The
city of Galveston sits on a barrier island of the same
name at the mouth of Galveston Bay. One of the oldest
settlements in the state, it is now dwarfed by the
spreading metropolitan area of Houston which lies 50
miles to the north. The building of the Houston ship
canal was only the latest in a series of setbacks to this
relaxed small city which has suffered a string of
economic collapses and natural disasters since it was
"discovered" in 1528 by Cabeza de Vaca.
After
he landed, Cabeza was held prisoner for six years by the
Karankawa Indians, but escaped being consumed by the
allegedly cannibalistic tribe. Galveston was named during
the mid-1700s by a company of Spanish soldiers stationed
on the island, for Count Bernardo de Galvez, Viceroy of
Mexico. Over the centuries the island was the property of
the Spanish, French, and Mexicans, and then home to
French pirate Jean Lafitte and his company of buccaneers
who stayed here from 1817 to 1821, when the American
government intervened and drove Lafitte off the
island.
The
Civil War and After
During
the Civil War, Galveston succumbed to Union troops, but
was re-captured by Confederate forces in a surprise
attack and remained Confederate until the end of the war.
The port had always played an important role in
Galveston's economy. Galveston Bay provided a large,
sheltered harbor and the city became the third-largest
port in the country. During this period, the city's main
street, "The Strand," became an elegant avenue with
splendid mansions and cultural institutions, including a
grand opera house.
The
Great Storm and After
Then,
in 1900, the inevitable happened. A fierce storm blew in
from the Gulf of Mexico, with hurricane force winds
destroying the barrier island and many of its buildings.
Six thousand people died in what is still considered to
be the worst natural disaster in the history of the
nation. The city began to reinvent itself, first by
working to protect the island against future storms. A
seawall was built and barges full of sand were dredged
from the nearby waterways and more sand brought from
Florida, to raise the level of the streets and buildings
by as much as 17 feet. More than 2,000 buildings were
raised. A later storm, in 1915, tested the newly-reshaped
island. While there was some damage, the community
survived. The original four miles of seawall was expanded
to ten.
The
port and the city flourished again, until Houston decided
that it could grow by building a ship canal linking what
was then a bayou backwater with Charleston Bay and the
gulf. Galveston sunk under an economic collapse. Most of
the port functions shifted to Houston, stopped only by
the growth of gambling enterprises in the city. This led
to lawlessness and notoriety, and a major crackdown on
gambling returned Galveston to its former state -- a
dispirited, impoverished community.
More
recently, three developments have brought Galveston back
into prominence as a lively, working city. First, port
activities were revived. The Medical Branch of the
University of Texas established a large medical center
which became the area's largest employer, and the people
of Galveston decided to focus on tourism as a way of
sustaining the economy. Instead of tearing down old
historical buildings, the city renovated them. The Strand
became once more an elegant, stately street. Beaches were
improved, with the state developing a strip through the
middle of Galveston Island as a state recreation
beach.
The
Moody Foundation, long a generous benefactor to local
cultural and historical groups, developed a plan to build
a major environment-oriented center on Galveston Island,
as much theme park as educational institution. Included
in the plans were a large glass Rainforest Pyramid, a
beach developed on Offatts Bayou with barges of sand
imported from Orlando (accommodating 3,000 people), and
other facilities including an IMAX theater and a
convention center. More than two dozen historic buildings
are open to the public and the 1894 Grand Opera House
provides a home for the Galveston Symphony, as well as
ballet, opera, rock and jazz concerts. The Strand
Historic District mirrors the early history of the
island, with iron-fronted buildings in a six-block
section housing fine restaurants, boutiques, and art
galleries.
With
a population of under 65,000, Galveston is a fine place
to visit, without the fast-paced lifestyle of the larger,
more modern Texas cities. It is a town that reflects its
past, but also offers modern resort hotels, miles of
beaches to explore, good fishing, and many cultural
opportunities including music festivals.
