Shedd Aquarium Library Pass

While picking out new books for the kids at the library last week, I noticed the library rents out weekly passes to all the museums.

My eyes scrolled down the list and lit up with delight when I saw the Shedd Aquarium.

Sam and Aaron watching dolphins

When I was at home with Jack and Ben, I had a great group of girlfriends that I used to troll around with. I remember many fun mornings spent at the Shedd with our kids. One year we got a membership and would visit often.

November 2010, Ben and Jack as penguins

The next year the family membership doubled in price and that was the end of that.

The Shedd aquarium “Kids Museum Passport” at the library provides general entry to the aquarium but surprisingly doesn’t include the polar play zone, wild reef, amphibians special exhibit, 4-D Experience, Stingray touch or aquatic show.

The kids passport doesn’t include the kids play zone?!

In the end I paid extra for it. Guess how much it was? It was an extra $20 a head, which is the same price I’d pay for the kids without the museum passport, and about $10 less for me.

Already I was annoyed with the Shedd.

Perhaps the kids felt it too because they were kinds of cranky at the start. Or maybe it was the staff.

Our first stop was the Wild Reef, since Aaron was shouting for sharks. We had to wait for entry to the elevators because the woman guarding it was giving a tongue lashing to the teenagers in front of us, warning them harshly not to play on the elevator.

I went in the elevator, it was a normal, albeit dark, elevator. I’m not sure why she was so uptight about it. But I passed her a few more times that day and she did it to all the teenagers in the line that day.

The exhibit itself it amazing, and we spent a lot of time sitting on the floor looking up at the huge tank full of sharks.