Are you stressed? Bored? Have free time that you don’t know what to do with? Take a day trip! During the week, most attractions are priced lower and aren’t as crowded as it would be if you were to go on the weekend. Do you home school your kid(s) (Are you home schooled?)? Are you looking for an educational, fun activity to let your kid(s) experience? (I’m not a mother [I'm not even married yet] but while I was strolling around today on my own day trip, I figured that it would be a super fun and economical savvy way to take a field trip).
Orin and I took my little sister, Lacey, on an inspirational and educational trip to Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX. We were able to check out all three pyramids AND watch a show in the IMAX by getting the awesome jumbo pack deal.
The first thing we did was check out the Aquarium Pyramid. It was two stories packed full of different types of fish and aquatic creatures (my personal favorites were the sea lions and penguins). There were plenty of things for a kid to do including a shark ‘passport’ that allowed them to hunt down information about each shark and then stamp their passport with an awesome shark stamp. For most of the Aquarium Pyramid, we were walking UNDER the actual aquarium so that the fish and sharks were swimming above us!
The second thing we did was ride in a giant ferry-boat called the Colonel. It took us around Galveston Bay on a mini cruise that lasted for about an hour. I liked it because it was extremely relaxing. The wind was blowing, it was a wonderful 80 degrees, and I got a wonderful surprise! While gazing out on the water, a flash of grey caught my attention next to the vessel. It was a dolphin! In the wild! (I say wild, but what I mean is that it was not in an enclosure as part of Moody Gardens and was swimming freely in the Bay.)
The third thing we got to do was watch Sharks in the IMAX. It was about 30 minutes long and was packed full of information that I didn’t know about! Like, did you know that most of the coolest sharks in the world are endangered because of fisherman and other people hunting them down? I didn’t know that at all!
The fourth thing we did was check out the Rain Forest Pyramid. They had added on a couple of stories to the walk since the last time I had visited and that meant we got a good hour and a half of just walking around looking at tropical plants and animals (which were not in cages and came as close as they liked–some were only a few inches away!) It was definitely an educational experience. Even the kids got to enjoy an animal informative game much like the shark passports. 
The last thing we got to do was tour the Bodies Revealed exhibit in the last Pyramid. It was definitely something to remember. Everything we saw was both 1) Real (the bodies, I mean), and 2) Informative. The exhibit’s purpose was (and is) to show the functions of the human body and how it works. It also had information about diseases and cancers and how they could be prevented. I thought it was really interesting, even though my sister got a little freaked out (she’s only 13). If you plan on taking your children to this exhibit, however, because the bodies are real (reproductive organs and all), I would only recommend it for mature children since some of the exhibit would be rated R if it were in a movie…I didn’t take any pictures of the exhibit.
All in all, the day trip was so much fun! I had a blast, Orin had a blast, and Lacey (after the initial shock of the Bodies exhibit) had a blast. I hope this will help you in planning your own day trip! Thanks for reading!
~Love Lindi
