DFW basics (Houston, Galveston, West: beach, land, properties)

[tchrmom]

South Padre is a nice beach, but it tends to cater towards the younger, single crowd...don't even try to venture there during spring break..."Girls Gone Wild" anyone?! My husband and I prefer Port Aransas during the summer...it's not as crowded, great food (Crazy Cajun is awesome!), and tends to be more family-oriented.

[momof2dfw]

Who said 9 hours to Destin? THat is INSANE!!!!! No way can that drive be done that fast. Well I guess it could depending on how fast your going, the amount of traffic (and there are several points that will have a LOT of traffic), and not getting stopped, and no pit stop breaks (depends anyone?). Yes the beaches in Destin are pretty but it is CROWDED!!!! Don't even attempt to drive down the main street for just a few miles in a hurry. So if you want to eat out for dinner at 6 you better leave the condo by 4 because it could very well take you an hour to drive the short distance and then the hour wait. There are nonstop flights to Pensecola but most people drive to Destin.

South Padre - probably one of the nicest beaches in Texas and the most crowded. It has been YEARS since I went down there but it is not a short drive. Those that do this one for a weekend trip are just nuts. Too long of a drive to only be there a short time. You can fly nonstop into Harlingen.

North Padre - it is a nice beach and does have some areas that you can drive on the beach. Grown a lot in the last several years but not as much as South Padre. Fly direct into Corpus.

Galveston - fly into Houston Hobby NOT Intercontinental (aka Bush). Hobby is on the south side so it is closer to Galveston. If you can get you a private plane then you can fly into the small airport on The Island. I've only flown to Houston to go to The Island twice and the rest of the times we have driven. Flew back WAAAY before 9-11 and I would not dare do it now. No way. For one by the time you make your way to the airport in Dallas and check in, get thru security, wait, board, take off I'm already in Houston baring there were no major accidents. You still have to get to Houston, land, disembark, claim your luggage, get rental car, get map and ask for directions, etc. Meanwhile I've already checked in at the condo, grabbed a bite to eat (if we did not eat lunch/dinner in Houston somewhere), been to the store and unpacked and laying out by the pool or strolling on the beach. Think I'll drive . Oh, and that includes stopping for lunch in Centerville to eat some BBQ if we left late. The beaches in Galveston are NOTHING like they were back in the 80's. No more "wipe tar off feet before entering" signs on every building. No tar on the beaches. So that is nice. Every spring they bring in loads of sand to keep the beaches in place in front of the Seawall and in places that are w/o the Seawall. Most places in Galveston are NOT ON THE BEACH! Very few are and our favorite place to stay is ON the beach and not a highrise but highrises are getting popular. The construction going on in Galveston is unreal. There are some GREAT places to eat at on The Island. Moody Gardens is neat, been once and unless they add an attraction that will be our one visit there. I'm a history and architecture buff so there are TONS of places to visit here: Moody Mansion, Bishops Palace, etc. The Strand is neat w/ some neat shops and the giant chess board (human size). The Mardi Gras celebration on The Island is HUGE. Galveston is a huge cultral center too w/ theater productions, etc. As for Spring Break and sp'ers. Lots of families and underage college and high school kids. Galveston does not have a lot of bars for the young crowds to hang out so it does not attract the college spring breakers. You will see the underage ones w/ beer hanging out at the hotels/condos but more families than them. Oh, and Schlitterbahn is open in Galveston now and they have a part that can be enclosed and is open year round.

As for why do we all drive to our destination spots for vacations - to stop and see all the sights along the way. If we are not in a hurry then we have time to stop and spend a day or two at places along the way and can see the country. My kids have been to so many places it is great. Most of the things they have seen have been because we have driven to our "final destination". Like the drive to Destin, Fl. On our way we will stop and see NO, go to Gulf Shores, Alabama first for a few days to play on the beach there and visit Fort Morgan (which I think is cool) then head to Destin. On the way back from Destin going thru Mobile, Al we stop at the USS Alabama and the kids get to see the battleships and tour the submarine. We'll take the highways back to the north and not go thru NO and see other places along the way. Same w/ going to Colorado. On the way there stop in NM to spend the night then hit Sandia in ABQ the next day and take the tram to the top. Go thru Santa Fe depending on where in CO we are going and have lunch at one of the many great places there then head onto CO. On the way back from our final dest. in CO we may go thru Canyon City and see the Royal Gorge and then spend the night somewhere around ABQ or Rotan. Head to Amarillo and on out to Canyon, TX the next day and the next morn hit Palo Duro Canyon. If we flew straight to our final destination we would miss all of those spots. I'm also known for flying into spots that are out of they way, lol.

