SO what are the beaches like in Galveston these days? Has the oil made it there or are they clean? Have they been cleanedup from the storms the past few years? What about Moody Gardens? Wife would really like to take a weekend trip there this summer....

thanks for any and all input, suggestions, etc....

The beaches are in as good of condition as possible. No oil, nor storm debris. Other than tourists and seaweed, the beaches are nice. Plenty of good eats in town. Check here for a bunch of food recommendations from locals. And I think Moody gardens is done with renovations and should be back at full swing.

Oh, and you can check out these webcams. Some of them show the beach.



[This message has been edited by IsleAg11 (edited 5/17/2010 10:59a).]

Galveston is looking beautiful these days. This past weekend the water was clear and green, the oleanders are in bloom, the parts of town you are likely to see have been repaired from hurricane damage, and there is no oil on the beaches.

Yep, Galveston's doing pretty well right now.

If you're a golfer, you should also try to squeeze in a round at the Moody Gardens Golf Course. It's still the Galveston Municipal course, but they've put a ton of money into it and it's a beautiful course.

what would be nice place to stay in a couple of weeks that wouldn't break someone???

You can find a room for every point along the price scale on the seawall. Almost all hotels on the seawall are going to list their rooms as having an "ocean view" but beware. If you can see the water AT ALL, even if it requires you to lean out over the balcony rail and look ninety degrees to the right.

You can save some money if you stay off the seawall. But their aren't a lot of options off the seawall. Enjoy your time down here, eat at The Spot, it's worth the wait.

Yeah, just kinda depends what you want to spend and where you want to be.

If you want to be very near the beach (walking distance), then you better not steer too far west of 61st.

The last few times I've stayed the night in Galveston, it's been at Moody Gardens. Weekend rates can be a little pricey, but weekday rates are reasonable for what you get. Plus you're walking distance to all their attractions.

If you have kiddos, they have tons of great things for them to do.

How would a 4 year old like Moody Gardens? I know he'd like the aquarium.

What about a mobile (walking) 1 year old?

Could you enjoy all of MG in a few hours, or would you want 1+ day (w/ the above age kids)?

It will take you more than a few hours to see everything with an all-day pass that gets you into all the attractions. I suspect the 1 year old is gonna get pretty worn out.

It depends on what all you want to do at Moody Gardens.

A boat ride on Colonel Paddlewheel might be something the kids would enjoy and would give you some time to sit back and relax.

Also Palm Beach is fun and relatively inexpensive if the kids want to go swimming (the water isn't more than waist deep and there's a little kid section that doesn't have any standing water.)

right now, they're offering a 2-day pass for the price of a day pass: http://moodygardens.com/plan_your_visit/

if spending two days there works with your plan and schedule, that's a pretty sweet deal and would allow you spread it across two days and without feeling like you have to cram everything into one trip.