What's the most kid-friendly tourist spot in Galveston, TX?

Question

I have a young daughter (age 5) and I'm heading to Galveston Island in the Spring.

I've actually been to Galveston a number of times. When I was young, my family and I used to go to the old Sea-Arama. My favorite part was the shark tank and the ski shows. Unfortunately it closed many years ago. The main reason I'm asking this question now is that I haven't been there with or as a child in a long, long time and I'm just not familiar with any kiddie things in the area. Also, I'm familiar with the good and bad aspects of the Gulf of Mexico. I live near Lake Charles, LA, and I used to go to Holly Beach all of the time before Rita literally blew it off the map. I am also aware of the Balinese room.

Thanks to all who've given honest and thorough answers so far.

Answer 1

Moody Gardens and the Schlitterbahn Water Park would probably be the highlights for your daughter.

There's a Bunch of stuff to do there,,,but much of it is geared towards older kids & adults

Moody Gardens is really a nice place for kids

Here's Galvestons website
http://www.galveston.com/whattodo/

Click on "What to Do",,,and scroll down to Sights/Attractions.

Look thru the other stuff too

There's also a Free Ferry ride on the State Highway that runs along the coast.
If that's something new to her,,I'm sure she'd enjoy that.

Certain times of year/& day it can take quite a bit of time because traffic gets bad.....and it Is an actual Public Hiway

It's an OLD city,,,and a seaport,,,,so it has a rather "tacky" aire to it in some places & ways.

But overall it's pretty clean,and about as "safe" as anywhere

It's relatively Small,,,hard to get lost,
It has only a very small "ghetto area" which is a LOT creepier LOOKING than it actually is.
Not much worry about stumbling into wrong place and getting out alive :)

The City does a very fine job of keeping itself a good place to live,work ,visit

Prices seem reasonable on most stuff.
Hotels ,,,prices average out about the same On the Island as off.
During Mardi room rates get Stoopid,,,and its way cheaper to stay Off the Island and drive in each day the 20 miles or so.

There's a few really old & tacky small motels along the Seawall/Beachfront.
No Luxury but kinda fun in a nostalgic sorta way

Also the Flagship Hotel which is on a pier over the Gulf.
Your daughter may get a kick outa that??
Their rates are comparable to most any regular hotel.

I dunno if You're a Planner or Explorer-type.
Either way,,I'd suggest getting a map of the city---or printing one online from Yahoo Maps.

If you determine which attractions you want to see,,
Coss-Reference the locations & Schedules to the Map.

It's a Small Island,,,but Long and Narrow.
Coming into town from the North on the Interstate,,
The City is laid out is a sorta of "T" shape..
More like _______i____
Short East side,,Long West End,,and a sorta Short North/South leg

Lots of the attractions are along that basic route,,
But some are way off of it .
It's not the Distance,,but the ROUTE.
The Streets can get Confusing,,,several Blocks run at Odd angles

The point of familiarizing & planning is to avoid wasting time driving back & forth across the Island.
Even a Small effort can help you squeeze in more activity in your day.
Being a Small place makes its easy.

Check the Calendar for MOON PHASE ,,,moonrise days & times.
If you happen to be there during Full Moon,,,
There's plenty of places to watch Moon Rise over the Gulf.
Catch it Right and it's a remarkable sight.

One thing in Houston I think your daughter would really like is the Live ButterFly Exhibit at Houston Museum of Natural Science.
It's only a few miles(5~7mi??) off of I-45 which is the Highway to Galveston.
EZ to get to,,hard to get lost.
You can go through it in about an hour or so---or stay all day.
It's a Multi-Story Glass Building,,,like a tropical garden,,,and it's filled with a variety of butterflys which are all but Tame.
You are In amongst them,,,they land on everyone,,flutter all around.
It's a Lot more marvelous experience than I can describe.
I've never seen anyone Not fascinated and amazed by it all.
There's Not a lot of places like it.

I realize when you're traveling,,Scheduling stuff can be tuff.
But to go & come from Galveston,,,you almost Have to drive by within 10~15 minutes of the place.
And even 1~1 1/2 hours to park,,wait in line,go thru their orientation,,and spend just 30min~hour in the place is worthwhile ,,if y'all are into 'nature" kinda things

If you have a couple hours to spare while passing thru Houston,
I 'bleive that would be my #1 recommendation for something a small girl would enjoy & with pretty EZ access along your route

I think y'all should have a nice time,and will enjoy your visit.
I hope y'all have a Safe & Fun Trip!

******
I hate to mention this,,but I just must.
Jellyfish.
Not knowing how familiar y'all are with the ocean & stuff,
here's a little info.
ALL ocean waters have Jellyfish at times,,,they come & go.

Gulf of Mexico is no exception.

Galveston can get a Lot of jellyfish sometimes.
Usually not bad though,most of the time
The GOOD NEWS is that they aren't the seriously dangerous kind.

