Landry's Restaurants, Inc.

LANDRY'S DEVELOPS PUBLIC AQUARIUM FEATURING "AROUND-THE-WORLD" AQUATIC EXHIBITS: Downtown Destination Offers Families Unique Entertainment Experience

HOUSTON - In what is sure to make a big splash in downtown Houston, Landry's Restaurants Inc. has created a public aquarium as the centerpiece of a magnificent six-acre entertainment and dining complex, according to Tilman J. Fertitta, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Landry's.

The public aquarium boasts more than 500,000 gallons of underwater tanks with 200 species of domestic and international marine life, with additional reef tanks housing fish of the Caribbean and Hawaii. And, in addition to exhibits housing such creatures as seahorses, piranha, octopus, jellyfish, eel, live coral and sting ray, the complex houses more than 400 species of animals, including turtles, frogs, birds, snakes and insects.

"When people come to Downtown Aquarium, they will be entertained like never before," said Fertitta. "Our visitors will see things they have never seen, and will learn about all types of animals from all over the world. They are in for a very exciting experience."

Upon entering the aquarium, visitors will be surrounded by panoramic screens playing aquatic footage, and will feel as if they have stepped into an underwater adventure.

The aquarium offers fully-themed exhibits that will teach visitors about aquatic life in various parts of the world, with life-like scenes capturing each geographic location, including:

Louisiana Swamp - transporting visitors to the marsh and bayous of the Gulf Coast, this exhibit includes snapping turtles, alligators, carp, bass, catfish and all types of wildlife amidst cypress trees;
South Sea Ship Wreck - visitors will step inside the sunken hull of a 17th Century Spanish Galleon shipwreck, with the opportunity to look out into the beautiful and colorful diversity of species from all over the world, including kelp, skates, octopus, wolf eel, grouper and snappers;
Amazon River - the sights, sounds and feel of the jungle are imminent in this tropical rainforest as guests approach this lush exhibit, where Banyan Trees, foliage and mud bank formations are the surroundings to peacock bass, tetras, poison arrow frogs, sting ray, mata mata turtles, piranha and electric eels, and flora and fauna abound;
Mayan Temple - the ancient legend of "El Dorado" is revealed when visitors arrive in the lost civilization of the Mayan culture of South America. This exhibit depicts the ruins of Mayan gods, and shows how sea creatures transformed the ruins to their own habitat. Spiny lobsters, scorpions and tarantulas crawl among the ruins, while seahorses, cavefish, jawfish, pinecone flashlight fish and Caribbean fish swim overhead;
Gulf of Mexico - as part of the final voyage, this bottom-of-the-sea exhibit features the steel structure foundation of an oil derrick, giving visitors an up-close look at an underwater derrick maintenance station and the bountiful populations of fish that are drawn to these man-made reefs. Visitors will be able to see a diver make daily feedings to such interesting species as triggerfish, amberjack, cobia, spadefish, snapper and grouper.
Interactive Area - at the end of the tour, visitors will have a chance to enjoy a hands-on experience with three touch tanks, where several different types of underwater species will be on display, including horseshoe crabs, urchins, angelfish, colorful fish from the South Pacific, as well as a shark nursery, with skates and rays. A biologist also will be on site to answer questions and provide additional information.

"The public aquarium will enable visitors to travel around the world, as they see through these magnificent exhibits what marine life is like in such distant areas of the globe as the Amazon River, South America and the South Seas," said Animal Husbandry Manager Jim Prappas. Visitors will feel as if they are submerged underwater as they tour the aquatic-designed complex, which opens early for schools and other educational groups to tour. Another exciting aspect of the complex is the 200,000-gallon Shark Voyage, which is accessed by train through an acrylic tunnel, providing visitors an up-close view of the sharks.

Landry's Restaurants Inc., is the nation's second largest and fastest growing casual-dining, full-service seafood restaurant chain. Publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange, Landry's owns and operates approximately 279 restaurants, including Landry's Seafood House, Joe's Crab Shack, The Crab House, Rainforest Café, Charley's Crab, Willie G's Seafood & Steak House, The Chart House, and Saltgrass Steak House, as well as Kemah Boardwalk, a magnificent 40-acre, family-oriented themed entertainment destination. The company employs 28,000 workers in 36 states.

Downtown Aquarium is located at Bagby and Memorial Drive. For more information, call 713/223-FISH or visit the web site at downtownaquarium.com.