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Our Trip To Moody Gardens

By Jorge Martinez April 26, 2016

I had the opportunity of visiting Moody Gardens on Galveston Island during Spring Break. Moody Gardens is the Houston area’s number one tourist attraction and family destination that encompasses 242 acres on Galveston Island. It is a fun-filled and educational destination, and it was selected as one of the most enjoyable tourist attractions by City Search – the Best of Houston.

My main objective for visiting this beautifully landscaped getaway was to review Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I know this film has been out since December of 2015, but I don’t think anyone has seen it on the state-of-the-art 3D viewing experience at the MG 3D Theater at Moody Gardens. Audiences can view films such as Star Wars on the 60 by 80 foot white screen with vibrant colors, new 3D glasses technology, and a top-of-the-line 11.1 surround sound system. You heard it folks, that screen is 60 feet by 80 feet. That makes it the biggest screen in Texas.

The theater also features the world’s first 4K 3D giant screen 6-Primary laser projection system, and this new laser projection further distinguishes the MG 3D Theater as one of the premier cinema venues. The staff at Moody Gardens is constantly making sure its audiences are experiencing the most technologically advanced cinematic adventure.

Apart from their amazing theater, Moody Gardens showcases attractions that embrace the environment.

The Rainforest Pyramid, the first built of the three pyramids, is a 10-story glass structure that is home to more than 1,000 species of plants and animals. Guests are able to experience rainforest life from around the world, including Africa, Asia and the Americas.  Many of the animals within the pyramid are free-roaming, like the cotton-top tamarins.

The Aquarium Pyramid, the largest of the three, is the largest aquarium in Texas. The building houses life from four distinct ocean environments with animals such as, seals, sea lions, sharks, fish, and penguins. Visitors will travel from the Gulf of Mexico to the South Atlantic, the South Pacific, the North Pacific, and the Caribbean. Each ocean exhibit highlights different marine sanctuaries and different aspects of their relationship to the seas.

The Discovery Museum, located in the pink Discovery Pyramid, showcases traveling exhibits that explore the world of science. Skeletown is the present exhibit at the Discovery Museum, and it provides guests the opportunity to see authentic bones from both animal and human specimens in the 6,000 sq. ft. exhibit space. Skeletown examines bone biology, bone health, and their role in cultures all over the world. Adults and children are shown, through the exhibit, how they can take an active role in keeping their bones healthy by eating a calcium-rich diet and exercising.

The 4D Special FX Theater adds a whole new dimension to the cinematic experience.  High-definition 3D projection combined with seat sensors, leg ticklers, wind, snow, scent and water splashes engages all the senses. Join Scrat, Ice Age's resident nut-crazed sabre-toothed squirrel, as he time travels in his zaniest adventure to date, Ice Age: No Time for Nuts 4-D. 

The Sky Trail® Explorer Ropes Course challenges the agility, balance and strength of visitors as they encounter the five-tier ropes course. The course ranges from Criss-Cross Tight Ropes to Burma Buckets, and the 81-foot ropes course is filled with 48 fascinating obstacles suitable for the whole family to enjoy. Children who are less than 48 inches can also take on an adv

enture of a smaller scale on the Sky Tykes Ropes Course.

The Moody Gardens Zip Line was created for those guests with an insatiable appetite for adrenaline. These thrill-seekers can snap into a harness, step to the edge of the zip line platform, and glide 60 feet in the air for a spectacular view of the Moody Gardens compound.

 

Last, but not least, is the Colonel Paddlewheel Boat. The Colonel is a 675-passenger, 1880s-style paddlewheel boat that takes guests on cruises around Offatts Bayou. Visitors can relax as they slowly move up and down the coast, on one hour rides, of the Moody Gardens compound.

 

It was truly an amazing time visiting all the attractions at Moody Gardens. My family had a blast seeing all the interesting exhibits and amazing work that is being done. I can guarantee that we learned some new things while on our trip, and we walked away tired from the immense amount of fun we had.