Allure - Leaving out of Galveston. Feedback things to do in the area

[anabella95]

We are thinking about booking Allure - August of 2023.  We would like to stay a couple of days in Galveston and would love feedback on the area.  What are the beaches like?  Best hotels and best restaurants? Should we rent a car?  How far is the airport to Galveston? Is it worth staying in Houston for day after we come back before we fly out?  

 

Thank you in advance for your time!

 

[Galveston Cruiser]

Galveston has a tremendous amount of history, large numbers of Victorian and older homes (ours is 1867), was known as the Wall Street of the South prior to the Great Storm of 1900.

See: visitgalveston.com

         galvestonhistory.org

 

The island is 32 miles long and, at its widest point, 2 miles.  Beaches are not white sandy, but very nice.

Some of the best hotels are The Tremont, San Luis and Grand Galvez, several B&B's and numerous vacation rentals.

 

Many choices in dining in all price ranges.  My favorite is Rudy & Paco's (advance reservations are a must).

 

Intercontinental airport is 70 miles and Hobby is 40.  More convenient to fly into Hobby.  

The only car rental on the island is Enterprise.  A car is convenient but not necessary with Uber, Lyft and trolleys on the island.

 

Houston is the 4th largest City in the U.S. and cannot be seen or enjoyed in one day as it spread out over 665 square miles.

 

 

 

[Sobro]

Johnson Space Center is a must see when in the area.

[Vacationdreamer<><]

Need to follow this. 
I think when we disembark we will go to Waco for the Texas Ranger museum and Magnolia Markets/Silos, before we start weaving our way back to SC. 

[ssb]

2 hours ago, Vacationdreamer<>< said:

Need to follow this. 
I think when we disembark we will go to Waco for the Texas Ranger museum and Magnolia Markets/Silos, before we start weaving our way back to SC. 

 

Galveston is a Tourist Destination in itself with over 7 million visitors a year , with two first class convention centers . There is more to do on Island than most cruise destinations .  

 

galvestonhistory.org

visitgalveston.com

galveston.com

 

If you like Texas History visit the Bryan Museum in Galveston . 

The Bryan Museum houses The Bryan Collection, one of the world’s largest collections of historical artifacts, documents, and artwork relating to Texas and the American West.  Its located in the historic Galveston Orphan’s Home, an exquisite Renaissance Revival-style building surrounded by beautiful landscaping in a historic neighborhood.

Edited December 12, 2022 by ssb

[Vacationdreamer<><]

36 minutes ago, ssb said:

visit the Bryan Museum

Thank you so much. 
we chose the 5n cruise over a 7n so we could do some touring in the area. I can’t wait to plan!

[Sand and Seas]

We loved our two days in Galveston before our cruise on NCL!  

We stayed at the Tremont and were able to walk all over the downtown Strand area.  Wonderful food and there was live music playing in several bars that you could enjoy while walking around.  Morning of the cruise we were close enough to NCL's terminal to just roll our suitcases to the ship.

 

Definitely will plan at least two nights in Galveston prior to our next cruise from this port.  

[Kevin308]

On 12/12/2022 at 9:40 AM, Vacationdreamer<>< said:

Need to follow this. 
I think when we disembark we will go to Waco for the Texas Ranger museum and Magnolia Markets/Silos, before we start weaving our way back to SC. 

It is an interesting choice.  Not that it is a bad choice.  Just that it is over 4 hours away.  If you have time to do stuff like that you could also consider San Antonio and then Heading up to Waco.  Not that it is close to either.  But Hey,

if you have the time make the circle and see all there is to see.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Kevin308

[ssb]

21 hours ago, Kevin308 said:

It is an interesting choice.  Not that it is a bad choice.  Just that it is over 4 hours away.  If you have time to do stuff like that you could also consider San Antonio and then Heading up to Waco.  Not that it is close to either.  But Hey,

if you have the time make the circle and see all there is to see.

Its ALSO four hours from Galveston to San Antonio 

[Kevin308]

4 minutes ago, ssb said:

Its ALSO four hours from Galveston to San Antonio 

I know and about three form SA to Waco. (maybe longer depending on traffic Austin sucks and so does Temple not as bad now that the road work is done but last month it sucked)

.  But if you have as much time to travel as they have you might as well.

[Vacationdreamer<><]

Well - Galveston isn’t CLOSE to Waco. But it’s closer than SC… so if we have already gone that far, a few hours more isn’t awful. 
 

We were big time road trippers pre Covid lockdowns. We used to live in NY and had driven from NY to OR once and NY to SoCal once, plus many trips to FL and even once to PEI.  After the year+ of being locked up in NY we are super eager to make up for lost time and Magnolia Market is a bucket list item. ❤ 

[BallFour4]

On 12/12/2022 at 9:39 AM, Sobro said:

Johnson Space Center is a must see when in the area.

Appreciate that's a thirty min drive from here on the island in perfect traffic.

 

.

[cynt]

On 12/12/2022 at 9:40 AM, Vacationdreamer&lt;&gt;&lt; said:

Need to follow this. 
I think when we disembark we will go to Waco for the Texas Ranger museum and Magnolia Markets/Silos, before we start weaving our way back to SC. 

 

Hopefully Houston traffic cooperates for you. It can be a bear 24/7. Use the WAZEapp to navigate the Houston traffic. 

