Moody Gardens is an educational tourist destination, with a golf course and hotel in

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

which opened in 1986. The non-profit destination uses nature to educate and excite visitors about conservation and wildlife. Moody Gardens features three main

pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

attractions: the

Aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

Pyramid, which is one of the largest in the region and holds many species of fish and other marine animals; the

Rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

Pyramid, which contains tropical

plants Plants are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic eukaryotes of the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all curr ...

animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...

, birds, butterflies, reptiles, and a variety of other rainforest animals including free-roaming monkeys and two-toed sloths; and the Discovery Pyramid, which focuses on

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

-oriented exhibits and activities. Another major attraction at Moody Gardens is Palm Beach, a landscaped white sand beach mainly open in the summer, with a small water park for children, freshwater lagoons, a lazy river, tower slides, a hot tub, ziplines, and a splash pad play area for children. Moody Gardens also had at one time a RideFilm Theater with motion-based pod seating, the MG 3D Theater features the largest screen in the state of Texas, 4D Special FX Theater,

paddlewheel A paddle wheel is a form of waterwheel or impeller in which a number of paddles are set around the periphery of the wheel. It has several uses, of which some are: * Very low-lift water pumping, such as flooding paddy fields at no more than about ...

cruise boat, a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

, golf course and a

convention center A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...

. The complex attracts many local tourists from the city of

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

and its outlying

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

s. The owners commissioned a landscape design from

Geoffrey Jellicoe Sir Geoffrey Allan Jellicoe (8 October 1900 – 17 July 1996) was an English architect, town planner, landscape architect, garden designer, landscape and garden historian, lecturer and author. His strongest interest was in landscape and gard ...

. It is described in ''Gardens of the Mind: the Genius of Geoffrey Jellicoe'' by Michael Spens (Antique Collectors Club, 1992).

Aquarium Pyramid

This blue pyramid opened in 1999Official Press Release
/ref> is approximately 12 stories high. The massive pools that are contained in this pyramid contain approximately 10,000 marine animals from fish, sharks, seals and penguins. Each representing different regions of the sea: North Pacific, South Pacific, South Atlantic and Caribbean.

Rainforest Pyramid

This clear pyramid opened in 1993 and reaches the height of 10 stories. After Hurricane Ike, a $25 million enhancement project brought nature closer to visitors. The multi-level Rainforests of the World project focuses on education, conservation and possible future breeding with new rare and endangered animals. Giant Amazon river otters, saki monkeys, ocelots, and a wide range of other animals, birds, reptiles make up more than 1,000 species of exotic species showcased the diversity of the rainforest environment. The rainforests of Asia, Africa, and the Americas are featured through the popular

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

caves, crashing waterfalls, and Mayan Ruins. The warm, humid interior simulates the climate of rainforests on warm days.

Discovery Pyramid

The Discovery Pyramid opened in 1997 and features traveling exhibits and the ride film (motion simulator). In May of 2015, Moody Gardens added a permanent exhibit to the bottom level of the Discovery Pyramid, the SpongeBob SubPants Adventure ride. In this amusement ride, the audience "dives into adventure on a submarine voyage along with SpongeBob and all his Bikini Bottom friends!". In 2019, the SpongeBob SubPants Adventure was closed and replaced by “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea: An Interactive Adventure”. This interactive 4D film follows a technologically enhanced pufferfish named Deep as he leads the Nautilus submarine through different parts of the ocean as chosen by the audience. Deep is portrayed by a live actor, who voices and controls the character in real time, creating effectively a personalized show for every audience. The upper level of the huge deep pink colored Discovery Pyramid is currently featuring JAM REMASTERED: THE SCIENCE OF MUSIC, an experience that explores the connection between music, science and mathematics (Updated June 2021)

Palm Beach

Palm Beach opened in 1988, initially with a constructed white sand beach and later expanded to a full use water park. The water park features ''Aquarium Adventure'', a group of slides with a dump bucket, a wave pool, a lazy river, ''Tower Slides'' (two water slides), and ''Splashpad'', the toddler section of the water park. The artificial beach is made with white sand and is situated adjacent to, but not connected to Galveston Bay.

Moody Gardens Zip Line and Ropes Course

In May 2014, Moody Gardens opened the tallest steel ropes course on the Gulf Coast. The five-tier Sky Trail Ropes Course (or "challenge course") is five stories tall – standing at tall – and features 48 obstacles (or "elements") with the obstacles gradually getting harder with each tier. The Moody Gardens Zip Line is long and is connected to another steel tower located at the far end of Palm Beach next to the wave pool – suspending visitors above Palm Beach, allowing them to get a bird's eye view of the Moody Gardens pyramids and tropical gardens. The ropes course and zip line was manufactured, installed, and is serviced by Ropes Courses Inc. The ropes course and zip line is open year-round during the weekend and the weekdays during school holidays and the weekday evening during Festival of Lights. Moody Gardens also features the Sky Tykes Ropes Course for those under tall. It has 9 obstacles (or "elements") and is situated on one level. The open course design allows for easy parent participation for any level of assistance needed. Parents can also walk alongside their child. Each participant (adult and child) is outfitted with a full body harness and a safety lanyard or sling line. This unique system also allows participants to choose their path through the course while going at their own pace with the ability to pass other participants at each platform.

Moody Gardens Golf Course

In 2007, the Moody Foundation signed an agreement with the City of Galveston to completely rebuild the city's municipal golf course. The course reopened in June 2008 under the moniker Moody Gardens Golf Course. The $17 million comprehensive renovation, included the addition of new turf grass, green complexes, elevations, irrigation, drainage, cart paths, greens and a full clubhouse renovation.Galveston Daily News: Redesigned golf course targets summer opening
The new course was designed by

Peter Jacobsen Peter Erling Jacobsen (born March 4, 1954) is an American professional golfer and commentator on Golf Channel and NBC. He has played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. He has won seven events on the PGA Tour and two events on the Champion ...

of Jacobsen Hardy Golf Course Design and was constructed to keep historical features of the course while improving certain holes and course flow. The par 72 course measures 6,900 yards from the back tees, with 5 sets of tees to accommodate all playing abilities.

Festival of Lights

Each November and December Moody Gardens hosts the Festival of Lights. A mile long trail features one million lights themed to holiday music with live entertainment and an outdoor ice rink. Additional attractions include holiday films at the MG3D Theater, 4D Special FX Theater and Ridefilm Theater. A holiday buffet is featured in the Garden Restaurant and the Colonel Paddlewheel Boat offers evening cruises.

References

External links

*
The Moody Foundation

Moody Gardens Golf Course
{{Galveston, Texas

Aquaria in Texas This category is for public aquariums in Texas, United States. Zoos in Texas Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and wi ...

Botanical gardens in Texas Culture of Galveston, Texas Tourist attractions in Galveston, Texas Museums in Galveston, Texas Science museums in Texas Pyramids in the United States 1986 establishments in Texas