Sea Lion Encounter FAQs

Check in at the Extraordinary Experiences kiosk in the main galleries up to 15 minutes before your scheduled encounter. Should you find a line outside the entrance to Shedd, please show your encounter confirmation email to a Shedd representative. They can help expedite your entry. Late arrivals may not be able to join the encounter, in which case the experience is forfeited.

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

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.

During this encounter, you may come in contact with shellfish and seafood. For safety, we recommend that guests with shellfish and seafood allergies do not participate.

Please wear comfortable clothing and something you don’t mind getting dirty or wet. Be sure to wear rubber sole shoes; sneakers are recommended. For your safety, please do not wear heels or flip-flops.

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.

For the safety of the sea lions, pictures will be taken by a provided photographer. One free digital image is included. Opportunities to purchase additional photos are available onsite.

For the safety of the animals and your belongings, coats, bags, phones, jewelry, and cameras must be secured in a rental locker before heading back to the encounter. Lockers are conveniently located next to where you check in and you’ll have access in-and-out of this secure storage space throughout your visit.

No, each experience is unique. Due to animal care reasons, we do not know in advance which animal will be present for the encounter.

Due to animal care reasons, we are not able to guarantee any specific sea lion during an experience.