Galveston Island is a popular beach destination for many Texans. It has what you would expect from a U.S. beach destination including piers, souvenir shops, restaurants with seafood and bars with waterfront views. Galveston is a major tourism hub on Texas’ Gulf coast and the island has so much natural beauty to offer visitors. In this post, we explain how to venture beyond the beach and make it an eco-friendly weekend in Galveston Texas.
Staying Afloat Blog recently visited Galveston Island as a weekend side trip from Houston, Texas. We rented a car and made the roughly one hour drive out of the big city, out to the coast. Over the years, many recommendations have come from friends to visit the island, and it’s easy to see why.
Discover the Parks and Wildlife
If you’re looking for some wildlife areas to visit on your eco-friendly weekend in Galveston Texas, you’re in luck! There are a few spots on the island where you can find Mother Nature in all her glory. We’re talking spoonbills, crested caracaras, sandhill cranes, alligators and many more wild creatures!
- East End Lagoon
- The Edward and Helen Oppenheimer Bird Observatory
- Laffite’s Cove Nature Society
- Galveston Island State Park
- Dos Vacas Muertas Bird Sanctuary
Want to make a day trip of it? The following larger wildlife refuges are within a 50-mile radius of Galveston:
- Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge
- Justin Hurst Wildlife Management Area
- San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge
- Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge
Be sure to bring along your binoculars and camera on your next trip to Galveston. This way, you can catch a glimpse at some of the incredible creatures that live here or may just be passing through.
Explore Galveston by Foot or Bike
Galveston is a totally walkable city with plenty to see in any direction you set your compass to. If you’re looking for a little more speed and flexibility, you can rent a bike to get around or even hop on the trolly. Either way, you’ll want to venture. There is an incredible amount of history, architecture and art to take in here.
There is also no shortage of eco-friendly tours in Galveston! Walking, biking, Segway, kayak – you name it, they’ve got it. And the tours offer a wide variety of themes including ghosts, architecture, history, wildlife and scavenger hunts.
Seawall Interpretive Trail a.k.a. Project S.I.T.
One of the main features in Galveston is the seawall. A long cement wall that runs over 10 miles along the south coast of Galveston Island and stands up to 17 feet in spots. This wall was built after the ‘Great Storm of 1900‘, one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the U.S. Atlantic. Along the seawall, architects incorporated cement benches which overtime, seemed an eyesore to many.
Enter Project S.I.T.! A collection of 70 benches that have been colourfully updated to serve as both art and education along the seawall. Covered in hand painted mosaic tiles by various contributors, it’s hard to not want to stop and read every single one.
The trail was envisioned by Karla Klay, Executive Director of Artist Boat. While others saw ugly concrete benches, she saw an opportunity for beauty and education. A panel of scientists, artists, and arts professionals chose designs submitted by artists based on execution, technique, originality, organization, and interpretation.
Galveston.com
Artist Boat is a coastal education focused group that makes conservation fun through their artistic renditions of the environment. They also run their Beautify the Bucket program. This program allows environment lovers to decorate one of the many trash bins that line the beach.
As you make your way along the seawall, be it on foot or by bike, be sure to stop along the way and read all of the great information these benches have to offer about the local environment. Better yet, have a seat and educate yourself! There are so many beautiful and informative pieces, we bet you’ll have a hard time picking a favourite. (We did!)
Learn about Other local Environmental Initiatives
As you wander around town, you’ll notice the people here really do care about the environment! There are several organizations that make the preservation of Galveston’s ecosystem the focus of their agenda. To name a couple:
- Turtles About Town – make it a sea turtle scavenger hunt as you roam the streets of Galveston seeking out these beautifully painted sea turtles (pictured below). Part of the Turtle Island Restoration Network, this initiative draws attention to their sea turtle conservation efforts in Texas.
- Galveston Bay Dolphin Research Program – there are hundreds of visiting and residential common bottlenose dolphins in Galveston Bay and this program makes efforts to identify every one of them. Be sure to hop on a boat tour of Galveston Bay and meet Flipper’s extended family.
- Friends of Galveston Island State Park – looking to make a bigger impact on your eco-friendly weekend in Galveston Texas? Why not volunteer? FoGISP offer opportunities to the public to get involved by joining their plant potting or planting workdays or helping out at the next event.
Indulge in Local Provisions
Galveston offers pretty much any foot and drink you can imagine. But while you’re here, you’ll want to indulge in locally produced and sources provisions. Not surprisingly, as a coastal destination, seafood is widely available. You can find locally caught Gulf shrimp, red snapper and grouper to name a few. These items can be found on restaurant menus across the island. You can also find them at the Seafood Market’s if you want to take some home with you. There’s also a farmers’ market if that’s up your alley!
