Sea-Arama Marineworld – 1974

In January 1974; I started a new job at Gulf States Toyota where I would face new challenges and opportunities for growth. More details on that will be provided at another time or in my book. With my change in employment, our vacation trips for that year were limited to visiting local attractions.

Our first place to visit was the Busch Gardens which was located adjacent to the Anheuser-Busch brewery on I-10. It was only open for a few years before they shut it down. Tammy was 7 and Jennifer was 4 and they enjoyed their time in the bird exhibits and getting to be part of one of the displays of exotic birds. They got their picture taken with a life-sized model of the Busch horses. The Ice Cave was a temperature-controlled environment for several varieties of penguins, polar bears, and sea lions. There were only a few rides including a narrow-gauge railway that went through the park. Our girls were less interested in the tour of the brewery; however, it was a fun day for the family without requiring a long trip.

Our next local trip was to Galveston where we would visit Sea-Arama Maineworld. In those days, it was a year-round institution where you could learn about animals of the seas including performing dolphins and interacting with staff. You could see whales performing with staff and a man wrestling an alligator. They had an exhibit of exotic birds where our girls got to hear about the various kinds they had there.

They had ski shows with guys and girls doing tricks while skiing behind a ski boat and performing to pop songs about romance on the beach. Everyone really enjoyed those shows and we did not have to travel to the Florida Keys to see a great show.

While in Galveston, we visited the beaches and brought home sunburned skin as a reminder of the fun trip. You do not have to travel long distances to enjoy time with your family or to create lasting memories. Do not mess it up by taking work with you on family trips, your family deserves better than that.