Planning a trip to Galveston? Be sure to stop by the Moody Gardens Aquarium. Full of fish, penguins, sharks, and other creatures who make the ocean home, there’s so much fun for the whole family to enjoy!
I learned about Moody Gardens in Galveston by accident. Since we were going to be there for New Years Eve, I did a Google search to see if there was anything special going on down there. I didn’t find anything exciting going on, but during my online search an advertisement popped up for the special holiday celebrations happening at Moody Gardens. I clicked on it thinking it would be a botanical garden (one of my absolute favorite places to visit anywhere we go), but was super excited to see that it was a huge entertainment complex that included an aquarium and rainforest.
Me to Emma: “Hey, did you know there is an aquarium on Galveston Island?”
Emma: “No, but we are going.”
And that’s how we ended up at Moody Gardens on our third day in Galveston. In fact, as you first arrive in Galveston, the first thing you’re likely to notice are the three enormous pyramids that make up Moody Gardens in the distance as you cross over the bridge onto the island.
We’ve been to many aquariums over the years, and in many different countries, but never one located inside a bright 10-story turquoise glass pyramid!
After entering the aquarium pyramid and getting our ticket scanned, our first stop was the main penguin exhibit. It houses four species: King, Chinstrap, Gentoo and Macaroni. Most of the penguins hung out on the shore, waiting for their next meal of fresh fish. But one little guy did get curious and swim up to check us out. They were all so cute!
The penguin exhibit continues as you walk down along the pathway where there are more viewing windows below the surface of the water. Here the aquarium gets a little darker, making photography challenging. So we mostly took videos of our favorite exhibits.
This little guy was quite busy moving sand around his territory. We were solidly entertained by this for several minutes.
I loved going through the 180-degree tunnel where you can see all the fish, sharks, and manta rays swim over your head! We sat there on the benches for quite a few minutes just watching all the fish. You’ll want to spend a good bit of time in the tunnel because there is so much to see!
My favorite part part of the aquarium was the Caribbean exhibit, featuring sharks, rays and tropical fish swimming around a replica of the pirate Jean Lafitte’s 19th century rum-runner, The Pride. No matter how long I live, I don’t think I will ever not be fascinated by sharks. If I could I would have one as a pet. Almost two years ago I fulfilled one of my lifelong dreams to swim with sharks when we spent a week in Turks & Caicos. So we also spent a fair amount of time watching the sharks
The jellyfish exhibit is always a crowd favorite as well, including ours!
The aquarium is also home to a colony of Humboldt penguins who, unlike their cold-water cousins we saw earlier, are warm-climate penguins who live along the coasts of Chile and Peru. Their exhibit is located near the aquarium’s exit.
I hope you enjoyed learning about this awesome little aquarium and that you’ll stop by and check it out for yourself if you ever find yourself in Galveston, Texas! Take it from me, you’re never too old to visit an aquarium! No matter how many times we end up at an aquarium, there is always something different to see and do. If you haven’t been in a while, take a trip to one near you. You may be surprised to find you’ll enjoy it just as much as you did when you were a kid, and walk away a new appreciation for ocean life.
plan your visit
Moody Gardens has a number of different attractions, which you can purchase tickets for individually or as part of a combo pack. Some attractions are offered seasonally. Visit their website to see most current ticket prices. Since we were only going to visit the aquarium and rainforest pyramids, we purchased the (surprise!) Aquarium and Rainforest ticket combo for just over $50/person.
Parking at Moody Gardens is plentiful and free.
For visitors looking for a closer look at the aquarium’s animals and a very unique experience, consider booking one of the Animal Encounters experiences. We considered doing this, but then saw the price tag and decided to pass.
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