Moody Gardens reports 10% increase in visitors

GALVESTON — Dripping from blue lagoon water at Palm Beach at Moody Gardens, Stephanie Jovel aimed her water gun at her mother’s feet. The 16-year-old smiled mischievously before firing squirts of water at her mother, Rosa Jovel.

“Don’t get me wet,” Jovel said, shielding her camera.

Despite looming clouds hanging over the island on Labor Day, the family of seven turned out to the Galveston attraction, driving in from Houston.

“We just thought we’d take our chances,” Rosa said.

Attendance at the park was up 10 percent from Labor Day weekend in 2009. By Monday afternoon, the weekend count topped 14,000.

“It’s hard to compare to anything before Hurricane Ike,” Jerri Hamacheck, marketing and public relations manager for Moody Gardens, said. “It looks like we had a stronger summer this year. Of course, everyone is dealing with the impact of the economy, but we had good crowds overall.”

Wontura Green, her husband, two daughters and niece traveled from Houston to spend the cloudy holiday out of the city.

“We saw traffic leaving Galveston when we came in,” Green said. “Anyway, it’s nice to get away. We just wish we had a little sun.”

Hamacheck said she was not too worried about the overcast skies.

“We’ve got indoor attractions, too,” she said. “If we have to close the beach area here, we’ve still got the pyramids.”

Moody Gardens kicked off the last weekend of the summer season with the Brewmasters International Beer Festival, drawing beer enthusiasts from all across Texas.

“At the hotel, we sold out Saturday night, and Sunday night we were at 95 percent, which is pretty much sold out,” Hamachek said. “Between the (Night Ranger) concert and the beer festival, we had a really good crowd.”

While the Rainforest Pyramid was closed because of renovations, the pyramid is scheduled to open in 2011 after undergoing a $25 million enhancement.

“Moody Gardens is a unique experience,” Hamacheck said. “Part of our mission is to provide an educational experience, and parents want to bring their kids to a place where they can actually learn something.”

Rosa said the family did not have set plans for the holiday except to relax.

“Labor Day is about leisure time and spending time with the family,” she said.

“And no work,” Stephanie said, scrunching her nose at the idea of school today."