Moody Gardens Hotel, Spa and Convention Center offers visitors a cornucopia of recreation, lodging, and meeting facilities on historic Galveston Island. Spread across 242 lush acres and surrounded by tropical gardens, the property recently won recognition as the leading tourist attraction in the greater Houston area, according to a report prepared for the Governor’s Economic and Tourism Office by D.K. Shifflett and Associates, Ltd.
Three spectacular pyramids shelter a range of natural wonders: the ten-story Rainforest Pyramid houses a living rainforest full of parrots, birds of paradise, and other tropical flora and fauna; the Discovery Pyramid provides a science museum with hands-on interactive exhibits and displays; and the Aquarium Pyramid features the nation’s third largest aquarium—1.5 million gallons of water holding thousands of tropical fish.
Guests can also cruise on the Colonel paddlewheel boat, an authentic reproduction of a classic paddlewheel boat; frolic in a heated Texas-sized swimming pool with swim-up bar and Jacuzzi; and sunbathe on Palm Beach, the resort’s private freshwater white-sand beach.
Golf and tennis aficionados ride the hotel shuttle to the nearby Galveston Country Club, the oldest private country club in Texas. The 6,437-yard, 18-hole course features views of Galveston Bay, hundreds of palms and oleanders, and an abundance of waterfowl. Facilities also include a driving range, practice green, pro shop, and resident PGA golf professional for individual or group lessons.
Indoors, guests enjoy high-tech movie thrills at the IMAX 3-D theater and three Ridefilm theaters. They also work out at a 24-hour fitness center and seek relaxation by sampling The Spa at Moody Gardens’ menu of therapeutic massages, body wraps, exfoliation, and hydrotherapy treatments. The highlight: The Day of Decadence package offers a Swedish massage, facial, hydrotherapy bath, manicure, pedicure, and hairstyle—plus lunch and a gift.
An abundance of lush gardens frames the resort’s 100,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 60,000-square-foot exhibit hall with telescopic seating for 5,000. Attendees can travel from the hotel to the convention center without ever having to step outside, and a 1,000-car garage provides convenient access to all function space.
Exceptional technical capabilities include customized audio, video, and lighting services as well as web-casting, simultaneous interpretation, and high-speed and wireless Internet access. Two business centers and a professional sales and catering staff help events of any size run smoothly.
Hosting over two million visitors annually, Moody Gardens takes meetings to new heights with an unbeatable combination of scenic splendor and fun, fascinating recreational facilities.