Attractions

Bayou Bend is closed on Mondays, except July 4, 2011. Guided House Tours (reservations recommended) Not available during August Tuesday–Thursday 10–11:30 am; 1– 2:45 pm Friday–Saturday 10–11:15 am Tours last 1 hour and begin every 15 minutes Self-Guided Tours (No reservations needed) Friday–Sunday 1– 5 pm (last admission 4 pm) August Schedule Tuesday–Saturday 10 am–5 pm (last admission 4 pm) Sunday 1– 5 pm (last admission 4 pm) Self-Guided Gardens Tours (No reservations needed) Tuesday–Saturday 10 am–5 pm Sunday 1–5 pm Admission $10 General Admission $8.50 Students / Senior Adults (ID Required) $5 Children 10–17 Free Children 9 and under* *Children 9 and under are not permitted on guided house tours. Gardens-only Admission $3 Ages 10 and up

Amazing Body Pavilion: Take a larger-than-life tour of the human body and learn all about how your organs and bones work. Sit on giant teeth, ride a bicycle with a skeleton, walk through a giant brain and more.

Experience Life at the Moody Gardens® attractions! Aquarium Pyramid® – The towering blue pyramid – the largest of three – houses a diverse display of life from four distinct ocean environments. The chilly South Atlantic exhibit showcases five species of penguins and the North Pacific houses playful fur seals and Squirt, the famous blind sea lion. The South Pacific exhibit features beautiful coral reefs and an array of colorful fishes. The Caribbean, the largest exhibit in the Aquarium Pyramid®, has sharks, sea turtles, eels and thousands of beautiful tropical fish that swim overhead as you navigate through an underwater tunnel completely surrounded by the exhibit’s over one-million gallons of water. The Aquarium Pyramid® also offers guests the opportunity to interact with ocean life, including group educational opportunities in underwater classrooms, touch tanks and the chance to meet a penguin up close with the Penguin Encounter. Rainforest Pyramid® – The 10-story glass pyramid is now open after a major enhancement project that enables you to see the Rainforests of the World in a whole new way. In addition to a new entry overlooking a new giant Amazon River otter exhibit, a tree-top path leads you through the canopy level of the pyramid where you can explore the exhibit from a new vantage point to see the monkeys, sloths and the other free-roaming tree dwellers closer than ever before. The canopy walkway also features a butterfly exhibit that immerses you among several beautiful species of butterflies. The lower level of the exhibit puts you in the center of Asian, African and American rainforests, where you are joined by some new friends. Come experience life at this unique, interactive exhibit in an authentic rainforest environment, found only at Moody Gardens®. MG 3D Theater – Enjoy larger-than-life films that fill your peripheral vision combined with superb sound to provide you with the best seat in the house. Slip on your 3D glasses to see incredible realistic three-dimensional images as they are projected onto a giant six-story screen – the largest in Texas – so lifelike that you’ll want reach out to grab them. Ridefilm – Strap on your seatbelt and hold on for an incredible experience! Ridefilm technology offers the ultimate in high-impact, immersive simulation. Each 18-passenger ride is surrounded by a seamless 180° wraparound screen that fully encompasses each viewer's peripheral vision. High quality images and awesome sound combine to make you a part of the action. 4D Special FX Theater – See, hear, feel and smell the action! Hi-def digital 3D projection, audio and show control systems combined with special effects, such as wind, smoke, mist, leg ticklers, seat buzzers and SFX lighting and DTS surround sound system immerse you in a unique short-film theater experience that is a thrill for all ages. Colonel Paddlewheel Boat – Enjoy gulf breezes on a 45-minute cruise around Offats Bayou on this 800-passenger authentic 1800’s replica paddlewheel boat. The Colonel Paddlewheel Boat sails daily from the Moody Gardens® dock and hosts weekend dinner cruises. Discovery Museum – Come explore the extraordinary world of science at the Discovery Pyramid. Spectacular traveling exhibits from around the country provide interactive demonstrations showcasing the world of science that surrounds you. The current exhibit is Bones: An Exhibit Inside You. Palm Beach- (Closed for the 2011 season. Check back for 2012 schedule). Now youcan delight in the major enhancements that have been made toGalveston'sonly white sand beach! You and your family will love thelazy river,18-foot tower slides, wave pool, and educational Kon-Tikithemethat were added to the attraction in 2011. Festival of Lights- (Currently closed until Winter 2012) The gulf coast's largest holiday event includes over 100 lighted scenes, outdoor ice rink, live entertainment and holiday films.

The Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig Museum and Education Center is located on Galveston Island, Texas, less than an hour from downtown Houston, the world's petroleum capital. Visitors board the retired jackup drilling rig and view a video about the offshore industry. The museum features three floors of models and interactive displays illustrating the story of offshore oil and gas from seismic technology to exploration and production. Scale models of production platforms, actual drill bits and remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) as well as videos and exhibits explain drilling, geology, seismic, well servicing and production. Following a leisurely tour inside the museum, visitors can take the skywalk out onto the drill floor of the rig, or visit the exhibits on the pipe deck from the first floor of the museum. For more information contact: Trina Claire, Museum Programs Manager Phone: 409.766.STAR (7827) Email: osprograms@oceanstaroec.com

The Spirit of Modernism pays tribute to the entrepreneurial spirit of businessman and art collector John R. Eckel, Jr. The friendship between John Eckel and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, lasted only five years before his untimely death in 2009. His art collection, now known as the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Gift, lives on at the MFAH as an enduring legacy comprising 75 examples of Modernist American painting and sculpture, photography, and contemporary arts and design. This exhibition highlights the gifts in two locations on the museum’s campus: the Beck Building (Hevrdejs Gallery) and the Law Building (Alice Pratt Brown Gallery and Garden). The John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Gift strengthens the MFAH collections across several curatorial departments and sheds light on Eckel’s vision as an astute collector and generous benefactor. Among the major works on view in this show are Ralston Crawford's buoyant painting Red Barge No. 1; Shiro Kuramata's steel, mesh, and chrome chair How High the Moon; and Harry Bertoia’s gilded bronze sculpture Untitled (Multi-Plane Construction), measuring over 10 feet high.