waters of the World gallery contain a seemingly endless amount of beautifully aquascaped tanks that seem to contain everything aquatic ever. Variety is the spice of life, Shedd clearly thought here. These tanks also have lots of historic value. I think the scale of the Oceanarium speaks for itself. Wild Reef is an award-winning immersion exhibit containing hundreds of species in beautiful tanks large and small, mostly keeping a geographical theme of the Philippines. Underwater Beauty is a living art gallery with literally nothing else like it on the entire Earth. Amazon Rising may be the best South American exhibit in North America. Keeping it brief because I don't want to steal pachyderm pro's thunder for later - when the thread is over I'll come back and revisit this thread and go into more detail about any that didn't make the cut - which I expect will be few if any.
My take on Shedd, as someone who has visited multiple aquariums, is that it does most things well… but few things the best. The cetacean enclosures are the largest I’ve seen for their species, which isn’t saying a lot since I haven’t been to SeaWorld or Baltimore yet, but still. Beyond that the opening exhibit is probably weaker than the one at Wonders of Wildlife in Springfield, which has similar species on multiple levels and the ability to view them from the inside of the ring as well. Amazon Rising… idk if it’s been dethroned yet. The variety of exhibits and unique concept are cool. The rivers / seas galleries have an excellent collection but are a bit dated in presentation. Even setting aside something like Ocean Voyager or Open Seas, Ripley’s does the main tank of the basement reefs better. Although the elevator ride is still really cool. I’d struggle to call any single complex at Shedd anything less than good. It just doesn’t quite have anything as breathtaking as something like Georgia, Monterey Bay, or even Tennessee. EDIT: I would hesitate to call Amazon Rising the best South American display in the US period. If we mean in an aquarium, sure, but I think Mesker Park’s Amazonia or maybe even the Smithsonian’s display beat it.
Amazon Rising was always one of my favorites as well, but especially because by incorporating creatures like the anaconda and monkeys (though I've almost never seen them) it felt more like a full habitat recreation rather than simply a series of related tanks. I also quite enjoy the freshwater stingrays and as an adult I have come to enjoy the arapiama a lot, with electric eel, pirahna and pacu as other highlights. I've always had a fascination with the Amazon river and the exhibit covers it well. I have a tendency to slightly rush that exhibit on more recent visits that I always hope to amend next time. I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts at that time. This is the sort of answer I had been expecting before I made the thread. I appreciate that perspective. I looked up Mesker Park and was totally ignorant to its existence. It is now in the lineup of zoos I'd hope to visit in the near future and if I take a trip to Indianapolis or Ohio it looks worth a stop.
I would broadly agree with @birdsandbats on each of Shedd's exhibits, all of which I think are great. Caribbean Reef is small, but historically significant and architecturally interesting. Amazon Rising and Wild Reef are both excellent designs of specific habitats with a large variety of species. Waters of the World has a staggering display of aquatic life in a simple gallery format that I think is undervalued these days, and the Oceanarium is well-done and adds some larger, dynamic species to the fish-heavy collection. I miss the days when you could see Caribbean Reef, Waters of the World and Amazon Rising for only $8; at the time it was one of the highest bang-for-your-buck tickets of any zoo or aquarium in the country IMO.
