Confession time. The only beach I ever knew as a child was on Galveston Island. My memories consisted of sunburns, brown sand, murky water and oil blobs. After experiencing the white sands and clear waters off the Florida Gulf coast, I became a beach snob. I refused to visit Galveston again until April of 2014 when my husband and I were looking for a quick getaway on the weekend. To my surprise, Galveston had come a long way! This barrier island, located only 50 miles southeast of Houston, offers so many activities including historical buildings and museums, coastal nature, adventure, art, shopping and great seafood. While the obvious stop for most tourists was the beach, I’m sharing my top ten Roads Les Traveled experiences for Galveston.1. Cool Tours-This is a great first stop for those who want an overview of the island. By booking the first tour of the day online, we get a discounted price and a less crowded tour. Our tour guide, Sue, passed out water bottles and then began to share her love for the island. She offered non-stop history of the East end, tips for things to do on the island and personal stories from her life while growing up there sprinkled with lots of humor! The tree sculptures were featured on the tour, which were created from trees killed during Hurricane Ike. What a great way to see how this city made “lemons out of lemonade” and how this town feels about coming back after such devastation!2. Beach Town Tours-This business is a husband and wife team who has a passion for kayaking around Galveston Island and sharing their knowledge of the area. The wife tailored the tour for my husband and I to meet our interests and skill level. We got a Groupon special for $40 for 2 people on a tandem kayak for 2 hours. It was a great price! She met us on the bay side for a sunset time slot. It took about 40 minutes to kayak out to an isolated island where thousands of birds were flying around and nesting. She guided us through a narrow cut through the middle of the island, which afforded great close up views of a nice variety of birds. We even got out and stepped on the island to see a nest and eggs up close. We rowed back to the shore in time to watch the sunset. Marvelous!3. Galveston Island State Park-For a $5 entrance fee, this park offers an opportunity to wander on a less crowded beach and have real bathroom facilities. The bay side offers trails to hike and piers for fishing and launching kayaks. There are lots of opportunities for bird sightings on this quieter side. The park also has campsites on both the beach and bay side.

4. Art Night Walk-Every 6-8 weeks on a Saturday night, the historic district opens art galleries for extended hours with refreshments and live music. We actually met one of the artists of the tree sculptures during the walk.5. Galveston to Bolivar Peninsula Ferry-This free ferry service allows you to drive your car on board or just walk on for the 20-minute ride over to Bolivar. The round trip takes about an hour and offers views of dolphins jumping in the ferry wake, sea gulls looking for food, and cruise ships docked in port.

6. Sea Turtles Tour-Call ahead to the NOAA Fisheries to reserve a spot. The tours are free and offered only on Thursdays. The barn is located behind the San Louis Resort Hotel. This is a great way to learn about marine management of sea turtles and see them up close.

7.Rosenburg Library-Besides being a beautiful historic library, there is a free museum located on the 4th floor, which showcases the history of the island as well as rotating displays.8. Moody Mansion and Bishop’s Palace-Be sure to call ahead to schedule a guided tour to learn the most about of these beautiful historical homes. Bishop’s Palace even offers private and behind the scene tours for an additional fee.

9. Grand 1984 Opera House-For a mere $2 you can do a self-guided tour of this beautiful historic opera house. They offer a  brochure that tells about the history and restoration. It is worth a few minutes to sit in theater seats and appreciate the beauty of this place!

10. Pier 21 Theater and Elissa Tall Ship-Located near the Harbor House Hotel and Marina, this theater offers several rotating movies. The Great Storm retells the story of the 1900 Hurricane that nearly destroyed the island. Next to the Theater is the Texas Seaport Museum. Admission includes self-guided tours of the museum, the three-masted 1877 Tall Ship Elissa and access to the Galveston Immigration Database, “The Ellis Island of the West”.

While on the Island, some nice restaurant options are:

• Shrimp and Stuff-If you are looking for something casual, fast and affordable look no further. There is outdoor seating for those coming straight from the beach. My favorite is their coconut shrimp.
• Mosquito Café-This restaurant offers nice outdoor seating and a great lunch menu.
• Rudy and Paco-If you want a more upscale food option with impeccable service, make dinner reservations here. You won’t be disappointed!
• Black Pearl Oyster Bar-This is a local favorite not far from the Strand. Even on Art Walk night, we were able to get in fairly quickly. I recommend the fried seafood platter, oysters and fried okra!
• Olympia Grill-We stopped here after the Cool Tours because our tour receipt was good for free bread pudding. Sue recommended getting the crab stack. We got our parking ticket validated here for free parking, too. There were nice views of the harbor from the outside dining area.

Besides the usual hotel or condominium lodging options, I recommend staying in a bed and breakfast for a more intimate experience. We stayed at Coastal Dreams Bed and Breakfast with an April special of “buy 2 nights get 1 free”. This historic home survived the 1900 hurricane and has been carefully restored. We loved all the special extras such as a stocked refrigerator in our room with water and cokes and fresh cookies waiting for us. There were also tea and snacks available downstairs at any time. We ate breakfast two mornings outside by the pool, which was so peaceful. One morning we had breakfast in the dining room, which was more formal. All the food was great! They have beach chairs available for you to borrow and even a tandem bike which you can rent for the day. There were plenty of maps and brochures available as well. The linens and towels were first class and the bed was very comfortable.

My heart has grown fonder of the Galveston Island and its people. While the beach water and sand have not lightened in color, the town has much to offer tourists. If you are willing to plan ahead, you can still find a spot that is less traveled and enjoy some Island time.