The aquarium might not be on your bucket list of things to do after Covid, but it’s a highly underrated place. If you visit an aquarium, you are bound to have an enriching experience. The many exhibits give you an insight into the many exotic and vast habitats of the world. These exhibits also give the chance to have many interactions with wildlife that you only dream of seeing. Just imagine getting the chance to feel the killers of the ocean or the birds of the artic. To this, I have compiled a list of the top 5 must-visit aquariums.

These aquariums were chosen out of a list of over 30 aquariums (including aquariums in zoos). All aquariums reviewed are within a 600-mile radius of Naperville, IL.

I mainly chose these aquariums because of their proximity (how close it is), variety (variety of animals/exhibits), interaction (ability to interact with animals or environment), and the cost of tickets. As an aquarium lover, I have visited many of these aquariums so I have also based it on my experience as well.

(*To clarify, I am not ranking these five aquariums, but rather sharing the five I thought were the best*)

Top 5 Aquariums

.1. John G Shedd Aquarium (Chicago, Illinois)

With the mission to spark compassion, curiosity, and conversation for the aquatic animal world, the Shedd Aquarium has been educating visitors for 90 years. The aquarium was founded by John Groves Shedd in the hope of a facility with one of the greatest variety of aquatic life.

Proximity:  Located on Lake Shore Drive, it is about 35 miles away. It is about a 40-minute drive via I-88.

Variety: With a total of 32,000 fish/animals, the aquarium has over 100 different species. With 11 different exhibits, it educates visitors on the oceans, Caribbean reefs, wild reefs, rivers, the great lakes, and islands. The most notable exhibition is the “Abbott Oceanarium” where you can see the different aquatic mammals: Dolphins, Beluga whales, and Sea otters.

Interaction: Go to the “Polar Play Zone” to feel the textures of starfish. At the “At Home on the Great Lakes” exhibition go touch the prehistoric sturgeon fish. Then go on to the “Stingray Touch” exhibit to find out what a stingray feels like.

Cost: General admissions cost $39.95 for adults and $29.95 for kids (3-11). For Chicago residents, however, tickets for adults cost $19.95 and kids (3-11) cost $14.95. To upgrade to the 4-D experience, tickets will cost $4.95 more.

.2. National Mississippi River Mountain & Aquarium (Dubuque, Iowa)

Unlike most aquariums, this one has a main focus on educating visitors about the life, history, and culture of our rivers. Very well known for the aquarium’s outreach programs, the aquarium’s most well-known project is the RiverWorks Discovery. Encouraging kids to explore and understand their rivers.

Proximity: Located on E 3rd Street, it is about 170 miles away. About a 3-hour drive using I-88.

Variety: With one of the biggest river showcases, the aquarium has over 600 animals of 145 different species. Another focus, however, is the multitude of different educational exhibits. These include the labs, historical showcases, boat shops, maps, and data. They also have many different outdoor exhibits, such as the “Log Cabin”, the “Logsdon Sand & Gravel Barge”, and the “Wetlands”, in order to show the river life from outside the river.

Interaction: The “RiverWorks Splash Zone” is a very interactive space to steer boats and explore the river system. At the “Wetlabs”, go touch different small aquatic creatures such as crayfish and mussels.

Cost: General admissions cost $19.95 for adults, $14.95 for kids (3-17), and $17.95 for seniors (65+). For All-Access tickets (+1 film) tickets cost $4.95 more than the general admission costs for all age groups. For All-Access Plus tickets (+2 films) tickets cost $5.95 more than the general admission costs for all age groups. Tickets for the stingray feeding exhibit cost $10.

.3. Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium (Omaha, Nebraska)

Being one of the best zoos in America, the aquarium definitely does not disappoint. The aquarium (named after Suzanne and Walter Scott) hopes to promote the conservation of aquatic animals and their habitats.

Proximity: Located on S 10th street, it is about 450 miles away. It’s a 6-hour drive using I-80 W or using I-88 W. A flight would take an hour and a half.

Variety: The aquarium itself does not have many exhibitions but has a wide variety of aquatic life. Major attractions include the 70-foot shark tunnel, which includes multitudes of coral fish, and different species of shark. Other main attractions include the Antarctic penguin habitat, the “Stingray Beach”, and the Sea Lion exhibit.

Interaction: In the “Owen Sea Lion Shores”, visitors are allowed to mix sand and water in the 4 small streams. At Stingray Beach, go feed and touch the Stingrays for 3 to 4 dollars.

Cost: General admissions cost $20.95 for adults, $13.95 for kids (3-11), and $19.95 for seniors (65+). For movies, tickets will cost an additional $5 for each movie. Other attractions and modes of transport (such as the tram) will have varying ticket costs.

.4. Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada (Toronto, Ontario)

Focusing on education and research, the aquarium prides themselves on their beautiful showcase consisting of a cross-section of saltwater and freshwater environments from around the world. This aquarium is known as the biggest aquarium in Canada with more than 1.5 million gallons of water.

Proximity: One of the much farther away locations, this aquarium is just south of the CN tower. It’s about 500 miles away from here. The drive is about 8 hours long via I-69 N and I-94 E, and it’s a one and a half-hour long flight.

Variety: The aquarium has about 16,000 exotic sea and freshwater creatures from more than 450 different species. The different exhibits range from species native to Canada, and creatures all over the world. They, specifically, showcase specimens from coral reefs, lagoons, and the vast ocean.

Interaction: There are many different opportunities to get your hands wet with 3 different exhibits. At the “Ray Bay” and the “Shoreline Gallery” you can get up close and feel the different rays. At the “Discovery Centre,” you can touch their collection of Horseshoe crabs. In the aquarium, there is also a place for visitors to get their dead skin eaten by Garra fish.

Cost: General admissions cost $39 for adults, $26 for youth (6-13), $13 for children (3-5), and $26 for seniors (65+). For the ”Sharks After Dark” tickets cost $32 for adults, $21 for youth (6-13), $8 for children (3-5), and $21 for seniors (65+). (*These are all in Canadian dollars*)

.5. Tennessee Aquarium (Chattanooga, Tennessee)

One of the top-rated aquariums in the country, its goal is to educate people to make informed decisions in the wild and water. The aquarium was mainly popularized for its two sections: “The Ocean Journey” and “The River Journey”.

Proximity:  The farthest on the list, the aquarium is about 600 miles away. Located on Board St, it is about a 9-hour drive along I-65 and an hour and 40-minute flight.

Variety: The aquarium has more than 12,000 animals representing about 800 species. Though the aquarium is split into two parts (“The Ocean Journey” and “The River Journey”), there are many exhibitions within each section. “The River Journey” has a multitude of different species from different rivers all around the world. It houses turtles, freshwater fish, alligators, and more aquatic animals. “The Ocean Journey” includes life from islands, the tropics, the artic, and the reef. It houses not just fish, but animals such as Lemurs and Penguins.

Interaction: In the “Tropical Cove” exhibition, there are many areas for interaction. In the rainforest, there is a touch station where you can feel the many textures of the forest, and deep within the tropical cove, there is also a stingray touch station.

Cost: General admissions cost $34.95 for an adult (13+), and $21.95 for children (3-12). For an IMAX movie, it costs $8 for an adult (13+) and child (3-12).

I hope you consider going to any of these aquariums, as they are all incredible. If there are any aquariums that you think deserve to be on this list, please let me know. I’d love to know why you think they’d deserve to be on the list instead.