Touch Experiences
Meet some of our animals up close with an animal encounter! From smooth stingrays to leathery sturgeon, you'll be surprised at all the unique textures of the animals at Shedd!
Stingray Touch
Member-only preview May 25, 26. Open to everyone on May 27.
Stingray Touch's last day for the season will be Sunday, October 30.
To support our stringent cleaning measures, we will be asking our members and visitors to scrub their hands with soap and water for at least 20-seconds to keep you and the animals safe.
How do you think a stingray feels? Soft, like a pillow? Squishy, like a marshmallow? How about scratchy, like sandpaper? There's only one way to find out — at Shedd's Stingray Touch experience.
Dip your hand into a shallow tropical pool and discover the unique texture and movement of a school of stingrays as these fascinating fish glide through the water in Shedd's first outdoor environment. You'll also learn how we care for all of the stingrays living at Shedd and how your actions can protect them in the wild.
Stingray Feeding
Member-only preview May 25, 26. Open to everyone on May 27.
Connect with animals in a one-of-a-kind, hands-on experience. Stingray Feeding gives you the unique chance to get even closer to animals and nature, by helping to feed these supple, strong—and flat as a pancake fishes. Give these bottom-feeders a fun seafood treat and watch them flap against each other and your fingers!
Enhance your experience by adding a stingray feeding for $5 ($3 for members). Great for kids and adults 6+. See a Shedd Team Member when you arrive for assistance.
Sea Star Touch
Sea Star Touch is open with handwashing before and after the experience.
You’ve heard of starfish, but don’t let the name confuse you; sea
stars are not fish! Discover for yourself the variety and textures of
sea stars at the sea star touch pool in Shedd’s Polar Play Zone.
Dip your hand into the cool water of our sea star touch pool and be
transported to the Pacific Northwest, where these five species of sea
stars all make their home. Touch their strong skin and examine the
hundreds of tiny tube feet that help these extraordinary animals feel,
feed and move around their environment.
Sturgeon Touch
Interact with a living fossil at the sturgeon touch pool in Shedd’s At Home on the Great Lakes exhibit. These bottom-dwelling lake fish have survived for more than 200 million years, outliving the dinosaurs!
Get up close with these primitive giants, feeling the leathery texture of the sturgeon’s skin and the hard bony plates that encase their bodies. This hands-on encounter allows you to learn about how we interact with this cartilaginous fish, and how we can protect the sturgeon’s home—The Great Lakes.