Spring Break in Galveston, Texas: A Family Friendly Guide

Spring Break is more than just a time for rowdy college students to invade every square inch of beach in North America for a week-long party. It's also a time for family vacations after a long winter, and if you're looking for both beaches and non-oceanic activities for the family you should consider Galveston, Texas.

Many of the activities listed here go on either year-round or well into the summer, so if you can's make it in March, many of the attractions will still be there when you're planning your summer getaway with the kids.

St. Patrick's Day Festival - Sunday, March 16
This year Spring Break and St. Patrick's Day overlap, and the annual festival in Galveston is a great way to kick off your time there. This family friendly event is held at (of course) St. Patrick's Church, which is located at 1010 35^th Street and runs from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. In addition to activities for the kids there will Irish stew, green beer, and everything else you normally associate with St. Pat's.

"Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" - Moody Gardens, One Hope Boulevard, Galveston
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is an internationally acclaimed Exhibition seen by more than 20 million people worldwide. The focus of the exhibition is Titanic's compelling human stories as told through more than 125 authentic artifacts and extensive room re-creations. A chandelier, gentleman's jacket, china etched with the logo of the elite White Star Line, and perfume vials that still contain perfume-- these and many other objects offer haunting, emotional connections to lives abruptly ended or forever altered.

The exhibition's artifacts were recovered from the wreck of the RMS Titanic, which left Southampton, England on April 10, 1912 on her maiden voyage, en route to New York. The Titanic sank on the night of April 14-15 after striking an iceberg; 1502 passengers perished, while only 705 were saved.

Ticket prices for Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition are $11.95 for adults ages 13 to 64, $10.95 for seniors over 65, and $7.95 for children ages 4 to 12. You can also purchase a one-day pass good for the exhibit and all other Moody Garden's attractions for $44.95. The Exhibit runs through September 7, 2008.

Moody Gardens - One Hope Blvd.
Moody Gardens is a unique entertainment complex that features three 10-story exhibition and interactive learning pyramids: Rainforest, Aquarium, and Discovery (Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is showing in the Discovery Pyramid), and multiple IMAX shows. A restored paddlewheel tour boat, The Colonel, sails daily at 2 p.m. (also at 4 p.m. on Saturdays). There is also a convention center and hotel complex on site with a beach and lagoon.

Some of the IMAX films include:

Dino Alive 3D: featuring the earliest dinosaurs of the Triassic Period to the monsters of the Cretaceous.

Grand Canyon 3D: penetrating the innermost depths of Grand Canyon.

Ocean Wonderland 3D: shot on the Great Barrier Reef and in the Bahamas, showing the incredible diversity of the marine life on the reefs.

Sea Monsters 3D: computer-generated animation transports you back to the Late Cretaceous, when shape of the oceans and continents were very different than today.

A one-day pass good for all Moody Gardens attractions is $44.95, and a two-day pass is $49.95.

Colonel Bubbie's - 2202 Strand
Located in Galveston's Historic Strand District, Colonel Bubbie's bills itself as "one of the free world's only surviving genuine government surplus stores, just like the ones you went to as a kid". And it lives up to that billing. As soon as you step through the front door, you are transported to both another time and another place. You're just as likely to see a stately, gray-bearded gentleman who is the spitting image of Robert E. Lee looking through the Confederate uniforms as a British tourist in Bermuda shorts and flip-flops trying on Desert Storm-era tan combat boots.

More than just a store, it is an entertainment destination as well. They couldn't fit more stuff in the building if they tried, and it is a very hands-on place. You can try on a genuine World War I gas mask while your wife agonizes over whether a Soviet or Chinese flag would look better flying in your backyard.

A Mecca for military re-enactors and collectors, over the years Colonel Bubbie's has also answered the call from numerous Hollywood productions to outfit their films with authentic period uniforms. The selection goes far beyond the normal United States surplus items, however. If your taste is more global, you can find Israeli berets, East German dress uniforms, a mess kit from Italy, and the always-popular baby blue helmet of the UN peacekeeper. And for anyone who has heard that everyone in Texas is armed, fear not; Colonel Bubbie's sells no firearms of any kind.

The Strand Historic District - Downtown Galveston
Galveston's historic downtown district offers visitors a wide variety of shops, restaurants, galleries, and museums all within short walking distance of each other. Museum displays include the Galveston Island Railroad Museum, the Ocean Star Offshore Energy Center and Museum, and the Texas Seaport Museum. Adjacent to the museum is the Tall Ship Elissa, deemed one of America's treasures by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Pier 21 Theater features two historical films of local interest, The Great Storm and The Pirate Island of Jean Lafitte. The Great Storm is a 27-minute documentary of the devastating 1900 Storm, a Category 5 hurricane that virtually destroyed Galveston. The Pirate Island of Jean Lafitte is an 18-minute dramatic film about the adventures of the pirate who made Galveston his home. Of particular note among the various shops is the Peanut Butter Warehouse (102 20^th St.). The shop contains a wide variety of antiques and collectibles and a peanut butter pantry with homemade fudge, cookies and other sweets.

Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark - 2026 Lockheed St.
Voted America's #1 indoor waterpark, the Galveston Island park is the first convertible waterpark with an entire area that can be opened or closed for indoor / outdoor year-round operation. During the Wasserfest Heated Indoor Season, the Wasserfest area is converted to an indoor waterpark and features a dozen heated attractions. The newest Schlitterbahn park features uphill water coasters, water slides, kid's playgrounds, whitewater rapids, wave pool, hot tubs, plus the Boogie Bahn surf ride. Ticket prices are $25.99 for adults and kids over 12, and $21.99 for children age 3 to 11.

APA / 1^st Choice Motors Spring Open Car Show - March 15 at Pier 21
The 25^th Annual "Saturday at The Strand" car show, presented by 1^st Choice Motors and the American Pontiac Association. Open to all makes and models (not just Pontiacs), registration will be from 8 a.m. to noon with the show following immediately after that. Registration fee is $25.

Surf Shops - Seawall Blvd.
No trip to Galveston is complete without a visit to a few of the local surf shops. Don't expect any crazy waves, though; the "big" surf in Galveston would be considered a calm sea in Hawaii or California. Check out Bargain Beachwear (4708 Seawall Blvd), which has been in business since 1982 and offers a wide variety of beachwear and accessories, and Murdoch's Bathhouse (2215 Seawall Blvd), which offers beachwear, souvenirs, and gifts. Family-owned for nearly 100 years.

Star Drug Store - 510 23^rd St.
An historic spot in The Strand, the Star Drug Store was built in 1886 and first opened as a soda fountain in 1917. Today it retains the horseshoe-shaped, tile soda fountain counter that runs the length of one side of the building. Look for the historical Coca-Cola neon porcelain sign outside, and be sure to order an old-fashioned soda, but be prepared to stand in line. It's worth it. Open Monday thru Friday 7.a.m. - 4.p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.