Moody Gardens, Galveston: Photos, Reviews & Location

242-acre amusement park with hotel & attractions including aquarium, zip line & paddlewheel boat.

At a glance

#19 of 22 Tourist attractions in Galveston #3 of 3 Gardens in Galveston

LocalGuideWorld score: 4.40

6.0 km from the center of Galveston

Rating breakdown

5 ★66%
4 ★22%
3 ★7%
2 ★3%
1 ★3%

What reviewers talk about

Share of 16 recent reviews that mention each topic.

Price & value50%
Service & staff25%
View6%
Waiting & crowds6%
Location6%
Cleanliness6%

1 Hope Blvd, Galveston, TX 77554, United States

moodygardens.org

+1 409-683-4200

Quick facts

What is the rating of Moody Gardens?: Moody Gardens is rated 4.4 out of 5 based on 34,432 reviews.
How does Moody Gardens rank in Galveston?: Moody Gardens is #19 of 22 Tourist attractions in Galveston by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
Where is Moody Gardens located?: 1 Hope Blvd, Galveston, TX 77554, United States — 6.0 km from the center of Galveston.
What do visitors mention most about Moody Gardens?: Most often: price & value, service & staff, view (from 16 recent reviews).
How can I contact Moody Gardens?: Phone: +1 409-683-4200 · Website: moodygardens.org

We only have one life so live your life like that day is your only day you have.
My question is what would you do?
For me laugh and live big
Moments and memories are precious
So guess what go to Moody Gardens and have fun. Wake up and explore and have fun
Moody gardens is amazing

Katelyn Meredith 2024 Jul 25

Very fun experience. I would recommend the value pass because you will want to do everything. They also give military and first responder discounts which is great to know. It gets a little crowded but the workers are very friendly and all of the exhibits are interesting. My favorite exhibit was about the body not only because it was interesting but the worker was hilarious and talked about what it feels like when they close. The food is meh and the prices are high but it’s honestly to be expected. Meals are close to $15 so bring a sack lunch to eat outside on the benches if you want to save money. Lots of animals and fun experiences. Very worth it

Key KTH 2024 Jul 24

Just to start, it’s kind of expensive. I get that aquariums and stuff are normally expensive but for the price at this one, it’s expensive.
There were a lot of mosquitoes inside, not much to really interact with, and there weren’t many people working the food stands or stations which caused for long lines.
I would highly recommend skipping going to the aquariums, safari, and stuff and just go to the Schlitterbahn water park there instead. There’s so much more to do there and it’s much cheaper, especially when you go in a group, unlike the aquarium that doesn’t have group pricing differences.

matthew summerall 2024 Jul 21

This place is awesome! Even if you don’t enter. The grounds are beautiful. Parking is free. All access tickets are $85 per person. I didn’t go inside cause it was expensive but still enjoyed myself.

Natalie Massey 2024 Jul 07

I really enjoyed the exhibits! They had a lot to observe and were very interesting. There were plenty of staff, but only a couple shared interesting facts. The water park was small, and there was a "code brown" in the lazy river, so we all had to get out, but it was about that time to dry off for the firework show. The show was mediocre, but it sufficed for not having seen any fireworks in my town. Overall, it was cool to experience once as an adult. Favorite part was seeing the sloth and the jellyfish.

Zak White 2024 Jul 01

It's an amazing place. World class exhibits in both the aquarium and the rain forest. You won't find a better experience in your lifetime. Spend a day and go it's a memory maker. Did the 4D movie and loved the experience.

Gabriel Rivera 2024 Jun 22

Exceptional vacation spot. The front dest staff were very friendly and took the time to answer all my questions. The kids loved the rain forest, aquarium, and the palm beach water park.. the rooms were spacious and clean. The beds were comfortable, and the covers were warm.. great place..

Linda Venn 2024 Jun 13

Aquarium was pretty cook but not fascinating! The Rainforest, I think I only saw 4 animals besides the few beautiful birds I saw. Guess there's even a 3 toed sloth if you can ever see it. I was a little disappointed. But the plants were beautiful, some flowers were blooming. The ones they had signs up for didn't. I'm sure if I lived here, I could walk it daily and see much more. It was later in the day. That may have had something to do with it.

