Sea-Arama Marineworld was a marine animal park that opened in Galveston on November 7, 1965. This park was open for 25 years offering year-round entertainment which increased tourism and extended the tourist season beyond the summer. It was one of the most popular tourist attractions across the Southwest because of its unique approach to theme parks.
A New Venture
Like many places in Galveston, Sea-Arama was a place of firsts. It was one of the nation’s first ocean-themed parks, was the first on the gulf coast, and was the first to offer three different locations: the oceanarium, the aquarium, and the aqua-amphitheater. Sea-Arama was also the first to have a porpoise show pool: lined with glass panels, it gave the audience a chance to observe the animals during feedings and shows. The park was located on 25 acres of land at 91st and Seawall, holding a 50 foot deep, 200,000 gallon aquarium as well as a man-made lake.
The Animals and Shows
The animals at Sea-Arama were the heart of the shows. The oceanarium showed exotic fish for people to view and learn about. There were even piranha! The aqua-amphitheater held shows with dolphins, porpoises, killer whales, and sea lions. Throughout the years, additional animals were added including sea otters, sharks, alligators, turtles, snakes, birds, and bears. There were shows for
alligator wrestling, bear tricks, and snakes. The snake show ended with the famous “Kiss of Death” - when a handler kissed the hood of an angry cobra.
In addition to the animal entertainment, Sea Arama held water ski shows with skiers doing tricks and comedy bits, puppet shows, and costumed mascots such as Cap’n Sharkey. Also available were tropical gardens, a petting zoo with kangaroos, goats, deer, sheep, and rabbits, an Oleander Garden designed in cooperation with the National Oleander Society, Alligator Island, and Jean Lafitte’s Raft Ride.
The End
Due in part to the opening of SeaWorld in San Antonio, which was much larger and flashier, Sea-Arama Marineworld attendance began to decrease while costs rose. In addition to the new competition, the marine park was showing signs of disrepair that the owners didn’t address, making it harder to attract tourists.
On January 14, 1990, Sea-Arama Marineworld closed after its final show on. Following the closure, the animals were sold to various parks and zoos across the United States. After Sea-Arama closed, the attraction was left abandoned and was demolished in 2006. Sea-Arama was innovative for its time, and both guests and employees continue to have happy memories of it to this day.
