About an hour from Houston, Galveston is actually a barrier island on the Gulf Coast that was once one of the most prosperous cities in the US. The original town was nearly wiped out by a 1900 storm and this devastation was nearly repeated by Hurricane Ike in 2009. Since then, the city of historic homes and commercial ports has recovered and is once again full of restaurants, beachfront properties, and a renewed amusement park along the shore. With family living nearby, I’ve had the chance to go down several times and enjoyed some days of just visiting the old homes and sitting on the beach. (2010/17/21/24/26)
The historic downtown of Galveston lies on the eastern harbor side of the island. At the center is the old Galveston market area where the nearby ports and cotton trade made the city so prosperous. Many of the buildings are from the late 1800s including an old opera house, the exchange, and an arcade of shops. You can also find a lot of art deco and other later era architecture.
Further down at the marina, you can visit an old sailing ship, a battleship, part of an old oil rig–or just watch the wide array of seabirds nesting along the shoreline.
In the middle of the island straddling the main artery of Broadway Avenue are neighborhoods filled with old homes like the so-called Silk Stocking Historic District with its many colorful houses from the turn of the century.
Another historic area is the East End which is lined with homes from the late 19th century. Most lost their stately oak trees and needed refurbishing after flooding from Hurricane Ike, but have sprung back in the years since
Galveston’s has many impressive and stalwart mansions that have survived its storms over the years which are today museums you can tour.
One of the most visually imposing and most visited is nicknamed the “Bishop’s Palace” (1892). It was owned and used by the local diocese (a large Catholic church sits right beside it) and holds within its imposing stone walls an amazing array of artful woodwork and stained glass windows.
Another stately stone manor is Moody Mansion (1894) whose ornate gardens and ‘modern’ ameneties evoke millionaire luxury at the turn of the century.
On the Gulf side of the island is the long Seawall along which lie beaches and restaurants and nightlife as well as just the stores and offices of daily life in the city.
In the middle of the island on Offats Bayou sit the prominent Moody Gardens, three pyramid structures that house an aquarium, rainforest, and science center.
As you move towards the narrow west end of the island, you enter a much less developed area full of rugged landscape and beaches. Galveston Island State Park offers a very sparse and natural setting. Yet amidst the nature it is also the more exclusive end of the island with country club golf courses, million dollar homes and hotels, yachts in the marina. Also a great place to rent a boat to go out on the West Bay.
Back on the east side seaway where huge cargo ships pass daily, one unique part of Galveston is that you can take a ferry back and forth to the Bolivar Peninsula across the way. It cuts out a 2 1/2 trek up the bridge and around Houston but it does sometimes take about that long to wait in line with all the cars!