Shedd Aquarium opens new Nature Exploration Garden featuring 70 native plant species

Shedd Aquarium has opened a new Nature Exploration Garden at its Welcome Plaza, adding a hands-on green space that invites visitors to learn through touch, sight, and play. According to a press release, the garden is part of the aquarium’s Centennial Commitment and is meant to connect guests with the natural world before they enter the building.

The space features 70 native plant species and is designed to attract pollinators, birds, and other wildlife, the aquarium’s announcement confirms. New signs explain what lives above and below the ground, how bees and beetles help plants survive, and why natural spaces matter for local ecosystems.

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“Our goal is to connect guests with local animals, plants and ecosystems before they even step a foot inside,” said Kristen Neria, director of exhibit services at Shedd Aquarium, per the press release. “And the unique aspect—setting this one apart from the other green spaces around our building—was ideating on the fun immersive, interactive elements that invite discovery through play and inspire a deeper appreciation for nature.”

Hands-on learning and easier access

According to the aquarium, visitors can explore four oversized sculpture models of a lake sturgeon, a mallard duck, a frog and a school of lake trout. Two spotting scopes give guests a chance to look for birds such as goldfinches and cardinals in the trees.

The garden also includes five interactives: a discovery table, seed posts, water paint, a tracks table and a discovery log. Together, they let guests examine seed pods, animal tracks, fallen tree life and other signs of the ecosystem.

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Shedd Aquarium said the new space is also built to be more welcoming. Signage is in English and Spanish, wheel-safe paths make it easier to move through the garden, and new benches invite longer visits. The aquarium also plans pop-up nature journaling programs and surprise animal encounters, with help from staff and wildlife ambassadors.

The project involved Shedd’s Design and Exhibits team, JLL, Valerio Dewalt Train, landscape architecture site design group, ltd., and Pepper/BMI Construction LLC. Support for the Centennial Commitment came from multiple foundations and donors, including The Harvey L. Miller Family Foundation, the Morgridge Family Foundation, the Mansueto Foundation, and others.

For more information, visit theShedd Aquarium gardens.