Penguin Encounter FAQs

Parking is available on the Museum Campus in several lots. See more information about parking at Shedd here. Metered parking may also be available on Solidarity Drive up to 10 hours, but only after 8 a.m. Shedd is not responsible for cars ticketed or towed by the City of Chicago. Parking is not permitted on the aquarium's service entrance. Vehicles parked at the service entrance or the bus turnaround may be subject to towing. To learn more about parking on the Museum Campus, visit soldierfieldparking.com.

Please meet at the Northern Trust Suite, in the main foyer a minimum of 15 minutes before your scheduled tour time. Admission tickets will be available at the Northern Trust Suite for participants. All other guests not participating in the experience should purchase tickets at the ticket counter or in advance online. The Northern Trust Suite is the first door on the right in the main foyer. Please note, late comers may not be able to join the encounter and will forfeit the program. Please be on time for your experience.

All participants must be at least 6 years old, and children 6-17 must be accompanied by a paying participating guardian.

You will be wearing your own clothing during the program, so wear something comfortable, and something you don't mind getting a little dirty. We will provide rubber boots for your encounter, so please wear socks on the day of your encounter.

For the safety of our animals, you will not be allowed to take photographs when participating in the extraordinary experience.

Those in your party who are not participating in the experience are not permitted to follow along and are not allowed in the behind-the-scenes areas. Please arrange a time and place to meet with your party after your experience.

You may reschedule up to 10 days before your original reservation date; attempting to reschedule in less than 10 days will result in forfeiture of the experience with no exceptions. To reschedule, call 312-692-3355 (Monday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) or email [email protected] If a participant needs to cancel the encounter and is unable to reschedule, no refund will be made. Please note that all Shedd experiences are nonrefundable.

In the event that Shedd Aquarium needs to reschedule the encounter, the participant will be notified by phone no later than 24 hours before the encounter, and every effort will be made to reschedule the experience. If an alternate date and time is not possible, a full refund will be made to the purchaser.

We believe there should be no boundaries to your Shedd Aquarium experience. If you have an accommodation request related to a disability, please contact us prior to your experience at [email protected] or 312-692-3355.