The city's main attractions are the downtown historic district; the Strand, with its Victorian commercial buildings and houses; and the beaches, which draw crowds of Houstonians and other Texans during the summer. And Galveston's very history is a fascinating attraction too.
Getting to Galveston & the Port
The Texas Cruise Ship Terminal at the Port of Galveston is at Harborside Drive and 25th Street, on Galveston Island. It's reached via I-45 south from Houston. For information, check out the Port of Galveston online. If you're flying in, you'll land at one of two Houston airports: William P. Hobby Airport (south of downtown Houston, and about 31 miles, or a 45-min. drive, from the terminal) or George Bush Intercontinental Airport (just north of downtown Houston, and about 54 miles, or an 80-min. drive, from the terminal). Information on both is available at the Houston Airport System website. Bush is the larger airport and it's international.
Getting around
If you've arranged air transportation and/or transfers through the cruise line, a cruise line representative will direct you to shuttle buses that take you to the port. Taxis are also available. United Cab charges by the carload from Hobby Airport and a little more from George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The following taxi companies provide service from the port to the airports only (not the other way around): Busy Bee goes to both Hobby Airport and George Bush (each additional passenger is extra), and Yellow Cab Company also goes to both Hobby and Bush. Galveston Limousine Service provides the same service, charging per person to/from Hobby and to/from Bush. All three companies require reservations
Within walking distance of the port's two terminals is the historic Strand District , Galveston's revitalized downtown, with shops, art galleries, museums, and eateries lining its quaint brick streets. If you're looking for a taxi and there aren't any waiting (which is often the case during prime embark- and debarkation times), call one of the companies listed in “Getting to Galveston & the Port,” above. Most of Galveston's hotels, motels, and restaurants are located along the seawall from where Broadway meets the shore all the way west past 60th Street. If you're on the seawall around 25th Street (near the visitor center), you can take the Galveston Island Rail Trolley to the Strand District. A small fare is required from the seawall to the Strand, but to ride just around the Strand is free.
What to see and do
Best Cruise Line Shore Excursions
City Tour: (3 ½ hrs) Because Galveston is only a port of embarkation, the cruise lines generally offer only one choice, the basic city tour. For guests with late departing flights, this bus tour is an ideal way to spend the day and often ends at the Houston (Bush) Intercontinental Airport. The tour passes through Galveston's scenic and historic Strand district, and then in Houston, through the downtown theater and museum districts and Hermann Park, home to the Houston Zoo. Before heading to the airport, tours pass through River Oaks, Houston's most prestigious residential neighborhood.
Exploring Galveston On your own
If you've only got a few hours before you have to board your cruise, focus on the Strand National Historic Landmark District the heart of Galveston in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and just steps from the cruise terminals. The East End Historic District and the old Strand District are north of Broadway, and are both National Historic Landmarks, along with the Tall Ship Elissa. The Historic District is the old silk-stocking neighborhood that runs from 9th to 19th streets between Broadway and Church Street. It has many lovely houses that have been completely restored. Three large mansions-turned-museums have regular tours: Ashton Villa , 2328 Broadway; the Bishop's Palace , 1402 Broadway, the most interesting of the bunch because there's more to see; and the Moody Mansion , 2618 Broadway. Admission is required to each The city's historical preservation society holds tours of several private houses in May (inquire at the visitor center). The Strand District is the restored commercial district that runs between 19th and 25th streets between Church Street and the harbor piers. When cotton was king, Galveston was a booming port and commercial center, and the Strand was dubbed the “Wall Street of the Southwest.” What you see now are three- and four-story buildings along 6 blocks of the Strand and along some of the side streets; many of these are Victorian iron-fronts, so called because the facades included structural and decorative ironwork. This was a common building practice before the turn of the 20th century, and you won't find a better-preserved collection of these buildings anywhere else in the United States. Nowadays the Strand is a shopping and dining area that offers a wide variety of stores.
Be sure and head to Postoffice Street, a restored historic district with more than 25 buildings, including the Grand 1894 Opera House , still in operation, and the U.S. Customs House , now home of the Galveston Historical Foundation.