Christie Tatum Janszen 2024 Mar 17

A must visit place in Galveston, especially with children. Our daughter loved touring through the exhibits in all 3 pyramids. They were well done and enjoyable! We purchased all day passes in advance and it was worth it. We went on spring break and arrived right when they opened so it was easy to park and walk through. It was getting busier midday and afternoon, so I do recommend getting there earlier if your child really likes to take their time to look and see up close.

LC “Little Caesars” Pizza 2024 Mar 17

Great visit during Spring Break. Rain forest and the aquarium are really cool. You really feel like you’re in a rain forest. Also don’t miss the tornado 3d film. Was really neat to see what strength a storm has.

Mike W 2024 Jan 28

This was a really great way to spend a day down in Galveston!

So if you're like me and you really didn't have much idea of what you'd be getting into here, I'll explain. For starters, the value pass is the way to go. You get to experience everything, and that's what's important to know.

There are 3 pyramids at Moody Gardens - one is an aquarium, one is a rain forest, and the last is the discovery center. With the value pass, you also get to see a movie in their 3D theater, their 4D theater, and get access to the ropes course and are able to take one of the two daily 45-minute cruises on their paddlewheel boat.

The aquarium pyramid was our favorite! They have a large penguin enclosure with viewing access from many different points. The other various tanks and enclosures also have several viewing areas. The jellyfish room is fantastic as well!

The rain forest pyramid is a little smaller but has a lot of live animals to see and is populated with trees and plants from all over the world.

The discovery center was the weakest pyramid in our opinion; it has a museum on the second floor but it was underwhelming compared to the aquarium. Downstairs is a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 4D ride, which is included with the value pass, but didn't live up to our expectations. My biggest issue is that it sprayed way too much water on the audience, it really ruined the experience for us.

Sadly, the wind was too high and the paddlewheel boat wasn't running. The ropes course was open, but my son isn't crazy about heights and neither am I, so we didn't take part in that.

The food was OK but was pretty expensive. It's about what I expected - nothing special but certainly not bad either. Overall, the whole experience was great and we're glad we spent our day there!

C Texas 2024 Jan 24

Great attractions! One of the best in Galveston! Multiple 3D theaters; a 4D theater, Love the Rain Forest exhibit. The birds will walk all around you. All the exhibits are fantastic! There's a lot to do. You can set aside a whole day and still not see everything!

Ashley 2024 Jan 16

I think people forget about Moody Gardens. The Aquarium was my favorite. Great exhibits, I felt like a kid again. The jellyfish aquariums were my favorite. It was awesome inspiring, and a great price as well. We bundled and went to the Atrium, it was hot but really nice, it was so warm a monkey sat by the exit door to get some air-conditioning lol. He was really cute.

Rama Santschi 2024 Jan 02

Very festive. We were entertained by a variety of animals such as flamingos, storks, butterflies, turtles, frogs, koala, hippos, bears and much more🐨🐻🐢🐸🦌🐘🐪🐿️🦜🦩🐧🦄. Of course there was Santa, a manger, a Bethlehem series, 12 days of Christmas, candy canes, and reindeer. There was one menorah 🕎.
There weren't very many employees around, so when my mother needed to rest & wanted to go to the car, the one gulf cart we encountered was full and the driver wasn't helpful. All the gates were locked to take a shortcut to the car. Luckily I found an unlocked door into the restaurant and we got her to the car through the lobby.

Stephani Shepherd 2023 Nov 26

We were super excited about this place and it was pretty cool. We saw the rainforest which was probably the least underwhelming. We did t see many animals at all. Not sure if that's normal but we weren't there very long at all. We also saw the aquarium which was nice! We all enjoyed that. Next we saw Ice Land which was super cool and COLD! they do give you a parka, but being gloves and a hat or scarf. If you plan to go down the ice slide, you definitely need snow gloves! Lastly, we did the festival of lights which was definitely worth it. The kids enjoyed the slide! There were lights and concessions all over the place! It was a nice holiday outing for families