05/18/05

A ride along this modest yet charismatic boardwalk offers a mellow excursion for visitors and locals.

by Contributor

The Scene
This is the longest, most convenient and most popular stretch of public beach in Galveston. You can park for free near concrete steps down to the sand, get cold drinks at nearby convenience stores and rent beach umbrellas nearly every 100 yards.

The Draw
The beach from about 35th to 61st streets is packed on weekends, with lifeguards usually stationed at 61st, 59th, 53rd, 51st, 47th, 43rd, 39th and 37th streets. Surfers prefer the stretch between 23rd and 53rd streets--with especially nice waves at 51st and 37th streets. The 29th Street launch is perfect for putting in small sailboats or catamarans, but it isn't deep enough for powerboats. Personal watercrafts can be rented at 53rd Street. Fishermen's territory is near the jutting rock groins and swimming is not advised.

06/05/02

Galveston, oh Galveston

by josh

Maybe the grey-sand beach and chocolate-brown water are a turn-off, but if you just relax and sit back, and blur your eyes, you could almost pretend you're in a tropical beach town. You may not be able to go snorkeling in the bay, but you can sip a margarita while watching the sunset, go fishing from the jetties and even do some Class A girl-watching. If the parking is full along the seawall, don't forget you can park across the street and walk across. Good free parking!

• Pros: fishing, inexpensive, good hotels
• Cons: tar on the beach, brown water, grey sand