Galveston

Galveston. The final portion of our vacation. I hadn't been to Galveston since I went for an Oceanography camp in fourth grade, so I wasn't completely sure what to expect. I find that generally my memories as a child paint a place quite different from my adult perspective. As a child, everything always seems bigger and better. But let me say... Galveston was a blast! We spent three days there enjoying the sunshine, the beach, sandcastles, and fun times as a family. The kids enjoyed themselves thoroughly and wore themselves completely out each day from all the playing and laughing. We loved it!

The highlights?
- Shrimp & Stuff - I hate seafood, but I now crave the stuffed shrimp at this restaurant. We decided we need to contact Guy Fieri about this place for Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.
- Sandcastles - Never underestimate the relaxing and healing properties of just sitting in the sand and building a sandcastle. Not only did the kids love it, I loved it!






- Point Bolivar Ferry - We didn't drive onto the ferry, but walked on and stood up on the upper deck. Got to see some pretty sights, pelicans, and even dolphins! Best of all... it's free.







- The Elissa - an old ship that you can tour and climb all over. This was one of Carson's favorite parts of the trip. I got to spend the night on this ship on that 4th grade trip and I always thought it was really cool.







If you look closely at the water, you can see two dolphin fins. As we were touring the ship, we spotted these two dolphins swimming through the harbor!


- The Strand - okay, it's mostly souvenir shops and overpriced restaurants, but it's got a cool feel, and we loved the architecture that the Strand (and much of the rest of the island) had.


This turned out to be an incredibly fun and memorable trip and I'm SO thankful that we were able to take it! Some of my best memories growing up were made on family vacations, and I hope our kids will feel the same. I'm already looking at trying to plan our 2011 summer vacation in east Tennessee... one of my other favorite places. I guess we'll see what happens!