Showing posts with label Galveston Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Galveston Island. Show all posts

Thursday, February 06, 2014

LAST DAY ON GALVESTON ISLAND

Our first stop this morning was to the visitor's center to pick up a coupon book and another restaurant coupon.  We drove over to Harborside Drive and parked in the same parking lot we parked yesterday because it was the closest to the three places we wanted to see.

Our coupons saved us $10 for the Ocean Star Offshore Rig Museum.  We loved the audio tour of all three floors on the rig.  Great information and excellent exhibits.  The Ocean Star was built in 1969 in Beaumont, Texas by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation for the Ocean Drilling and Exploration Company fleet. She worked in the Gulf of Mexico throughout the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast and drilled approximately 200 wells during her active life. The museum, sponsored by the Offshore Energy Center, is a non-profit organization funded through private donations, admissions, and corporate donations. The OEC acquired the Ocean Star and spent 2 years converting her into the museum. The museum opened to the public on April 27, 1997.


We walked over to Pier 21 to watch the 27-minute film about the Great Storm of 1900 but they were having technical problems and asked us to come back.  That gave us time to have lunch at Willie G's and use our coupon for a free appetizer or dessert.  We saved $12 for parking and $10.99 on the appetizer.  Lesson learned - always go to the visitor's center when visiting and don't be afraid to ask for coupons.  After a tasty lunch we were able to catch the film. Everything worked out perfectly.

This was the appetizer - lobster tails over Asian salad
We split our entree of clam chowder, grilled salmon with mixed green salad

The film gave an accurate portrayal of the September 8, 1900 massive hurricane the devastated Galveston
We all remember the news about this storm but being here and seeing the film brought this horrific disaster to life.  Here's a good link if you'd like to learn more:  The Great Storm of 1900

That's all folks!  Thanks for stopping in.

FIRST VISIT TO GALVESTON ISLAND

Yesterday we arrived at Galveston Island State park and settled in.  After lunch we took an auto tour. We drove along Seawall Boulevard with beautiful views of the Gulf of Mexico, down to Harborside Drive with views of Galveston Bay and Pelican Island.  This is our first visit to the island and we were surprised at how much there is to see and do here.

Quiet campground on the beach
On the harbor side, we found a place to park across from the Jewel of Galveston - the National Historic Landmark Elissa.  Elissa is one of only four pre-20th-century tall ships in the US.  It was built in Scotland in 1877, rescued from a Greek scrap yard by the Galveston Historical Foundation in 1974 and was restored at a cost of nearly $7 million.

Denis at the helm of the Elissa

Try to imagine what it would look like with all her sails billowing in the wind
If you're interesting, here's links to some of the places we visited:

1877 Tall Ship Elissa
1892 Bishops Palace
1895 Moody Mansion
Fisherman's Wharf Seafood Grill

Bishop's Palace

Moody Mansion
Sacred Heart Catholic Church adjacent to Bishop's Palace
Had a wonderful meal at Fisherman's Wharf next to the Elissa.  It was recommended by a nice lady at the museum.   She even gave us a coupon for a free appetizer and the restaurant validated our parking ticket which would have cost has $12.  Our meal with tip was $36 but with the parking paid for and a free $7 appetizer, I figure the meal cost us only $17.  That's pretty good for grilled swordfish with pasta, the Galveston trio with seafood stuffed jalapeƱos, shrimp kisses and crab queso with chips, a bloody Caesar and ice cream sundae for dessert.  We did good!

From inside the restaurant we had a great view of the Elissa

This was the appetizer - it was a full meal for me
That's all folks!  Thanks for stopping in.