park it in galveston

Galveston Island State Park reopens after major makeover with updated campsites, hiking trails, and bayside fun

Galveston State Park has a whole new look.

Photo by Nieco Payton

A popular Galveston destination now boasts a whole new look, thanks to a highly anticipated, major makeover. Galveston Island State Park will reopen the beachside of the park on Monday, June 27 following an extensive renovation.

Beachgoers can look forward to a new park headquarters building, two new restrooms, new roads, 95 new campsites, two new changing areas and rinse-off showers, 20 new shade shelters in the day-use area, and a seasonal equestrian day-use area, according to a press release.

Hikers can enjoy more than five miles of hiking trails, a newly remodeled nature center on the bayside, two observation towers, two boardwalks, three kayak launch locations on the bayside, a new vendor area, and three new group-use pavilions on the beachside.

Those interested in park reservations may now be made online at the TPWD website or by calling the Texas State Park Reservation Center at 512-389-8900. Visitors can make overnight reservations up to five months in advance; day passes can be reserved up to 30 days in advance.

Dubbed the Galveston Island State Park Beach Redevelopment project, this redevelopment comes via $10.6 million in Deepwater Horizon Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) Phase III Early Restoration funds from the Texas Trustees. The Texas Trustees is made up of organizations including the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas General Land Office, and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The project broke ground in summer 2018.

“The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is very excited to be able to reopen such a popular park on the Texas coast,” said Rodney Franklin, director of Texas State Parks, in a statement. “I am extremely thankful for the hard work of our state parks team, TPWD partner divisions, numerous volunteers, as well as our partnership with the NRDA Trustees Implementation Group. The commitment and dedication of countless individuals and stakeholders made this redevelopment project a reality. Thanks to our ability to leverage grant funds along with sporting goods sales tax, the people of Texas will benefit from this enhanced outdoor opportunity for years to come.”

Galveston State Park has a whole new look.

Photo by Nieco Payton

Galveston State Park has a whole new look.

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good for the soul

Houston blooms as No. 3 best city for urban gardening in the U.S.

Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash

Let's get gardening, Houston

Folks in the Bayou City have plenty of reasons to develop a green thumb: Houston has harvested new acclaim as the No. 3 best city in America for urban gardening in 2026.

Lawnstarter's annual report, "2026’s Best Cities for Urban Gardening," compared 500 U.S. cities based on their respective public access to community gardens, climate, the prevalence of nurseries and gardening supply stores, and the number of regional gardening clubs and online groups.

Atlanta topped the list as the No. 1 best U.S. city, followed by Miami (No. 2); St. Louis (No. 4); and Jacksonville, Florida (No. 5).

For the uninitiated, urban gardening is the practice of growing plants or food in densely populated areas. Local examples include Blackwood Skyfarm, which is the largest rooftop farm in Texas, or Urban Harvest's 160 affiliate gardens – but backyards, apartment balconies, and vacant lots could also fit the bill. Additionally, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department has an Urban Garden Program where residents can volunteer to help locate sections of local parks to turn into community gardens.

Houston was No. 1 nationally in the "supplies" rank, and Lawnstarter said the city is home to 253 landscaping equipment shops – the most in the U.S. – and the second-highest number of gardening stores (276) and nurseries (132). The city also earned a respectable No. 6 rank for its "support and interest" of urban gardening, meaning many residents are searching terms like "community gardens," "vertical gardening," and others.

Here's how the city fared in the remaining three categories:

No. 115 – Public access
No. 157 – Climate
No. 390 – Private access (based on average yard size for starting an at-home garden)

Cathy Walker, president of the American Community Gardening Association, offered some tips for first-time gardeners to help get their hands in the soil: choose only a few easy growing plants to start; learn which growing zone you're in to determine the plants that will thrive in your area; watch how much sunlight your garden space gets daily; and prioritize keeping soil healthy with compost and mulch.

Ecoregions are also helpful for understanding what plants will thrive. Whereas zones are about temperature, ecoregions are much more detailed groups. Planters can learn about their ecoregion and get personalized growing tips from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation in its new native planting app, Wild Thumb.

Starting your own garden can also have a financial benefit, the report suggested. However, up-front costs can get high in gardening, so gardeners might have to stick to it for a few seasons to see savings.

"With grocery prices projected to rise by 3.1 percent in 2026, there’s never been a better time to grow your own food," the report's author wrote. "Estimates show that growing a 600-square-foot plot for fruits and vegetables can save you around $600 in a single season."

The top 10 best cities for urban gardening in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Atlanta
No. 2 – Miami
No. 3 – Houston
No. 4 – St. Louis
No. 5 – Jacksonville, Florida
No. 6 – Orlando
No. 7 – Cincinnati
No. 8 – Fort Meyers, Florida
No. 9 – Tampa
No. 10 – Austin

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