The Shedd Aquarium Has Free Days This Week. Here’s The Complete Schedule

DOWNTOWN — Illinoisans can visit the penguins, dolphins, otters and other sea creatures at the Shedd Aquarium for free starting Thursday.

The museum, 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive, is closed for maintenance Tuesday and Wednesday, but it will have free days Thursday to Jan. 17.

The Shedd is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the museum will be open 9 a.m.- 9 p.m.

The Shedd also will have free admission days Feb. 7-11 and Feb. 14-18. It will be open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. those days.

Advance reservations are required. You can book them online or over the phone by calling 312-939-2438. There is a $3 processing fee for online reservations. Capacity is limited, and no walk-up tickets will be available.

Visitors must provide proof of residency at the museum via a valid Illinois state ID or driver’s license to get free admission. Find out more here.

Proof of vaccination is required for everyone 5 and older, and visitors 16 and older must also show a photo ID that matches their vaccine cards. Masks are required for everyone older than 2. For more information, click here. 

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