Mexico - fly there. LOL!!! It is about a 3 hour flight to Cancun not counting airport time. Mexico is a VERY popular destination for Texans.

Socketz, I agree, most of us go on trips and vacations A LOT! We have two small vacations already planned for the summer but not the BIG family vacation. Still trying to decide where I want to go for that one - too many choices. On my short list is: South & North Carolina (beaches of course), Costa Rica, Cabo (have a possible short trip there this year so not sure), island off Belize, and a few other tropical spots. URGHHH!, I hate trying to decide this stuff.

[Guerilla]

Originally Posted by socketz

From an investment standpoint, what is the employment picture in Galveston ?

A lot of people work in Galveston. There are also many new high-rise condos going up in Galveston. That area is becoming Houston's Long Beach, CA.

[socketz]

I spoke to my Realtor today and he was there in Jan 07. He didn't think the area looked much different than it always has looked. Gave it a thumbs down. Sorry man. Guess one day I'll see it for myself. Wish I had a customer down there.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by socketz

I spoke to my Realtor today and he was there in Jan 07. He didn't think the area looked much different than it always has looked. Gave it a thumbs down. Sorry man. Guess one day I'll see it for myself. Wish I had a customer down there.

Really? The condos we stay at have gone up in price DRAMATICALLY in the last 3 years. Three years ago you could pick up a nice 2 bedroom in the $60K's, now they are over $100K IF there is one for sale and these are not new condos nor in a highrise. If his last visit before 07 was in the last few years then no not much has changed but from what it was in the 80's and even 5-6 years ago there have been A LOT of changes. Even the old Holiday Inn I stayed at on a band trip is gone. Lots of the old ratty motels on the Seawall are gone or closed and boarded up (prime property for development if the price is not WAY too high). Then the Strand, it was NOTHING in the 80's and even the early 90's now it is hoping. Go to galveston.com and check out the webcams.

Here is one of the new developments going up. Priced from the $400's to $1.65MIL.
Palisade Palms

[Spree]

>> Blue water and white sands huh....my sources have mislead me then....they say there is no blue water in TX. Brown, and if your lucky, green. So where in South Padre do you recommend ? Are there any specific hotels that are nice and on/near the beach<<

So. Padre is nice but not upscale nice. It is not crowded unless you go during Spring Break, Easter or the 4th of July. I wouldn't call the sand white, it's more typical sand color, no rocks. There's fishing, dolphin watches and other eco type tours to go on. There's also a Schlitterbahn water park. It's a nice family vacation w/out breaking the bank. Southwest flies into Harlingen, and then you'll need to rent a car to drive to So. Padre, about a 30-40 min drive.

You can rent a condo or stay at a hotel. There's a Radisson and Sheraton that are nice as well as other various hotels. If you follow the above link I last posted you'll be able to find places to stay. During the summer on Fridays, there's a fireworks show over the bay (atleast in years past). You can get a table at Loui's Back Yard, have dinner and watch the show. It's a nice, sleepy area that hasn't been touched by the huge corporate endeavors that sometime ruin the atmosphere of such places.

[socketz]

Interesting the different perspectives I've received. The pictures in Mom's post look nice and now I'm interested again in South Padre. Guess what I need to do is go there and check out myself once the family moves out. Maybe do a 4 day weekend in each place.

[Spree]

>> Interesting the different perspectives I've received. The pictures in Mom's post look nice and now I'm interested again in South Padre. Guess what I need to do is go there and check out myself once the family moves out. Maybe do a 4 day weekend in each place.<<

I have never been to Galveston, but do know they have a historic downtown area. My mom has mentioned wanting to go the Dickens on the Strand event in December. This even ushers in the holiday season. It might be a nice side trip from the beach, if your kids are old enough to make it worth it, to take a side trip to the historic area of Galveston. Galveston Historical Foundation

[socketz]

I want to explore everything I can....just need good points to start with.

I appreciate all the advice guys. If you're ever headed to Socal for vacation, I'll return the favor.

[Guerilla]

Here is the Palisade Palms development:

http://www.brasfieldgorrie.com/_images/portfolio/104/2.jpg (broken link)

I could post a lot more, but I'll save it for another thread.

Also, here are some good photos of Galveston:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/texas...os-3-07-a.html

And this: Beach Party Pics - Houston Architecture Info Forum - HAIF®