tOP 10: bUCKET lIST gALVESTON
Fishing off of the 61st Street Pier
Visitors to Galveston Island love to go fishing. There are many jetty's and fishing boats you can go out into the Gulf of Mexico or into the bay. Word is... the 61st street fishing pier is the most fun!
Bike the 10.3 miles of the Seawall
Bring your bike or rent one. Riding the entire Seawall seems like a really fun day. Apparently it is 10.3 miles down the seawall. Very bike friendly along the seawall with many places to stop and see the sights, eat meals and even stop for some ice cream. There are a lot of fun places to go, things to do that will offer you the perfect family vacation!
Hurricane Ike 35 Tree Sculptures
One of the islands biggest natural disasters, Hurricane Ike caused a huge amount of damage to the island. Many of the buildings rebuilt and reopened, so many of the islands old trees were damaged and fell down. Some artists on the island sculpted trees into works of art. There is a fun map for you to find them on your own if you like and read all about the history.
Broadway Cemetery
I know it sounds creepy, but the Broadway Cemetery has some amazingly old headstones and during the spring, it has the most amazing yellow flowers blooming all over. It is really something you have never seen before.
Movie Night on the Strand
Movie Nite on The Strand Hosted by Mitchell Historic Properties and the Galveston Convention and Visitors Bureau, this free Saengerfest Park event invites families to enjoy a series of beloved movies under the stars.
Spot a Dolphin off the coast of Galveston Island
Take a dolphin tour out of Pier 21 to see a wonderful group of dolphins. Check out the video of my sister's tour!
TOP 10: BUCKET LIST GALVESTON
Build a Sandcastle
Sometimes putting your feet in the sand is all you need for the perfect family vacation. When your little ones face lights up building a castle. Do It Yourself, or take a sandcastle building class at Stewart Beach it should be at the top of your things to do, either way it is fun!
1877 Tall Ship Elissa
Want to see how things used to be, check out these tall ships. You can even take a ride on these old ships, and sometimes the big ships from across the country visit the island in a Tall Ships race.
Seawolf Park- USS Cavalla, USS Stewart
Seawolf Park is off the beaten path for tourists, but really should be visited more. The history at this attraction is very interesting. You can even volunteer to restore and renovate the ships.
The Grand 1894
The grand 1894 is the old Opera House and still functions as a venue for musicals, musicians, comedians and entertainment for all. The restoration after Ike was amazing. They were reopened a few months after being entirely flooded during Ike
Ike flood lines
This is not one you will find on most people's list. My guests have the best time walking around downtown and looking at the Ike Flood lines on all of the buildings downtown. They are always amazed at what a horrible storm it was and how the city has bounced back and even better than before. The downtown district is thriving with new shopping, food and attractions, including Art Walk.
Things to Do: TOP 10 ATTRACTIONS
Ghost Tours
Galveston Island is known for the ghosts that are inhabiting old homes, hotels and historic landmarks all over the island. From turn of the century storm of 1900 that has orphans haunting the Wal Mart on the Seawall to the recent gruesome murder by Fred Durst, you can learn about all of it on the many Ghost Tours, my favorite is www.historicgalvestonghosttours.com
Pleasure Pier
Perhaps the coolest thing to come out of Hurricane Ike is the building of the Historic Pleasure Pier. It opened summer of 2012. One amazing roller coaster, 15 rides, carnival games, souvenirs and of course food! The views are amazing and it is really fun to swing out over the water of the Gulf of Mexico.
