A visit to Shedd's Oceanarium takes you along a lush trail through the rainforest of the Pacific Northwest Coast. As you wind through spiky pine trees past rocky streams, you'll encounter some of the animals that make their homes in the Pacific waters, like playful Alaska sea otters, clinging sea stars, and harbor seals. At the edge of the recreated spruce forest, you'll find beluga whales and pacific white-sided dolphins swimming in nearly 3 million gallons of saltwater - the world's largest indoor marine mammal pavilion.
The Pacific Northwest Coast stretches from Northern California to Prince William Sound in Alaska, and is one of the world's richest and most fragile habitats.