[Kevin308]

I would check the Traffic because it might be easier to take Highway 6 to alvin and then cut up to the beltway to get around Houston if it is a bad trafic day

[Texas Tillie]

2 hours ago, Kevin308 said:

I would check the Traffic because it might be easier to take Highway 6 to alvin and then cut up to the beltway to get around Houston if it is a bad trafic day

 

Don't know where you are suggesting getting on Hwy 6, but as someone who lives a little under a mile off Hwy 6 in Fort Bend County, all the traffic and traffic lights on Hwy 6 would seem to negate any advantage. 

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

On 12/12/2022 at 7:40 AM, Vacationdreamer&lt;&gt;&lt; said:

Need to follow this. 
I think when we disembark we will go to Waco for the Texas Ranger museum and Magnolia Markets/Silos, before we start weaving our way back to SC. 

 We have driven that route twice.  Once San Antonio to Galveston and once Ft. Hood to Galveston.  We tried getting to Magnolia Farms once around Christmas time and it was a zoo so we never made it.  They were bussing people in from off site parking lots.  I think they had more than 200,000 visitors during Christmas.  Here's a couple of things you might think about.  Galveston to Waco will take you through College Station, TX home of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library.  Little out of your way, but the San Antonio Riverwalk is pretty cool and the Alamo is nearby.  If you like HGTV shows then on your way back to SC plan a stop in Laurel, MS and visit the Hometown store and Ben's work shop.  We spent two nights there a year ago and it was fun.    

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

On 12/16/2022 at 6:26 PM, Vacationdreamer&lt;&gt;&lt; said:

We were big time road trippers pre Covid lockdowns. We used to live in NY and had driven from NY to OR once and NY to SoCal once, plus many trips to FL and even once to PEI.  After the year+ of being locked up in NY we are super eager to make up for lost time and Magnolia Market is a bucket list item. ❤ 

We feel your pain.  Last (2021) Christmas/NYE we drove San Diego to St. Augustine, FL and back.  It was great to be free at last.    

[Vacationdreamer<><]

16 hours ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

Laurel, MS and visit the Hometown store and Ben's work shop. 

Thank you so much for mentioning this. Tracking down those details was on my list!

 

in 2021 when we were in the process of selling our house in NY and moving to SC, we spent a few days in a hotel and the girls and I binge watched a bunch of those episodes.  We don’t have access to HGTV otherwise. It occurred to me that we might be traveling through where those shows were shot and I think it would make my kids very happy to see that IRL. Part of our own “moving story.”

 

Thank you. 
 

yes. Living in SC has been very welcome after the Covid NY part of our lives.   It’s bittersweet. I think if we hadn’t been locked down like we were we may have never taken the plunge to do something so brave and crazy. But it was the push we needed. 

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

 If you make it to Laurel go to the Pit Master BBQ not to far from the store and shop.  

[Kevin308]

On 12/27/2022 at 2:20 AM, Texas Tillie said:

 

Don't know where you are suggesting getting on Hwy 6, but as someone who lives a little under a mile off Hwy 6 in Fort Bend County, all the traffic and traffic lights on Hwy 6 would seem to negate any advantage. 

I was posting it for the person talking about going from Galveston to Waco then to SC. Not you.  I would be willing to bet the person from SC has no ideal how to get around or avoid Traffic in the area. Since they are from South Carolina

 😉

Edited December 31, 2022 by Kevin308

[ssb]

11 hours ago, Kevin308 said:

I was posting it for the person talking about going from Galveston to Waco then to SC. Not you.  I would be willing to bet the person from SC has no ideal how to get around or avoid Traffic in the area. Since they are from South Carolina

 😉

It’s a bet on the come suggestion . And in all odds will be slower. 

[HappyTexan44]

This thread has inspired me.   We live in DFW and were just planning on staying in Galveston the night before.   I know that it is an interesting place to visit, but I've been several times, and DH lived there for many years, so we have a 'been there, done that' attitude.   But, DD has never been and our cruise leaves on a Monday.  I love traveling with DD and seeing things through her eyes. 

 

The history of Galveston is very interesting.  In its early years it was an anomaly because it wasn't really controlled by anyone.   

 

If you are driving up I-35, you will go through West.   You need to stop for a Kolache.   Get at least a fruit and a sausage one.  

[ssb]

Kolaches are at Mary Bass's in Galveston 

[WomanRN]

On 1/1/2023 at 12:11 PM, HappyTexan44 said:

This thread has inspired me.   We live in DFW and were just planning on staying in Galveston the night before.   I know that it is an interesting place to visit, but I've been several times, and DH lived there for many years, so we have a 'been there, done that' attitude.   But, DD has never been and our cruise leaves on a Monday.  I love traveling with DD and seeing things through her eyes. 

 

The history of Galveston is very interesting.  In its early years it was an anomaly because it wasn't really controlled by anyone.   

 

If you are driving up I-35, you will go through West.   You need to stop for a Kolache.   Get at least a fruit and a sausage one.  

Not sure how old your DD is but we just spent several days before a cruise in Galveston. We drove down, so had the car and got a map of all of the wood tree carvings in the area. Rather than cut the trees down after the hurricane (I think it was Ike??)  wood carvers went around and carved many different things into the pieces of trees that were left.  Lots of different, really cool ones to see just driving around in the neighborhoods!

[WomanRN]

Weather in April is very iffy in Texas. Thoughts on parking outdoors at the new terminal versus indoor garage 4 blocks away with shuttle??