Shedd Aquarium

Opened in 1930 by the president of Marshall Field and housed in a gorgeous Beaux Arts building on Lake Michigan, the Shedd is one of the largest indoor aquariums in the world, with 32,000 aquatic animals. In addition to piranhas, penguins, caimans, otters and jellyfish, there are amazing underground tanks where you can watch (and listen to) a beluga whale frolic with her calf. In the $45 million Wild Reef section, an underground tank with two dozens sharks inside curves over your head; you can look up and see black-tip reef sharks swimming above you (quite chilling).

The most dazzling exhibits are the extensive live coral reefs, so diverse, delicate and colorful—neon orange, bright gold, hot pink, lime green—that adults will be as mesmerized as children. Tiny electric-blue fish dart back and forth like glittering shards of glass; orange-and-white clown fish nuzzle in the waving iridescent tentacles of sea anemones; stingrays, looking like giant buckwheat pancakes, ripple past. Allow at least two hours for a visit; afterward, stroll through the surrounding park, which has paths along the water and very pretty views of the marina. Indagare Tip: Be sure to buy your ticket online before going, as the lines can be extremely long.