In search of local libations? Galveston has a few breweries to explore, including:
While you’re out and about, it’s likely you’ll notice the locals here really care about the state of its environment. You’ll notice that many establishments (like Longboard Pool Bar) have made the move to biodegradable materials. This is a small but powerful change when it comes to making the world a more sustainable place.
Every Little Bit Helps!
Want to do your part? Here are a couple quick ways you can contribute to a healthier environment on your trip to Galveston:
- skip the straw
- pack your reusable mug and grocery bag
- dispose of all your trash in designated bins
- maintain a distance from wildlife and don’t feed them
- wear reef safe sunscreen if you’ll be swimming at the beach
If you’re in need of accommodations for your eco-friendly weekend in Galveston Texas, check out these “Travel Sustainably” properties. You can read more about Galveston at Visit Galveston. Looking for other ways to make it an eco-friendly beach vacation? Check out 10 Tips For An Eco-Friendly Beach Vacation.
Heading in-land to one of Texas’ big cities? Check out Adventuring with Shannon’s Twelve Best Hiking Trails in the Dallas Area.
Have you ever visited Galveston, Texas?
My husband and I have a bucket list and part of it is visiting all 50 states. I’ve never been to Texas. Galveston seems like a very family friendly place to visit. I’ll add it to my list
That’s a great goal! We hope to do the same at some point (we’ve hit 30 so far!) Best of luck with your endeavour and safe travels!
My bucket list is to visit all the states in the US. Visited Dallas Texas, Galveston seems more adventurous. Hope to visit someday. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
That’s a great goal Kevin! We haven’t been to Dallas yet, only Houston and San Antonio other than Galveston. Hoping to explore and share more from Texas. Safe travels!
This sounds like an amazing trip, and the photos you took are beautiful! I also really appreciate how you have tips on how to contribute to a healthier environment while visiting Galveston!
Thank you, Meghan! We try to promote a green state of mind for all of the trips that we take. The smallest contributions help!
Great tips! I always want to do more for the environment, but it’s hard to know where to start.
We hear you Adriane! Just know that a start anywhere is still a start 😉
Oh wow, such a nice must-visit place. Good job on what you’re doing for the environment. Any help can mean so much.
Thank you so much Lani! You’re right that every little bit helps. Hope you get a chance to visit Galveston 🙂
Galveston Island sounds like a wonderful place for a weekend trip! I’d love to explore the island on bike. Thanks for the inspiration! I’m adding this to me list!!
Bike is definitely the way to go Alex! You can see so much more than walking but allows you to take in so much more than driving. Hope you get a chance to visit someday!
I was just in Galveston this past weekend! I try to travel on foot when I’m on the island. Oh, I like that you mention the three breweries in Galveston! All are good, but I like Galveston Island Brewing best.
Hope you had some nice weather for your trip Bryan! We were really pleased with the beer options in the area. Which of their beers was your favourite?
This looks like a really nice town to visit. I always enjoy visiting places on foot and rarely take public transportation unless it’s necessary, so that’s a great tip!
Always happy to hear other who also enjoy exploring on foot Krista! The experience is so much more intimate in my opinion! Happy wandering 🙂
I’m a huge birder – had no idea there were so many amazing places to see beautiful birds in Texas 🙂 great post!
Oh yes Amina! There are some beautiful specimens to be found here. Happy birding if you make it there!
This looks like a wonderful place to visit. Your eco-friendly tips are a great reminder of what we all need to be doing. Thanks!
You bet Christine! Always happy to provide that gentle reminder that we can be doing more for our planet 😉
Thanks for this informative post! It definitely makes me look forward to visiting Galveston island!
You bet Kae! Always happy to spread some coastal destination love and knowledge. Safe travels!
I love that there are plenty of birds (I loved the picture of the Caracara) and plenty of street art (the turtles!).
This is my kind of destination.
I need to start planning a trip to Galveston.
I was actually quite surprised by the amount of wildlife I saw in a short weekend. Hope you get a chance to visit soon!
This place looks amazing, will definitely be adding to my DO list when we get to the US…The murals, the wildlife programs and eco twist to it also..
This trip sounds fantastic I’d really like to visit. I’ll be saving to my travel list <3
Be bet you’d really enjoy a little time on the beach Leena! Some of the tips we provide can be exercised at any beach destination. We like to stay flexible 🙂