Question about Galveston...

[Ballcox]

Doing a trip down to Galveston later in the summer with the family and was wondering if anybody here has been there/lived there and might have some answers to the following questions:

1. What is there to do besides go to the beach? Good places to eat, attractions for kids, etc.

2. Are there any good public golf courses? I don't like to go much above the $30-40 range for green fees, but would like to play a round when I'm down there.

Thanks in advance for any helpful info!

[to21]

http://www.city-data.com/forum/houston/652890-galveston-beach-camping.html

[Ballcox]

^appreciate, also just trying to benefit from the far ranging and world-wide knowledge of the Spurstalk community!

[ChumpDumper]

I haven't been in years. Gaido's and Pier 19 were my favorite places to eat back then, but I think the latter is a Joe's Crab shack now. The Wentletrap on the Strand had a nice froufrou Sunday brunch if you are into that kind of thing. The best gumbo I had was at some little place near Ball High that I can't recall now. Basically all I eat when I'm on the Gulf Coast is shrimp; there doesn't seem to be a reason to eat anything else while I'm there.

A WWII sub and destroyer escort are berthed at Seawolf Park if you or your kids are into that sort of thing, and of course there is a Schlitterbahn on the island too.

[to21]

^appreciate, also just trying to benefit from the far ranging and world-wide knowledge of the Spurstalk community!No problem....I haven't been there in years and I knew I had heard comments about it from this site.

From what I remember east on the Island was the place we went and it was fine. We must have eaten at the restaurant Chump was talking about a lot later because when we went it was Joe's

[Frenzy]

I haven't been in years. Gaido's and Pier 19 were my favorite places to eat back then, but I think the latter is a Joe's Crab shack now. The Wentletrap on the Strand had a nice froufrou Sunday brunch if you are into that kind of thing. The best gumbo I had was at some little place near Ball High that I can't recall now. Basically all I eat when I'm on the Gulf Coast is shrimp; there doesn't seem to be a reason to eat anything else while I'm there.

A WWII sub and destroyer escort are berthed at Seawolf Park if you or your kids are into that sort of thing, and of course there is a Schlitterbahn on the island too.

Gaido's :toast

there is a moody gardens... not bad for the kids with the under water aquarium and 3d movie for the kiddos. i was there a about a year or 2 ago. before the mishap.

[Ballcox]

^It's also been a while for me, last time I was in Galveston was probably 1983-84 and I don't remember a single place we went to. Did do some crabbing for blue star in the tidal areas and that was some damn good eating, but I don't think my two 6 yr. olds are going to have the patience for that.

Thanks for all the info so far, anybody else please feel free to add!

[ploto]

Here are some updates on hurricane damaged businesses:



May 21, 2009

Birds and blooms fill Moody Gardens’ Rainforest Pyramid once again. The H2O Bar at the San Luis Resort is serving tropical martinis. Willie G’s is frying up shrimp on Pier 21. Crab is back on the menu at Gaido’s. And the Strand shops are selling souvenirs.

Galveston is ready for you now. After months of Ike cleanup, the island is planning a party.

On May 30, the historical downtown area will host a Re-Birth-Day celebration with a traveling street party on Postoffice Street, Ship’s Mechanic Row, the Strand and Pier 21. The Tremont Hotel, which is scheduled to reopen June 1, will offer tours; it has a new restaurant and wine bar.

That evening, the Galveston Arts Center will host ArtWalk. Commercial galleries, nonprofit spaces and restaurants will offer new exhibits, refreshments and later hours.

Signs of rebirth are heartening to businesses along Postoffice Street, which — with the Strand’s Galveston Arts Center building still a long way from reopening — have become the nucleus of the island’s art community.

At the contemporary gallery Design/Works (2119A Postoffice; 409-766-7599), owners Stephen and Elisabeth Lanier are showing Once Upon a Garden, an exhibit of new pieces by Galveston-based sculptor Marie Leterme. “The work deals with returning to her gardens here after Ike,” Stephen Lanier says. “She’s originally from Flanders, so some of that influence is there, too.”

The once-thriving visual arts community is coming back slowly, Lanier says. Also on Postoffice, the Galveston Art League’s gallery has reopened, and artist René Wiley has opened a new studio and gallery next door to the popular MOD Coffee & Tea House.

