Labor Day Weekend in the last hurrah of summer, and there’s no better place to spend it than at the beach. For a great family getaway this Labor Day, with both beaches and non-water related activities head south on I-45 to Galveston, Texas. Here are a few of the events and activities you’ll find this Labor Day:
Labor Day Weekend at East Beach
East Beach celebrates Labor Day Weekend, Saturday thru Monday, August 30th – September 1st, 2008. Galveston’s East Beach is the coolest and biggest beach in Texas. Famous for its great beach parties, East Beach has major outdoor concerts, special events, bikini contests, live bands, and other activities. Unlike most beaches, drinking is legal on East Beach. Facilities include an outdoor pavilion with a snack bar, gift shop, showers, game room, and volleyball courts. East Beach can hold approximately 7,000 cars on its huge, wide-open beach.
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.
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.
One of the newest attractions is the Ridefilm Theater. Ridefilm technology offers the ultimate in high-impact, immersive simulation. Each 18-passenger ride is surrounded by a seamless 180° wraparound screen that fully encompasses each viewer’s peripheral vision. High quality images and awesome sound combine to make you a part of the action. There are currently two Ridefilms showing: Dolphins – The Ride and Deep Sea – The Ride.
A one-day pass good for all Moody Gardens attractions is $44.95, and a two-day pass is $49.95.
“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, so Labor Day weekend is one of your last chances to see it before it departs for another city.
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.
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 20th St.). The shop contains a wide variety of antiques and collectibles and a peanut butter pantry with homemade fudge, cookies and other sweets.
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 23rd 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.
More resources:
www.galveston.com
