We stayed at a large AirBnB house on the west end of the island, meaning we weren't super close to all the usual tourist haunts. We brought in a lot of our own food so we wouldn't need to eat out for every meal. The rental house had a garage full of boogie boards and sand toys, and we brought beach umbrellas, chairs and towels to make the most of the bright, sunny days.
We loved the west end of Galveston Island. It was never as crowded as the areas near Pleasure Pier, one of the largest tourist draws in the area. We would claim the spot directly out from our rental house each morning with chairs and umbrellas and then wander out at our leisure. My girls could run back and forth from house to beach (as long as an adult was at either location) to use the bathroom, grab a snack or take a break from the sun without worry. We spent our days searching for crabs (and hoping to not find any jellyfish!), catching minnows and enjoying the endless waves and shallow water in the Gulf. The water was often incredibly warm, which was great.
We did venture into town several times to check out recommended hot spots and kids activities, so I do have a few recommendations!
For food, we loved The Spot. It is ranked the number one eatery for tourists, and it's a well-earned title. The Spot is five venues in one that serves up yummy food in a laidback environment. I had a yummy island salad, and my girls loved their generously-portioned kids meals. We watched the waves roll in from our table on the porch. Highly recommend! http://thespot.islandfamous.com/
Another eatery we loved was Jimmy's on the Pier. It's small and requires a trip up steep steps, something to consider if you have strollers or others who have a hard time with stairs. But the views of the water are outstanding and the food (and drinks, so I'm told!) is great. The seafood is fresh from the Gulf, and, after you dine, you can get a free pass to walk out on the fishing pier below the restaurant. My girls loved watching fishermen and trying to spot fish in the water. https://www.jimmysonthepier.com/
Other spots we recommend checking out are Woody's and The Sand Bar.
We never made it to Pleasure Pier because the weather was really, really warm, and I am really, really pregnant, although my girls whined quite a bit about not being able to ride the rollercoasters (next time!). We did try out the Shark 5D movie, which I sadly don't recommend for $7 per person, and the Rainforest River Adventure Ride at Rainforest Cafe, which we actually did enjoy for $6.49 per person. Magic Carpet Mini Golf is a fun outing for $10 per person ($7 for kids) for 18 holes of mini golf. It's a great course, but there is little airflow even in the shade and I would not recommend it on a really warm day.
Our favorite activity was riding the Galveston Island/ Port Bolivar Ferry. Check the Website for times, but the ferries run continuously and frequently and are totally free. You can drive your car or walk on. Because it was a busy day, we decided to walk on to save time. The ride each way took about 15 minutes and it was so worth it. We saw countless dolphins dancing through the waters. My girls loved this! We also got a look at the SS Selma, a sunken ship from World War I that is somewhat of a local legend. I cannot recommend this ferry ride enough. It was probably my girls' favorite thing that we did, and it was free (and had bathrooms on board!).
To learn more about the ferry, go here:
https://www.galveston.com/galvestonferry/
To learn more about the sunken ship you will see on your ferry ride, go here:
https://crystalbeach.com/selma.htm
We went to The Strand, the downtown main street, early in our trip, and enjoyed La King's, a well-known ice cream shop and confectionery on the island. Not only did we enjoy yummy ice cream and fountain Coke with cherry syrup, we were able to see a taffy pull and discover how salt water taffy is made. The store is stocked with every sweet treat you could possibly imagine- my girls were in heaven! This store is also dates back to the early Twentieth Century and is well worth a visit! https://lakingsconfectionery.com/visit-us/
My big girls took a Harry Potter-themed cooking class while on vacation at the cutest cooking store I have ever visited, The Kitchen Chick. For three hours they made and enjoyed lunch treats such as Butter Beer and Cauldron Cakes. If you are looking for a few hours without the kids so you and your SO can enjoy a meal together, I recommend looking into classes here. My girls raved about how much fun they had! http://www.thekitchenchick.com/
We also enjoyed souvenir and window-shopping downtown, as well as a few fun photo opps in the downtown square. But really, we enjoyed our time on the beach the most. You can drive on the beach (near the west end, at least), making it easily accessible for everyone. Closer to Pleasure Pier and downtown Galveston, there are umbrellas and chairs to rent so you don't need to haul your own, and lots of street parking (for a fee). We drove by lots of great hotels and RV parks that we may check out next time we make the drive. We saw fantastic fireworks on the 4th of July and loved watching the waves roll in each day.
Are there any spots I missed? Any Galveston recommendations you would add to my list?
No comments:
Post a Comment