Off the Beaten Path Galveston
Galveston Island is chock full of amazing attractions, but it also has a hidden side with equally wonderful things to explore. Look past The Strand, the famous Galveston Pier, the Historic Downtown, and there are plenty of lesser-known goodies that many visitors don’t know about.
2200 Postoffice Street
A street that joins the Strand but not as many take the time to explore, Postoffice Street is a wonderfully unique draw. Antique shopping, art galleries, and eclectic eateries can all be found here. Your adventure as you browse the many shops can only be rivaled by the tasty restaurants and cafes that grace this street in the historic center of Galveston.
East End Lagoon Nature Preserve
This 600-acre preserve is a wonderful spot to take the family that will not be overrun with other visitors if it is a quiet afternoon you seek. When nothing sounds more relaxing than kayaking, fishing, bird-watching, or exploring the wildlife without many other people around, East End Lagoon checks all of the boxes.
Big Reef Nature Park
Here is another quieter natural space where you’ll find great hiking trails and lots of wildlife viewing opportunities. It is an amazing spot for bird watching, with seagulls, shorebirds, egrets, and black skimmers all strutting their stuff for your viewing pleasure.
Old Quarter Acoustic Café
While you’re on Postoffice Street’s arts and entertainment area you’ll no doubt run into this unassuming, yet inviting café. Every Thursday through Saturday night at the Old Quarter Acoustic, come see some great live music lending a laid-back yet energetic vibe to your evening. With a focus on toe-tapping folksy music, this neighborhood spot hosts talents that spin out some amazing tunes where the lyrics still matter. Just a short walk from the Port of Galveston, enjoy a cold beverage while you sit back, relax, and take it all in.
Shrimp N’ Stuff
Located on 3901 Avenue O is a seafood joint so delectable, your mother (or grandmother) couldn’t top it. We dare her. Shrimp N’ Stuff is a local favorite where they don’t really want visitors to know about it, but now it’s too late. Fresh is the main ingredient here. It’s an affordable seafood place serving made-from-scratch gumbo, shrimp salad, and eight different types of Po Boy sandwiches with house made sauces.
Learn Some History of the Spooky Variety
Galveston’s has an illustrious history, so of course, there also needs to be some of the nefarious kind. And few people know this better than Dash Beardsley who heads the Ghost Tours of Galveston. He and his tour guides bring the most haunted, mysterious, and horrifying tales to the forefront of those who dare to receive the knowledge. It is superb storytelling that brings Galveston to life in the most frightening of ways, weaving together personal dramas with national and local history.
The Kettle House
For the truly quirky, come visit this hurricane-resistant house that has become one of Galveston’s most notable architectural oddities. It is a tiny metal house with sloping, bowl-shaped walls and set along a busy road a short stroll from the Gulf coast shoreline. Many houses in Galveston are on stilts due to the hurricane-prone area, but the Kettle House has an exceptionally squat yet sturdy construction. As such, it has remained fully intact through Hurricane Ike and other dramatic weather events that have wrought havoc on other buildings.