Lanier says the island’s downtown sidewalks are returning to life, too, as businesses restore landscape planters. “There’s green that wasn’t here yesterday,” he says. “It’s like TV — trucks with workers and plants pull up, and gardens appear instantly.”

And the crowds are coming back. Mother’s Day weekend was the San Luis’ busiest since the storm. The poolside H2O Club looked like the hottest place in town. Adults cheered the Rockets on the swim-up bar’s HDTV screens, while kids packed the waterfall slide. The scene gets pretty wild at night.

Overall, Galveston is looking good, considering what it went through just eight months ago. Don’t let the drive down 61st Street scare you off; it’s one of the areas where a lot of the businesses are still shuttered. The attractions and beaches are open for business. While some tourist favorites, like La King’s Confectionery and Hendley Market remain closed, the Strand has plenty to do, too.

We took a driving tour down Broadway, where the stately homes still hold court. Old City Cemetery at 43rd Street and Broadway is filled with blooming coreopsis and Indian blankets.

Cleanup continues on Bolivar Peninsula. Though bulldozers are moving large piles of vegetation and debris everywhere, the birds don’t seem to mind. Roseate spoonbills, brown pelicans, herons and egrets were hanging out at the Rookery in High Island. On the free ferry ride over, a frigate flew above; on the way back, dolphins splashed alongside the boat.

All the signs of summer point to a rebound for Galveston tourism.

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ATTRACTIONS

• Moody Gardens: 1 Hope Blvd.; 800-582-4673; www.moodygardens.com. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. Day passes are $46.95.

• Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark: 2026 Lockheed; 409-770-9283; www.schlitterbahn.com/gal. The park opens at 10 a.m. daily. Single-day tickets are $37.99 for adults; $29.99 for ages 3-11 and 55 and older.

• Moody Mansion: 2618 Broadway; 409-762-7668; www.moodymansion.org. Open daily. Admission is $7 for adults, $3.50 for students and military personnel.

• Bishop’s Palace: 1402 Broadway; 409-762-2475. Open Fridays-Sundays. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for students 6-18. Free for ages 5 and younger.

• The Elissa: At Pier 21; 409-763-1877; www.galveston.com/texasseaportmuseum. Open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission $7 for adults; $5 for children; free for ages 5 and younger.

• Lone Star Flight Museum: 2002 Terminal Drive; 409-740-7722 or 888-359-5736; www.lsfm.org. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Exhibits at the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame. Also, rides on airplanes from the World War II era. Flights start at $290.

• Info: www.galveston.com


HOTELS

• San Luis Resort and Spa: Club 10 level has special amenities, including priority seating in Landry’s restaurants and discounts in hotel shops. Pool was named one of the best in Texas. 5222 Seawall Blvd.; 800-392-5937

• Moody Gardens Hotel and Spa: Offers packages with Moody Gardens attractions. 7 Hope Blvd.; 888-388-8484

• Hotel Galvez: Historical Wyndham hotel dates to 1911. Spa reopens in June. 2024 Seawall Blvd.; 409-765-7721

• Holiday Inn: Great location and rates. 5002 Seawall; 409-740-3581

• Tremont House: This 1839 Wyndham hotel is scheduled to reopen June 1 in the Strand District. 2300 Ship’s Mechanic Row; 409-763-0300

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/travel/texas/features/6433051.html

[Extra Stout]

They've put back together most of the touristy stuff since Ike. There may be some stuff on the Strand still closed.

The kids will enjoy Moody Gardens.

[ChumpDumper]

The restaurant I remember on Pier 19 is Hill's. It still has hits on Google so it might still be there.

[Blake]

does anybody ever just hang out on the beach there?

My perception of it is oil darkened sand and murky brown water.

[Extra Stout]

does anybody ever just hang out on the beach there?

My perception of it is oil darkened sand and murky brown water.

The sand is brown and very fine. The water is murky brown because the sand is so fine it stays in suspension. The reason the sand is so fine is because it has a lot of silt from the Brazos and even the Mississippi in it.

The globs of oil I remember from the 1980's but it's been a long time since I've seen one.

[Blake]

yeah, it's been a long time since Ive been there. I bet it's nice enough, but I still just can't shake this perception.

[mookie2001]

HAS ANYONE CRAWLED ON THE WALL AT KAPPA??

ive been wanting to go for like 10 years but never been