What
to See & Do
Galveston
Island State Park
& the Seawall
Opened
in 1975, the park occupies a 1,950-acre strip across the
island. It offers fine beach walking (on both sides),
birdwatching, fishing, and swimming. Each summer, two
musicals are produced at the Mary Moody Northen
Amphitheater, on alternate evenings (except Sunday). This
amphitheater is just one of the many cultural amenities
the Moody Foundation has provided the community. Tours of
the beach and bay areas of the park are offered by
appointment. You may arrange these tours with the park
staff.
Wildlife
to be found in the park includes wading and shore birds,
mallards and mottled ducks, raccoons, armadillos, and
marsh rabbits. Anglers come here for spotted sea trout,
sandtrout, redfish, black drum, flounder, and
croaker.
To
get there, take Interstate 45 and exit right onto 61st
Street, travel south on 61st Street to Seawall Boulevard,
and then turn west (right) and take Seawall (FM 3005) ten
miles to the park. Facilities include a visitor center
and Texas Park Store, campsites with water and
electricity, including large sites in a group area for
RVs and trailers, a tenting area with electricity and
water, and four miles of trails for walking and hiking. A
large, concrete boat ramp is located at Pirate's Cove,
next to the park. For camping reservations, call (512)
389-8900. For general park information, call
800-792-1112.
Starting
near the east end of the island, the Seawall extends for
ten miles along the gulf side, protecting the island from
storm surges and providing a wonderful place to stroll.
Built following the devastating 1900 hurricane, the whole
island was raised with the Seawall holding back the sand,
and holding the gulf at bay. Galveston claims that the
seawall is the world's longest continuous sidewalk. It's
a great place to get some sun, and to jog, cycle, roller
skate, and just walk, with the beautiful gulf always in
sight.
Moody
Gardens
Theme
parks usually turn me off, but this one has several
redeeming features. First, it was thought-up and built by
the Moody Foundation, the largest and most significant
benefactor to the cultural community of Galveston over
the years. Second, while it has some of the same elements
of a Disney World or Busch Gardens, it also has a
non-commercial atmosphere. The attractions are squeaky
clean and professionally managed, but they are there to
enable visitors to enjoy the wonders of the natural
world, even if the actual environment is
unnatural.
The
complex includes a convention center, volleyball courts,
an amphitheater, and The Colonel, a paddlewheel boat that
offers daily cruises on Offatts Bayou. It's a
reproduction of an 1800s paddle steamer, holding 800
passengers. The boat is docked at Palm Beach, a totally
artificial but huge beach with sparkling white sand that
you would see in Florida. It actually came from Florida
-- by the barge-full. Bayous usually don't have beaches,
but there's one here.
The
centerpiece of Moody Gardens is the Rainforest Pyramid,
an immense greenhouse filled with rainforest plants from
Africa and the Americas, along with butterflies, tropical
fish, and exotic birds. Waterfalls drop off concrete
cliffs, you can enter caverns&emdash;including a bat
cave&emdash;and walk past a changing collection of
tropical plants. The newest in 3-D IMAX theaters presents
daily showings of several films on the six-story screen.
All film programs are nature-related. The Garden is a
fine waterfront restaurant offering a nightly Dancing
Waters show.
The
place to start your visit to the Gardens is the Visitor
Center Preview Theater, where you'll see a free
introductory show about the rainforest exhibits and
attractions, featuring a nutty professor and a
fast-talking toucan. The prices for a day at Moody
Gardens are surprisingly reasonable (but maybe not
considering this is a non-profit organization). On my
most recent visit, the adult fare for one attraction was
$6 with all four (IMAX, pyramid, beach, boat) costing
$20. The four attractions provide for a full day of
activity. On Fridays at 1 p.m., the staff provide tram
tours of the gardens and greenhouses. The point for
starting a self-guided tour of the gardens is located
behind the greenhouse.
To
get there from Interstate 45, drive to the 61st Street
exit, drive along 61st, and turn right on Seawall
Boulevard. Then turn right onto 81st Street, and turn
left onto Hope Boulevard. For information on the
attractions, call 800-582-4673.
