Moody Gardens facts for kids
A Titan arum at Moody Gardens
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| Location | Galveston, Texas, United States |
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| Land area | 242 acres (98 ha) |
| Coordinates | 29°16′27″N 94°51′05″W / 29.2741°N 94.8513°W |
| No. of animals | over 9,000 |
| Annual visitors | 2 million per year (open 365 days) |
| Memberships | Association of Zoos and Aquariums |
Moody Gardens is a fun place to visit in Galveston, Texas. It opened in 1986 and is run by The Moody Foundation. This special place is a non-profit attraction, which means it uses its money to help its mission, not just to make a profit.
Moody Gardens has three main pyramid buildings. These are the Aquarium Pyramid, the Rainforest Pyramid, and the Discovery Pyramid. There is also Palm Beach, which is a seasonal water park open in the summer. It has white sand brought all the way from Florida! In 2004, Moody Gardens made its facilities bigger. This added more space for exhibits and events.
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Aquarium Pyramid
This tall, blue pyramid opened in 1999. It is about 12 stories high. Inside, you can see around 10,000 ocean animals. These include many kinds of fish, sharks, seals, and penguins.
The Aquarium Pyramid teaches visitors about protecting the world's oceans. It shows animals from different parts of the sea. You can see creatures from the North Pacific, South Pacific, South Atlantic, and Caribbean regions. The exhibit closed for a short time for updates. It reopened in 2017 with a huge 1.5 million-gallon tank.
Rainforest Pyramid
| Rainforest Pyramid | |
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Moody Gardens' Rainforest Pyramid
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| Type | indoor rainforest |
| Area | entire interior |
| Operated by | Moody Foundation |
| Visitors | 2 million per year |
| Status | open 365 days |
| Plants | trees, bushes, flowers |
| Species | 1,000 plant species plus animals |
| Collections | exotic plants, plus otters, monkeys, alligators, bats, ocelots and birds |
The Rainforest Pyramid opened in 1993. It is 10 stories tall. Inside, it feels like a real rainforest with warm, humid air. This multi-level exhibit teaches about rainforests around the world. It also focuses on how important it is to protect these special places.
You can see many amazing animals here. Some of them are giant Amazon river otters, saki monkeys, two-toed sloths, ocelots, and many different birds and reptiles.
Discovery Pyramid
The Discovery Pyramid opened in 1997. It often hosts special traveling exhibits. It also has a fun motion-simulation film ride.
In May 2015, Moody Gardens added a special ride called the SpongeBob SubPants Adventure. This ride was based on the popular SpongeBob cartoon. It even won an award in 2016 for being an "Outstanding Achievement."
The SpongeBob ride closed in 2019. It was replaced by a new interactive 4D film. This new adventure is called "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea: An Interactive Adventure." In January 2021, the top level of the Discovery Pyramid featured an exhibit called Jam Remastered: The Science of Music. This exhibit explored how music, science, and math are connected.
Palm Beach
Palm Beach was the first attraction at Moody Gardens. It opened in 1988. The white sand used to build Palm Beach came from Florida's beaches. This artificial beach is next to Galveston Bay, but it is not connected to it.
Palm Beach later grew into a full water park. It offers many fun water activities.
Zip Line and Ropes Course
In May 2014, Moody Gardens added an exciting ropes course and zip-line. The ropes course is called the Sky Trail Ropes Course. It is five stories high and is the tallest steel ropes course on the Gulf Coast.
The Moody Gardens Zip Line is 500 feet long. It stretches over Palm Beach. There is also a smaller Sky Tykes Ropes Course for younger children.
Golf Course
In 2007, the Moody Foundation worked with the City of Galveston to rebuild the city's golf course. The new course was designed by Peter Jacobsen. It kept some of its old features while making improvements. The renovation cost $17 million. It included new grass, better greens, and updated paths. The clubhouse was also renovated.
The course reopened in June 2008. It is now known as the Moody Gardens Golf Course.
See also
In Spanish: Jardines Moody para niños