History
Galveston has so much history. The Bryan Museum has a terrific collection of Texas History artifacts owned by a private collector, and the grounds of the Bryan Museum are absolutely gorgeous, my favorite spot for a wedding and the garden. The Bryan Museum is the perfect place at at the top of things to do for a history buff. www.thebryanmuseum.org
The Railroad Museum is really a blast for kids of all ages and perfect for a fun family vacation. We took my 2 year old nephew and he had so much fun with the choo-choos! It is really fun and on the weekends you can go on a train ride! www.galvestonrrmuseum.org
Ocean Star Oil Rig Museum: this one was a HUGE surprise for me. I was not expecting it to be so interesting. Learning how rigs work, the equipment and how the people live on the rig was so intriguing. It is definitely worth the visit, science buffs, oil & gas people and engineers will love it. www.oceanstaroec.com
Bishop's Palace: the building and architecture is just awe inspiring. It is a National Historic Landmark, listed in the National Registrar of Historic Places. Many Architectural historians place Bishop's Palace (Gresham House)
as one of the most significant Victorian residences in the country. One of the fun places to go on the Island, perfect for people who love architecture. https://www.galveston.com/bishopspalace/
Moody Gardens
There is so much to do at Moody Gardens. You can really stay there for the entire weekend! There are pyramids with Rainforest and Aquarium, Theaters, restaurants, golf course which is very fun and not too difficult, even i have played there several times. Guests of the hotel can take advantage of the Pool and Palm Beach. They even have bands on the sand during the summer months. Penguins, Parrots, movies 3D and 4D, and a ropes course and zip line! so much to do, it takes several days! www.moodygardens.com
Fishing
Go fishing. Go fishing on the piers, the jettys or in a boat for the bay fishing or deep sea fishing. No matter what kind of fishing you are interested in, Galveston Island has fishing for you. Very popular is the pier fishing. You can fish on Galveston's 61st street fishing. A family friendly fishing pier, offering rod rentals, bait, drinks, food and an observation deck. https://www.61stpier.com/
Galveston Fishing Pier located at 90th and Seawall Blvd has a great pier for fishing as well. They have Jimmy's on the Pier to eat, kids fishing classes, it is open 24 hours a day for a nominal fee! There are always people fishing off of this really fun pier. https://www.galvestonfishingpier.com/
Bay fishing & deep sea fishing. There are a lot of boat captains working out of Galveston and the greater bay area. last time we went, we had to leave out of Texas City because of the wind, but it was a fantastic trip and we caught a lot of fish.
Get your fishing license before you come down to galveston, if you don't, you can always get one at the Academy Sports & Outdoors located on the island.
Water Sports
Do you like to stand up paddle, kayak, surf, water ski, flyboard or hoverboard, you can do it on Galveston Island! If you have your own you can do it in the Gulf of Mexico or in Offats Bay. If you don't own your own, or you want lessons, there are a ton of places on the island to play like a child.
SUP is located on the seawall and has a great selection of board rentals and lessons. http://www.supgulfcoasttx.com/
Ohana has a great surfing school for kids in the summer and rentals during the year.
Extreme watersports has a little of everything for everyone! Hoverboard and flyboard rentals the hottest thing in watersports! http://extremewatersportsgalveston.com/
i borrowed a neighbors kayak this weekend and had a blast. we launched at Pirate's Beach and paddled out and i could see all the way down to Pleasure Pier. It was really cool to be out there on such a quiet day on the Gulf of Mexico.
TOP 10 ATTRACTIONS
Eat
Galveston has the freshest seafood in Texas and if you want to see the freshest catch getting unloaded off of the boats each morning check out Katie's seafood on the pier! Now the island is attracting some of the hottest chefs in Texas. Whether you want seafood, steak or amazing craft cocktails, Galveston Island has it for you. Check out my section on Top 10 restaurants. If you are looking for sweets. LA Kings has homemade taffy, homemade soda and ice cream located on the strand. Hey Mikey's has the most unique and delicious flavors of ice cream located on post office street and there is a really good chocolate company next door to LA Kings on the strand. Our family vacation always starts with meals, start making your list of things to do.
Shopping
The Downtown District has grown from just the strand to an entire downtown district. The shopping is extremely eclectic. A tea and spice import company, a jerky store and the most amazing ladies clothing stores and beauty bars. There is something for everyone and you can spend a day just wandering around!
