The Many Faces of Galveston Island

The Many Faces of Galveston Island

Galveston Island Attractions

Galveston Island is a year around destination for water sports lovers. With ample attractions, world class hotels, fine dining and miles of golden sandy beaches, Galveston is a perfect vacation spot any month of the year. With the 30 miles of shops, hotels, spas and restaurants, and rich local culture as well, most residents can't remember last time they went over to the mainland. Charmingly, Galveston residents classify themselves in two ways—born on the island (BOI) and islander by choice (IBC). The number of attractions, shops, parks, and cultural options seem to be endless on Galveston Island.

A great place for families, Galveston Island offers loads of options for fun and adventure for people of all ages. The Pleasure Pier, Galveston’s version of Coney Island, has been named one of the world's top-five seaside parks by Amusement Today. The 1,130-foot-long Pier hosts Texas's first Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant, many shops, midway games and 16 rides, including gentle rides for young visitors. The more adventurous will want to take in the exhilarating coasters—including spectacular views from the top of a 100-foot-tall Ferris Wheel or an adrenaline rush on the thrilling Iron Shark Roller Coaster. Getting around the island is easy. Travel by land, sea and air with the Treasure Isle Tour Train, Galveston Island Ferry (ferries are free running every 15-20 minutes) and aerial tours through Scholes International Airport. For a romantic after-dinner ride, try a horse-drawn carriage through downtown at dusk.

Outdoor Sports in Galveston

At 10.4 miles long, the seawall tracing along the Gulf of Mexico is the world’s longest sidewalk and attracts walkers, joggers, bicyclists, surfers, sunbathers, skaters and sightseers year-round.  Being that three-fourths all North American bird species travel through Galveston during fall and spring migration, Galveston is one of the top locations for birding in the United States. Water and shore birds are present throughout the year while rare species are spotted during fall and spring migration. Offatts Bayou is a popular for sail boating and those who want to just sail, anchor and relax. Galveston’s protected waters are smooth-sailing for small sailboats. Summertime in Galveston means exciting times for one of the island’s newest adventure sports–parasailing. Caribbean Breeze Parasailing is offers riders short flights high above Galveston’s surf. Love to golf? Galveston Island offers two golf coursest–the Moody Gardens Golf Course and the Galveston Country Club. Moody Gardens Golf Course is a public course and the Galveston Country Club is private, but is open to Galveston visitors for golf and restaurant facilities.

If you love to fish, there are a multitude of opportunities for fishing. The Galveston Bay area hosts more fishermen than any other place on the Texas Coast. More than 100 species of fish are caught in this area regularly, including redfish, speckled trout, flounder, golden croaker, drum and Spanish mackerel. Both offshore (deep sea fishing) and onshore fishing opportunities about in Galveston.

Staying in Galveston

The most obvious water sports lovers are the surfers. The City of Galveston has designated the beaches between the 17th Street & 21st Street rock groins; between the 25th Street & 29th Street rock groins; between the 29th Street & 53rd Street rock groins; 300 feet west of 61st Street, and west of 91st Street—all for surfing! Galveston is an all year around vacation destination for all ages. If bringing a group or family, check out the vacation home options to see about booking a beach front accommodations in Galveston with space and privacy for the entire group or family.