Galveston, TX

Since we had 2 nights booked in Baytown, so we could plan a full day of excursions, we decided to explore Galveston island, about an hour and 20 minutes away. We made a list of 11 things we thought might be open or fun to see before heading out at 8:30am. Points of interest are grouped into Outdoors, Beaches, Museums and History. Weather was perfect; about 80 degrees and some clouds with a gentle breeze.

First impressions on the drive in (good freeways, some construction in progress) was there are a LOT of oil refineries on both sides of the highway. This made it feel very industrial until you reach the island, then everything changes. Well, maybe there was one refinery on the island itself, on the north side.

Beaches: So, top of the list was a drive along Seawall Blvd, that hugs the sidewalk between sand and surf for nearly 32 miles. We hit the hot spots along this stretch for about 5 miles to get an idea of what life on the beach would be like. Traffic was light and we were able to cruise at picture-taking speed. PS: the water is brown out to about 200 yards due to the shallow sea bottom and lack of plant growth, allowing the bottom to get kicked up to the surface:

Outdoors: Another pier was dedicated to fishing, and Louise and I walked to the end to see what was being caught. We saw a large catfish and a small Muffin-head shark caught while we enjoyed visiting with the locals and the beautiful weather and sea breeze. This experience felt much like trips to the end of the pier in Santa Cruz or Capitola, CA.

History: Next, we headed across the island to find the historic Strand district. A couple parallel streets reminded us of Old Town Sacramento; there were lots of touristy shops and a few restaurants. We didn't walk it, but drove through a few times to take pictures of the area and the architecture. A few pix follow:

Museums: Most museums were still closed, so we opted to tour one of the two mansions. Bishop's Palace mansion was our choice as it offered an excellent gift shop and audio, self-guided tours. A small sampling of the many pictures we took, follow. Maybe you can get a feel of what opulent life looked like on the island back in 1892.

Restaurants: Of course, no trip to the seashore would be complete without a fish lunch or dinner. Since it was early afternoon, we decided to make it an early dinner and found Gaidos across the street from the beach to fit the bill. Gaidos Seafood Restaurant has been in business since 1911 and it had the ambiance of stepping back into that time, where you were assigned a waiter who catered to your every need (our's was named Justin, coincidentally). Dark paneling and old fashioned furniture and pictures added to the feeling you would be well taken care of here!

We were not disappointed with the catch of the day, a Tilefish (yes, we never heard of one either) that feeds off shrimp, crab and lobster ... It was excellent, covered with a crab and shrimp topping, over a rice pilaf. An absolutely wonderful, non-fish taste with a flaky consistency like halibut, but much easier to chew.

Of course, Louise had the pecan pie and I had the bread pudding. EVERYTHING is made from scratch at this restaurant in the 3rd largest kitchen in the USA. Even the mayonnaise. Wow!