OK be gentle with me, it’s my first new thread posting here. And chances are, I put it in the wrong place or something.
Anyway ~~
My fiance and I are heading to Galveston for the Memorial Day weekend, got a hotel booked with a view of the Gulf.
Now we need to know what to do while we are there. What are some great restaurants, especially Mexican? We don’t care for chain restaurants, we can get those here in the KC area.
So tell me stuff I can’t find online or from a guidebook, let me know where you’d take your out of town friends when they come visiting. And where you wouldn’t take them . . .
Gotta check out Moody Gardens… the million gallon aquarium, tropical rainforest, butterflies, etc. It’s a must. Actually Contrary, we’ll be there at a beach house at the same time. I certainly hope you enjoy your stay!
I wonder if they have one of those Metro thingys online that gives you the whole scoop on a given city. Or hit their chamber of commerce. Sometimes you can find really good restaurants that way.
Did the whole Google search, also used the hotel’s website as a jumping off point.
What I’m truly hoping for from the teeming masses is insider tips from the Texans who live there – you guys know what’s good and what’s not. You can tell me where we can find a good drink, great food, that sort of thing.
First off, I’m sure that you will go to the Strand for at least a few hours one day. The street never appealed to me (it’s more of a tourist shopping strip than anything else), but it’s a good place to start.
History is the one thing that Galveston has going for it. Back in the 19th Century, Galveston used to be one of the richest ports in the U.S… The 1900 Storm put an end to that, and the island has been in decline ever since. While you’re on the Strand, I’d check out the historical foundation. The sailing ship Ellissa is pretty cool as well and might be worth a stop.
If you have any interest at all in architecture, take a slow drive up and down Broadway and look at the buildings. Ashton Villa and the Bishop’s Palace have tours. I’m sure that other homes do as well, but those are the “big two.”
Really, the main thing to do in Galveston though is just relax. My must-do list for Galveston is really low key and includes:[ul]
[li]Riding the ferry to Bolivar at sunset. You can feed seagulls and pelicans off the back or look for porpoises from the waiting area.[/li][li]Having a cookout on the beach. Your best bets for getting away from the crowds are either Stewart Beach on the East end (until summer starts) or to drive West down the coast to past Pirate’s Beach. If you and your fiance really want to get away from the crowds, drive across San Luis Pass into Brazoria County. You can drive down the beach for miles (stay on the hard packed stuff by the water) and may have the beach to yourselves.[/li][/ul]
I really can’t recommend a good restaurant in Galveston nowadays. Gaido’s has been the place for fine dining since the 1930s, but I haven’t gone in decades. For over a decade, I made a point of going to Benno’s, a Cajun seafood place on the Seawall, for pepper shrimp whenever I went to Galveston, but the food has gotten a little bland over the years and we had to wait 45 minutes for our order the last time my wife and I went. There aren’t that many Tex-Mex places in Galveston either. You might want to stop in Houston for that (Hou-Dopers, is La Jalisciencia on Montrose (or is it Waugh?) still good?)
*[sub]BOI, “Born on the Island.” If you saw the rest of Galveston County, you will see why it’s a big thing.[/sub]
Yes, in a “2:30am, just finished getting hammered, not ready to call it a night way”, I always preferred La Tapatia on Richmond, but used to live w/i walking distance of “the Jolly Science”. There’s also a new location in the Heights.
As to the OP, you are more likely to find great seafood than good TexMex in Galveston.
Tex-mex in Houston? I’m your guy. Check out Spanish Flowers on the corner of Airline and Main (just north of downtown) or Lupe Tortilla north of the 59 access road between Shepherd and Kirby (and order the beef fajitas).
Last time I was home I ate at Guido’s I think. It’s easy to find on teh seawall and the food is really good.
As for good TexMex, I like Pappasito’s Cantina. It’s kinda loud but the food is awesome. Try the shrimp or ribs or cabrito (if they have it.) I used to work there and I can speak for the quality. You can find one on Highway 45 and Nasa Rd 1. That’s about half way between Houston and Galveston.
You might also check out Seawolf Park in Galveston (WWII submarine) and if you like that sort of stuff, take 146 off of I-35 and go north until you come to 225 and go west until you see the sign for the San Jacinto Monument Besides the Monument and the battlefield, you’ll find the Battleship Texas. I go there several times a year. There’s another little ferry you can ride there (Lynchburg Ferry - both it and the Bolivar Ferry are free as they’re considered sections of highway).
In Galveston, visit The Strand, also. Another nice little drive would be to head west out of Galveston on Seawall Blvd. and keep going down to San Luis Pass.
Is that amphitheater still out there on the far west side? Might check out if any musicals or concerts are there during your stay.
I fifth The Strand, very cool. While your over there, go check out the UTMB, I helped build some of it!
Do you like deep sea fishing? (They still do half days, right?)
For a cook out on the beach, ride the ferry over to Bolivar Peninsula. Much less crowded. And try to find Jean LaFitte’s (sp?) grave. He’s supposedly buried in one of three very old plots on that strip of land. (Or so a local told me.)
Get a Glen Campbell Cd, too.
Galveston, O Galveston! I can feel your sea winds blowing…
Did anybody mention Moody Gardens? I thought it was pretty cool. They have a nice aquarium, butterfly exhibit, and and IMAX theater. There is a very nice beach there and you can take a boat ride for about $15.00.
There is a Flight Museum next door to Moody Gardens and I thought it was great.
You may want to tour the Moody Mansion. I found that interesting.
For pretty good Tex-Mex, I recommend The Original Mexican Cafe. It’s located at 14th and Market Streets in a residential area.
If you like browsing antique shops, check out the Old Peanut Butter Warehouse on 20th Street at the east end of The Strand. Lots of cool stuff can be found there.
Another thing that I always wanted to do was to take a haunted history tour of Galveston. I imagine that there are lots of great ghost stories, considering the incredible number of people who died in the Great Storm of 1900. In fact, you may want to take time to see the movie about the storm at the Pier 21 Theater.
Most of the highlights of the island have already been mentioned here (The Strand, Moody Gardens, the Bolivar Ferry, relaxing on the beach, Ashton Villa and the Bishop’s Palace, etc.) Another “off the island place” to head to is the Kemah Boardwalk. There are several restaurants that look out over the marina where you can watch the boats going out and coming in from Galveston Bay. There is also a small amusement area with a few rides, mostly kid oriented (carousel, train, etc.) Great place to spend an evening. It’s about 20-25 miles from Galveston. To get there, take I-45 off the island, then take the exit for TX-146 towards Texas City. Follow TX-146 all the way to Kemah. Watch for the signs where TX-146 and TX-3 split near Texas City!
Haven’t been to Galveston in many years. I used to live down in Lake Jackson and would spend a couple of weekends a month up there. I wanted to be IBC* but could never swing a job there. Is “You Can’t Touch This Jambalaya” still there? If so, eat there for breakfast or lunch.