Galveston
Vacation
Everything You Need
for a
Great Galveston Vacation!
Find out
everything you need to know for having a great time on a Galveston
Vacation. Galveston has many attractions, restaurants, beaches, and
special events that make it a great vacation for the whole family.
There's something for everyone from great beach activities and
nightlife or just a quiet retreat too.
After
almost four years Galveston Island has fully recovered from Hurricane Ike. It's been a slow revival but the area has made a great comeback and many facilities are totally remodeled and up and running. Restaurants, attractions, and many of the popular tourist destinations are back and better than they were before the
storm.
One of the
big events this year is the re-opening of the Galveston Pleasure
Pier by Landry's on 25th and Seawall Blvd. The original Pleasure
Pier was built in the late 1940's and was very popular. Hurricane
Carla ended that in 1963. In 1965 a new hotel was built on the
pier, called the Flagship Hotel and in 2008 it was all but
destroyed by Hurricane Ike, Does this show somewhat of a pattern
here?
The Galveston Pleasure Pier,
over 1200 feet long, will have 100-foot tall Ferris Wheel, 36-foot double-decker carousel, and a 200 foot tall swing plus other amusement rides.
Anyway, the
Grand Opening is planned for Memorial Day. Landry's will also
create a retail center, Shops at Pleasure Pier, on the opposite side of Seawall Boulevard,
along with parking. Landry's is investing over $60 million dollars
in this project.
This is a
video of the Galveston Pleasure Pier construction in last
week of April. The
wind and construction noise was pretty loud. But look at
how long the pier is and all
the stuff they are packing in close together. Not sure how
many folks are going to fit
on the pier with all that stuff taking up a lot of space,
bet it will be very crowded.
I've been
watching them build this for the last few months and it looks like
they will make their deadline of Memorial Day. I've heard several
prices on admission, not sure what it will be yet but probably around
$10 per head for entry and then day passes or individual tickets
for the rides. Update - OK the entry to the pier is $10 for
adults and $8 for children (children are under 48 inches tall).
Ride wristband for adults is $25.99 and children $19.99 (includes
pier entry fee). There is a 4 person family deal for $84.99. These
prices are for all day and unlimited rides as far as I know now. My only concern is parking down in that area is
already a nightmare so this new amusement park will certainly add
to the problem. There will be a new pay to park lot just across
and east of the pier for up to 500 cars, not sure what that cost
is yet.
Galveston offers more than 30 miles of beaches and many different things to do and see. From the historic Strand shopping area to the many art galleries and museums, there's something of interest for just about any
visitor on a Galveston vacation. There are several child
friendly destinations like Moody Gardens and their replica of a Tropical Rain Forest,
Aquarium and many outdoor attractions that celebrate water and
sunshine.
I was down in the Strand
shopping area the other day having lunch with some friends at the Star
Drug Store. The Star Drug
Store is a great place to eat and they have a legit Soda
Fountain. The Star Drug Store is the oldest drug store in
Texas and is located a few blocks from the Galveston
Cruise Terminal. It's definitely worth stopping by. if you
remember the old days of soda fountains
at local drug stores like
cherry or vanilla cokes. They also have one of the best
hamburgers in the Strand shopping area.
So when we came out after
lunch we noticed that a Royal
Caribbean Cruise Ship had pulled into port. You forget how
big these boats are and this one looks like it's coming
right down the street. Those building in the shot are 4
and 5 stories tall and the cruise ship dwarfs them even
from 3 blocks away.
The
Galveston Cruise business is growing by leaps and bounds and is
very popular. There are now 4 different cruise lines and ships
that call Galveston home. Two of the cruise ships are less than a
year old and have every possible feature available. You can learn
more about Galveston Cruises right here: Cruises Out of Galveston
- (Just updated for 2012 Season).
We have
information on many of the popular Galveston vacation packages, attractions,
cruises, and different accommodations from motels, hotels, Bed and
Breakfast facilities, and beach house rentals. Each can provide a
unique experience depending on what you want from your Galveston
Vacation.
