Flower Garden Banks
Partner Exhibits
The Aquarium Pyramid at Moody Gardens, located in Galveston, TX, is the closest aquarium to the sanctuary offices. In May 2017, the aquarium welcomed a small Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary exhibit as part of a larger, two-year renovation. The new exhibit can be viewed from the public area leading to the large Caribbean exhibit, and also from a behind-the-scenes meeting/event area.
Cameron Park Zoo, located in Waco, Texas, is the only zoo facility that currently houses a Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary exhibit. This 50,000-gallon exhibit is part of the Brazos River Country Exhibit, which opened in July 2005. It features a journey up the Brazos River from the Gulf of Mexico. Visitors to the exhibit get a chance to see the reef and part of the watershed that impacts it. An interactive sanctuary kiosk was installed in the exhibit area in 2010 to enhance the visitor experience.
Texas State Aquarium, located in Corpus Christi, TX, has had a Flower Gardens exhibit since it opened in 1990, before Flower Garden Banks even became a sanctuary! This 40,000-gallon exhibit showcases the coral reefs of the sanctuary and a variety of fishes. Guests can also enjoy daily “Diver in the Water” presentations. Sanctuary staff have worked with the aquarium from 2009–2011 to update the exhibit area and add a video kiosk.
Tennessee Aquarium, located in Chattanooga, TN, opened a $30 million Ocean Journey building in April 2005. The centerpiece of this expansion is an immense replica of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.This three-story tall, 618,000-gallon saltwater exhibit, the Secret Reef, gives visitors a realistic view of the huge, boulder coral formations that create the reef structure at East and West Flower Garden Banks, as well as the abundant wildlife that depend on them.