The Shedd Aquarium released plans on Tuesday for upgrading many of its exhibits, gardens and learning spaces by 2027.
A rendering shows changes to the Shedd Aquarium with two towering saltwater and freshwater habitats. Guests can walk through the middle, observing corals living on one side and freshwater fish habitat on the other.
Visitors will see some changes as early as next summer. The aquarium will turn the four-acre gardens surrounding Shedd’s lakefront building into a “living classroom,” according to their announcement. Shedd wants to host free educational programs in the gardens, including lessons on producing honey and planting onions. Coughlin said migrating birds and insects will also live in the green space.
There are also planned renovations to the Amazon Rising gallery, which will help visitors get up close to the animals. Andrew Pulver, the vice president of animal care, said the aquarium will provide more than twice the volume of water for the arapaima, a freshwater fish that can grow up to 10 feet long.
“We’ll have this rib cage of a whale with food that we are providing for really cool big, giant crabs, and to be able to up close see how that process would happen in nature and connect the guests to the fact that this is a natural process,” Pulver said. The aquarium has a host of other improvements as well. From a renovated gallery showcasing the biology of an Illinois stream to new security features, Pulver said the focus was always on “animals first.”“For the animals, these changes are going to be fantastic,” Pulver said. “It really also helps the animal care team so they have the greater space to access and work with the animals, and then that allows us for greater flexibility in developing new care techniques.
Coughlin said the renovations involved input from the aquarium’s animal care and education teams, as well as outside groups such as Landmarks Illinois, Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, Chicago Park District and Chicago Public Schools.
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