The beaches are another of Galveston's most popular attractions. They may not measure up to those of the most popular beach destinations; the sand is a light tan color instead of white but it's all sand and no rocks, and while the water isn't turquoise, it's at a wonderful temperature for much of the year. East Beach and Stewart Beach , operated by the city, have pavilions with dressing rooms, showers, and restrooms, ideal for day-trippers. Stewart Beach is located at the end of Broadway, and East Beach is about a mile east of Stewart Beach. Most beaches are free; many of the nicest are on the west side of the island. Another activity popular with visitors and locals alike is to walk, skate, or ride a bike atop the seawall, which extends 10 miles along the shoreline.
Shopping
Galveston has more than 20 art galleries on the Strand, Pier 21, and in the Postoffice Street Entertainment District. The Strand is also known for its quaint antiques, art, and memorabilia shops.
Where to eat and drink
Dining & Nightlife
Seafood is what people come to Galveston for, and there's quite a variety. There are local outlets of chain restaurants such as Landry's and Joe's Crab Shack, which do a credible job, but here are a couple of Galveston's best seafood outlets. Gaidos , 3800 Seawall Blvd. is a Galveston tradition that has been owned and operated by the Gaido family for four generations, so it's no surprise the seafood is fresh and the service attentive. The soups and side dishes are mostly traditional Southern and Gulf Coast recipes that are comfort food for the longtime customers. The stuffed snapper is the best I've had. Saltwater Grill , 2017 Post Office St., located in an old building near the Strand, prints up a menu daily that usually includes some inventive seafood pasta dishes, a fish dish with an Asian bent, gumbo and/or bouillabaisse, and a few non-seafood options.
When it comes to nightlife, it's not exactly New Orleans caliber here, but there are enough bars and restaurants along the seawall, and in the historic Strand and Postoffice Street districts, to pleasantly while away an evening. For concerts, musicals, and plays, check out the 200-seat Strand Theatre in the heart of the historic district, or the elegant Grand 1894 Opera House , for Broadway productions, orchestral performances, and other impressive entertainment.
Port background
Galveston is a port city and beach resort on a barrier island that averages about 2 miles wide and 30 miles long. The city is some 50 miles south of Houston, just off the mainland, and was one of the first big alternative ports developed for Caribbean-bound megaships. Ships departing from Galveston can reach the open sea in about 30 minutes, compared to several hours of lag time from the Port of Houston—which, like New Orleans, sits inland, on the edge of the Houston Ship Channel, above Galveston Bay. (The Port of Houston does have one advantage: It's closer to the airports. It takes 45–90 min. to travel between the Port of Galveston and the airports, depending on which airport you're using.)
At the end of the 19th century, Galveston was a thriving port and a fast-growing city with a bright future. In fact, it was the largest city in Texas and had the third busiest port in the country. Of course, being on the Gulf meant the risk of a hurricane, but the prevailing thought held that the shallow bottom on the western shore of the Gulf of Mexico would prevent the formation of large waves and blunt the force of any approaching storm. This assumption held sway despite the fact that a storm completely wiped out the Texas port town of Indianola in 1886. But more evidence to the contrary came in the form of a massive storm that hit Galveston in September 1900.
It came ashore at night with a 20-foot surge that washed completely over the island. Houses were smashed into matchwood and their dwellers spilled out into the dark waters. By morning more than 6,000 islanders—1 out of every 6—were drowned. It remains the worst natural disaster ever to strike the United States. The city's population dropped even further when many of the survivors moved elsewhere to rebuild their lives on safer shores. Those who remained went to work to prevent a reoccurrence of the disaster. Galveston erected a stout seawall that now stretches out along 10 miles of shoreline with several jetties of large granite blocks projecting out into the sea. It also filled in land under the entire city, raising it 17 feet in some places and jacking up all the surviving houses to the new level. Despite all the effort, Galveston would never regain its momentum. The memory of "the storm" proved too compelling for many of Galveston's merchants, who preferred the safety of an inland port and provided much impetus for the dredging of the Houston Ship Channel, which was completed in 1914. And, it was in this way that "the storm" rewrote the destinies of these two Texas cities and makes a Galveston cruise well worth the trip.
© 2005, Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Excerpted from Frommer's Cruises & Ports of Call 2005