Tree Sculptures
When Hurricane Ike demolished the island, it ruined many trees. There is a brochure in the visitor center where you can drive or walk to see the scultures. The brochure describes many of the sculptures as well as the artists. it is a wonderful thing to turn the tragic loss of the stately old trees into really fun works of art all across the island. Here is a link to the map of the trees: https://www.galveston.com/treesculpturetour/
Dolphins, Horses, Birds
Want to go on a boat and go on a dolphin tour? My sister went and saw a ton of dolphins, it was amazing. Head to pier 21 and catch a boat to see the dolphins around the island.
Horse back riding, yes you can! I have never done this, but it sounds so fun, so I am going to put it on my list! https://www.galveston.com/horses/
Birding and Kayaking. I have taken this kayak tour by Artist Boat and it is so much fun. Great for adults and kids old enough to kayak. we saw birds, we painted, i ate edible plants, it is fantastic. https://www.artistboat.org/
top 10 restaurants
Top 10 restaurants in Galveston as rated by TripAdvisor and Yelp - May 2019... with my opinions
Rudy & Paco
I Love Rudy & Paco's. The ambiance is absolutely amazing. It is aa white tablecloth restaurant requiring reservations for dinner, but not for lunch. Lunch is one of the best values on the island. it is really terrific food and you can hit some amazing lunch specials. Even their salads are special. No hats in the dining room, even for lunch, when causal wear is acceptable.
The Steakhouse
Some of the highest quality ingredients on the island. Steaks are unsurpassed and as all Fertitta owned restaurants, they pay exceptional detail to their service. It is for special occasions only.
Gaido's
This restaurant is on Trip Advisors top restaurants, it is not on mine. It has been on the island for decades and has a reputation of good food. It is very bland and probably is loved by the older audience as they are caught up in the nostalgia of the restaurant and what is used to be.
Shearn's Seafood & Prime Steaks
Their restaurant week menu was amazing, and it truly is among the best views on the island. Perfect location for a romantic dinner!
Number 13
Number 13 is located just as you come over the causeway, you cant miss it, there is a HUGE steer out front. we went for restaurant week and i had the shrimp appetizer and the beef wellington. The meat was so tasty and tender, aged to perfection, the wellington part was a little doughy, but i would definitely return for a regular filet. their bread... oh my the BREAD. it was truly spectacular
top 10 restaurants
Vargas Cut & Catch
The new fine dining option in the downtown district. Paco Vargas, from Rudy & Paco opened up his own steakhouse with amazing seafood. The restaurant has such a terrific feel with the dark wood, the heavy steak knives, the wine cabinets, it is top notch. The dessert is truly amazing.
BLVD Seafood
One of my favorite restaurants on the island. Located on the seawall near Pleasure Pier you would think it is a tourist trap, but it is NOT so many locals eat at BLVD Seafood regularly, including me. I have created my own dish and the best part, the chef tried it and LOVED it!. Its the Shrimp DeJonge appetizer on top of the kids pasta. There is a little something for everyone on this menu, including an incredible Wedge Salad!
Shrimp N Stuff
The original location on Avenue O is the place to go for some local flare and seafood. It is extremely casual, can be a line out the door to order, but it is worth it. Again, I love the fried shrimp with hush puppies, cole slaw and i use their special cocktail sauce, although my husband says the fried catfish is good and he really likes their tarter sauce. Wherever you go, eating seafood should be on your list of things to do!
Miller's Seawall Grill
Miller's Seawall grill is an institution on the island. In 2018 the restaurant caught fire and was closed for several months. The owners continued to pay employees while the restaurant was rebuilt and encouraged them to volunteer in the community to earn their pay. I tried the fried shrimp as it is one of my favorite dishes, I cannot say i was super impressed with the food, but the service was great.
The Black Pearl Oyster Bar
One of my favorites on the island, The fried shrimp po-boy has over 20 shrimp on it and the bread is fresh. The portion sizes are terrific. The restaurant is small, so get their early or go during off peak time.