Galveston, Texas – Seagulls and Seaweed.

Galveston beach

Galveston is just a 40-minute drive from Houston and offers an inexpensive getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. The beaches do not compare to the ones you will find in Florida, but they are nice enough to bring a family out for a day in the sun. The summer that we visited, they had an abnormally large amount of seaweed washed up on shores, but that’s usually not the case.

If you are planning a trip there, you should know that the city is separated from the sea by a giant sea wall, which is meant to protect the real estate from the sea overflow during hurricanes. In some parts of the Island (southern tip and northern tip), the hotels are on the beach. However, in other parts (mostly middle of the Island), the hotels are across a busy Seawall boulevard from the beach. Additionally, in some areas where there are a lot of condominiums, there is no beach at all and the seawall backs up to the sea.

The island has a lot of activities for kids and tourist attractions, with the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier probably being the most popular one.