Memorial Day Savior
Galveston gets a summer makeover: The Pyramid's just the start of the changesfor Houston's easiest getaway
The Rainforest Pyramid at Moody Gardens
South Beach
Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark
AIA Sandcastle CompetitionPhoto by William Hunt
Hotel Galvez
The beach!
Enjoy the ocean breeze with a ride along the seawall.Photo by Lee DeForke Jr.
Don't forget the Postoffice Street Trolley and The Strand.Photo by Lee DeForke Jr.
Tour Bishop's Palace.Photo by Lee DeForke Jr.
Did you forget to make plans for Memorial Day? (No doubt you thought it was a moot point, what with the Rapture and all.)
Well, congratulations. You live in Houston, which means you have to do, plan and spend almost nothing to have a memorable weekend at the beach. Just get on I-45 South and don't stop driving until the road dead ends into sand. That's the beauty of Galveston.
Though enjoying Galveston is literally as simple as that, there's also enough happening on the island this summer to make it not just an escape but a getaway destination. We've rounded up the best of the new and the long-running at Houston's easiest getaway.
On Saturday Moody Gardens will debut the redesigned Rainforest Pyramid after $25 million in improvements since Hurricane Ike. The coolest feature? Clearly the tree-top walkway that takes guests through a view of the rainforest canopy, but at a height even the most acrophobic can handle.
Families should also check out Moody Gardens' Palm Beach, a controlled area of sandy beaches and lagoons, now with a 650-foot lazy river and a pair of tower slides added to the mix. Go on a Friday night and for an extra $10 stay for the Bands in the Sand performance at Palm Beach, capped by fireworks.
25th Annual AIA Houston SandCastle Competition
For those who can wait a week, the first weekend in June is one of the best times to check out Galveston's East Beach, when on June 4 over 50 teams will be competing in the 25th annual AIA Houston SandCastle Competition. Come early to watch participants plans and prepare their design, or stop by later in the day to check out completed works that range from traditional towers to three-dimensional creatures to witty paeans to pop culture. (Check out our slideshow of some favorites from 2010 for an idea.)
The contest is free to visit, but parking is $10 per car.
The New Braunsels-based waterpark has been part of Galveston since 2006, but this summer marks the park's first expansion since opening. Shipwreck Harbor Lake Lagoon is scheduled to premiere sometime this summer, and will feature "a battery of three-foot waves along with a new beached ship kids’ slide, a whimsical clam shell slide, enormous lifeboat shade structures, additional lounging and more picnic tables."
Yes, picnic tables! But seriously, they seem very excited, so it's probably cool.
Hotel Galvez Centennial Celebration
It's been a 100 years since Hotel Galvez bestowed Edwardian elegance on the island, and considering how much both have been through, that is an occasion worth celebrating. And celebrate they will.
On Friday, June 12, the birthday weekend kicks off with flamenco guitar and dancing in the hotel lobby from 8-10 p.m. Saturday is full of children's activities on the front lawn from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., including clowns, jugglers, face-painting, a dessert tent, a paint-by-numbers mural coordinated by the Artist Boat and marionette shows. Adults can head across the street for their fun, with an all-day concert schedule of rock, country, rockabilly and even 1980s pop bands.
Saturday evening will be capped by a fireworks display, and revelers can stay and enjoy more music on Sunday afternoon from local band The LineUp. (Check out the full schedule of festivities here.)
Juneteenth Jubilee
June in Galveston also means Juneteenth, which will be celebrated starting on June 11 with special services and heritage events and culminates on June 18 with the jubilee parade.
Galveston Culture
Heading to the beach doesn't have to mean saying goodbye to your brain. History and aviation buffs can head to the Lone Star Flight Museum, which is showing off its new World War II fighter plane, a North American P-51 Mustang.
The Galveston Railroad Museum has reopened for the first time since Hurricane Ike, and The Grand 1894 Opera House is offering summer performances (unlike some other opera companies).
For free fun, there's the Artwalk, a collaboration of Galveston's art galleries, on June 11 and July 16, as well as free movies screened on the Strand the first Saturday of each month and live music on the second Saturday of each month.
