by Nita Frazier

Created on: February 22, 2008   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

Galveston, oh, Galveston. The very sound of the name calls to mind the pounding surf, the briny scent of the ocean, and hot, silky sand pushing between your toes.
Galveston Island has something for everyone: live plays on the Strand, shopping, golf, fishing, and museums. Of course there's the ever changing ocean, the thirty-two miles of beach and enough shells to open a sea shell shop by the sea shore.

If you are looking for the perfect seashell or lots of slightly imperfect ones, come to Galveston in the spring and early summer after the winter currents deposit sea shells on the beach.
The main thing to remember about Galveston is that everything starts and stops at the Seawall.
The Seawall is a 10.4 mile, 30 foot wide concave wall of concrete that protects the city from the ravages of hurricanes.
From the Seawall you can board the Treasure Isle Train Tour for a half hour, 17 mile, narrated tour along the seawall, across Offats Bayou, through the Strand Historic District, the Silk Stocking District, and the University of Texas.
Medical Branch.

You can also board the trolley from the seawall. When the trolley brings you back to the seawall, hop on board the boat mobile for the Galveston Island Duck Tour.
If you prefer a slower pace for scenic viewing try the Seahorse and Classic Carriage Companies horse drawn carriage tour.
If you, like the poet John Masefield, must "go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky: . . . . Then a ride on the Colonel, a triple Decker steam paddle wheeler is for you.
Lodging in Galveston is plentiful; you can take your camper and stay in a RV park. Or, you can try a vacation rental. Why not go upscale and stay at the fabulous Commodore hotel? The Commodore juts over the Gulf of Mexico like a proud ocean queen
From your room's private balcony you can watch surfers ride waves to the beach, feed visiting birds and crane your neck to watch the dark waters swirl beneath the hotel, exiting in the Gulf bay.
Alas, it's too late to book a room for this year's Galveston Island Bed and Breakfast Association Third Annual tour. The tour is set for Saturday, February23rd. A two night stay at any of the participating bed and breakfast inns will earn you a spot on the tour of the historic inns of Galveston Island. Several of the inns survived the 1900 hurricane that took an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 lives.
The inns participating in the tour are:
Name Contact Information
Avenue O B&B www.avenue).com
Coastal Dreams B&B www.coastaldreamsbnb.com
Coppersmith Inn ww.copersmithinn.com
Grace Manor www.gracemanor-galveston.com
The Villa www.thevillabeadandbreakfast.com
The Garden Inn www.galveston.com/gardeninn
For information on the 2009 Tour contact the Galveston Chamber of Commerce, 519 25th St., Galveston, Texas 77550, telephone: 409-763-5326 or the Galveston Island Convention and Visitors Bureau at 409-765-4311.

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