Galveston.

MORE FACILITIES, SAME TROPICAL APPEAL

Spring certainly is in full bloom on Galveston Island as the result of several new and expanded meetings facilities. Opening last month was the $30 million Galveston Island Convention Center at the San Luis Resort on the beachfront at Seawall Boulevard. The 114,000-square-foot, two-level convention center boasts a 43,000-square-foot exhibit hall, 12,000 square feet of meeting space, and a 15,500-square-foot ballroom.

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Digital subscriber lines for Internet access; soundproof meeting rooms with tackable wall surfaces; ergonomic chairs; and individual sound, electricity, and climate controls are some of the latest meetings-related technology offered throughout the center's meeting and exhibit space.

More than 750 hotel rooms are adjacent to the new center, including the Hilton Galveston Island Resort, which opened a new 90-room tower and 3,000 square feet of additional meeting space in March. The 241-room San Luis Hotel offers a new day spa, salon, and fitness center and is also adjacent to the center. An additional 700 hotel rooms are within two miles of the center, including a new La Quinta Inn.

MOODY GARDENS: EXPANDED CENTER AND HOTEL

Moody Gardens combines world-class meeting facilities, an exotic tropical setting, and the convenience of being only 45 minutes south of Houston. Its growing success as a meetings destination has resulted in newly expanded facilities that will allow it to accommodate an even wider range of groups.

On New Year's Eve, the Moody Gardens Hotel celebrated the addition of 125 guest rooms. The upscale hotel, which opened in 2000 with 303 guest rooms, offers a full-service salon, spa, extensive fitness center, and fine dining. For meetings, it features the 15,000-square-foot Frances Anne Moody Ballroom, flexible meeting rooms, and a business center.

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Directly connected to the hotel is the Galveston Island Convention Center at Moody Gardens, which debuted its expansion last month. The center expanded its exhibit hall from 37,500 to 60,000 square feet. It also offers 11 fully equipped meeting rooms encompassing 9,500 square feet.

Groups also can take advantage of the nearby visitors' center with its glass walls and soaring ceilings for receptions and other events. All together, Moody Gardens can offer groups more than 200,000 square feet of function space.

Moody Gardens is the ideal combination of resort amenities, abundant meeting space, convenient location, and world-class attractions. White sandy beaches mix with an estimated 20,000 subtropical plants and trees to create a 242-acre paradise.

Post-meeting options at Moody Gardens are seemingly endless. The $50 million Aquarium at Moody Gardens is one of the world's largest aquariums with more than 1.5 million gallons of seawater and more than 10,000 aquatic creatures housed in a three-level glass pyramid. Another spectacular pyramid at Moody Gardens is the 10-story Rainforest Pyramid, with a 55-foot tall canopy of lush greenery enveloping a one-acre rainforest of more than 1,700 species of plants, butterflies, and animals.

The NASA-inspired Discovery Pyramid and the 3D IMAX Theater are other great options, as is the spacious Colonel Paddlewheel Boat that offers a variety of cruises on the Offats Bayou.