Galveston Beach pictures (Houston, Dallas, Austin: real estate, condos, motels)

[AK123]

I keep hearing in other threads (mostly the Dallas and Austin crowd) how Galveston is some nasty, awful beach. I just don't get it. Was there a problem many years back?

Here are some pics we took when we were there last month.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by JJP

I keep hearing in other threads (mostly the Dallas and Austin crowd) how Galveston is some nasty, awful beach. I just don't get it. Was there a problem many years back?

Here are some pics we took when we were there last month.

Great pics. The second one is Seascape, that is where we stay. One of the only places that is ON the beach in Galveston.

Yes, there were SERIOUS problems w/ Galveston beaches years back. I like Galveston now and we go several times. Years ago you could not walk on the beach w/o oil sticking to your feet. It literally litered the beach. If you think seaweed can be a problem at times when it washes up on beaches you haven't seen anything unless you saw the clumps of oil all over the beach. YUCK!!! Then everywhere and I mean EVERYWHERE you went there were huge mats in front of the doors and signs that were in your face to remind you to wipe your feet before coming in. That's the story with the beaches.

The rest of the so called "negatives" from people from years back. Before the San Luis came to be, before the Galvez got revitalized, the Strand revitalized, etc it was kind of a "dump" to go to. You had a few of the older condos that you do now and some motels. That was it. Oh yes, the Flagship was there but has gone downhill, hopefully Tillman can get it up to it's former spledor. Same w/ the Balanese. Before the decline Galveston was THE place to be. Just look at the lovely mansions, the splendid architecture, the advances done there before their time. If you have never taken a tour of places like the Moody Mansion or the Bishops Palace I highly recommend it. STUNNING beauty, the woodwork is out of this world. Galveston was on track to be the large city on the gulf and not Houston. Some of the homes in Galveston were if not the first they were close to being the first w/ indoor plumbing, electricity, etc. Ahead of their times. The 1900 hurricane put an abrupt stop to that. The Moody family was there during this time and brought much to the island and still do to this day. Conrad Hilton got his start because of the Moody's. Can't you just see Paris Hilton in Galveston hanging out? LOL!!

Many people in Galveston today despise Tillman Frititia for what he is doing to the island. I on the other hand love that he has brought back some of the splendor of the former Galveston. I don't want it to be too built up though. He built his own Convention Center near his other resorts there: The San Luis, The Hilton, Rainforest Cafe, etc. The San Luis has a beautiful pool and if you have never had the chance to study it, do so. If you were not aware Galveston had a HUGE reputation for gambling. The bunkers under the San Luis from war time housed underground casinos. The story of the Balanese is very interesting too. To this day I can not pass by the San Luis and not look at the large bunkers that it sits ontop of and imagine how it must have been back then.

BTW, real estate in Galveston has increased greatly in the last 3-4 years. We looked at a condo at Seascape back then and could have gotten one of the 2 bedrooms for around $65K, now they are over $100K. I've also heard that Bolivar Island and Crystal Beach are getting ready to see some developments.

[ColdCanadian]

That second pic is REALLY nice!

You shouldn't have shown me a pic with tall palm trees... (drool, )

What are those, Mexican Fan Palms?

Overall, I'd say the beach doesn't look impressive compared to North Myrtle Beach or La Jolla in California, but it's not a bad looking beach either.

All it's missing is bigger sand dune areas and bigger waves (to surf) for me to think it's perfect.

[momof2dfw]

Your in luck then. There are bigger waves today in Galveston.

http://www.galveston.com/webcams/

[momof2dfw]

Here is one of my favorite reasons to go to Galveston

http://www.galveston.com/historicgalvestonphotos/ (broken link)

Other than seeing these places everytime I go I enjoy just sitting on the beach and enjoying the peace.

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

Your in luck then. There are bigger waves today in Galveston.

http://www.galveston.com/webcams/

Thanks for the link but unfortunately it was 8:10 pm EST (7:10 pm CST) when I saw your link, so all I saw is black.

I was reading a description of the weather and heard something strange, a "Pacific Cold Front."

I guess it sounds funny to me because if we get air from the Pacific it's usually just wetter than our normal weather. We sometimes get "Arctic Outflow" warnings. Is that a weather description you don't have in Texas?

[HonieB]

LOL....I don't think we've used the term "Arctic Outflow" anywhere in the US!!! Sounds funny....maybe somewhere they do use it...first time I'm hearing it...and I'm from NY originally. Lived in Los Angeles for a while, then in South Florida...soon to be TX.

[AK123]

The beach was nice, did not see any trash, tar, even much seaweed. The water was blue.
Galveston could stand to improve the scenery on the drive in (61st St) and along Seawall Blvd... but I think I did read a recent article they were actually looking into doing just that.
I love the preservation of the old Victorian homes.
Overall, it's a good vacation spot less than an hour's drive away from much of Houston.

[Muhnay]

Thank God, when I was there just 5 years ago, the bums and drug dealers had the beaches pretty much, as well as the broken glass and camp sites all over the beach it was aweful, seems Galveston has got its **** together and cleaned up its act.. GOOD JOB! I went there to see about moving there.

[bmglab]

I was there there a few weeks ago and it has improved a lot since three years ago. Besides amazing architechture, history and the beach, the climate is a bit warmer in the winter than houston and you can see a lot of tropical plants and trees.