But they do hurt very bad if stung by one.

Odds of that happening are very,very small.

The main reason I mention it is because there is a Lot of MYTHS about them,,,,,,especially what to do for 1st Aid if Stung.

And running around the beach Screaming AINT the time to do Research on 1st Aid.

#1,,,,,Seems that Nobody ever Does it,,,but a Sting Victim Really SHOULD see a doctor promptly.
My Opinion on that---At LEAST monitor the victim for several hours for any sort of Toxic/Allergic Reaction.
Swelling,,Spreading,BREATHING probs,,or if stung on Face or Near EYES---Get To a Dr Right Away.
Better Safe than Sorry

DONT:
No Fresh Water or Ice,,,no matter how soothing.
Fresh water is Toxic to the JellyFish & will make the Stingers begin to Activate and sting Worse.

They are STRANGE creatures,,,
almost better to do NOTHING than do WRONG thing

What TO DO:
There's Commercial Preparations for 1st Aid available.
I never have used them,,,and am Blank for any names/brands to suggest.
I do know their labels state they're For Jellyfish,,specifically

A Safe and Certain Releif that i DO know works is
White Vinegar and Meat Tenderizer.
Plain ol' Household White Vinegar,,and Adolph's Meat Tenderizer.

The both Neutralize the stingers,,,and will not cause more stingers to trigger/activate.

Releif is Almost Instant,,and Almost Total.

A) You gotta get the Tentacles/Stingers OFF
--Rinse the area with SALT WATER or Vinegar
--Wipe area with SAND,,or SCRAPE Gently across the area almost as if Shaving .
Use whatever is handy.
It's Not really like Scrubbing or Scraping,,,,
but more like "Squee-gee'ing"

--Just a Lite once-Over will do,,ya dont wanna irritate the skin

B) Rinse again with Vinegar,,,or apply as pad,,on a towel or paper towel to hold the vinegar there a few minutes

C) Put a good coating of Meat tenderizer on the spot.
If area is Wet from Vinegar,,,so much the better.
Helps the Tenderizer to stick.
Leave it about 5~10 Minutes at the most---Not Good to leave it on Skin too long.
Rinse it with more vinegar

That will almost STOP it,,and get ya thru the immediate crisis.

A small bottle of vinegar & meat tenderizer is $3~4 worth of Cheap Insurance.
Real EZ & Quick
*SALTwater Rinse---NEVER Freshwater or Ice
*A splash of Vinegar
*A quick swipe with a handful of sand
*A GENTLE sweep with "anything",,,cardboard , a fork/spoon handle ,,,back of a knife blade,,credit card,,,,etc
*Another splash of Vinegar
* A Heavy Sprinkle of Tenderizer
--All Done

I can't tell ya how muchI Hope i just wasted my time telling you that.
Odds are VERY slim of getting stung.
But it happens,,,and is Sooo painful,,,yet so Cheap/Quick/Easy to stop Most all of the pain,,,its worth being prepared & knowing about

Sunburn:
A day at the beach is easy to get Too much sun & dehydrated.
Good Sunblock is a Must.
And the electrolyes in "Gatorade type" of stuff are ideal.

If anybody happens to get sunburned,,and can tolerate plain old Aspirin,,,,it's a "miracle drug" for sunburn.
just a normal avg dose.
Aspirin has fallen outa favor with many folks,,,but it's unbeatable for sunburn.

Noxema-type skin cream is among the most soothing things on sunburns for a lot of people.
I'm a Big Fan of generic products,,,,,I use as many as I can with rare exception.
For Sunburn,,,,genuine,original formula Noxema is all I'll personally use.
All the "equivalents" FEEL just as soothing,,,but somehow the Real Stuff Works different....I beleive it helps heal the skin faster somehow

Of course,,everyone is Different and has their own favorite remedies,,,thats fine.

The jellyfish 1st aid--that's recommended.
Whether Home-remedy or a Commercial Remedy.
Be Prepared in case the Zillion to 1 Odds go against you.
And the "clean/remove/scrape" Procedure applies with Either Remedy
Asprin & Noxema for sunburn,,,that's Just Info for what its worth.
Works for me and most folks

I hope I haven't sounded gloomy or frightening about that stuff.
You really should have No worries about it.

Answer 2

Galveston, even though beautiful doesn't have a lot to offer. A 5 year will probably enjoy the beach more than anything. Take her along with your car across the ferry. It is a short free trip and she will probably see some porpoises. Battleship Park is rather interesting, but probably not for a 5 yr. old.

Answer 3

Balinese Room isn't a place I'd take a 5 year old.

Check out Moody Gardens. (http://www.moodygardens.com) There are a bunch of different things to do there (Rainforest, Aquarium, etc).
We go every few months and my 4 y/o loves it. In the Rainforest, they often have butterflies that'll land on you.

Answer 4

Balinese Room, easy.

Answer 5

The Elissa is fun as is the Seaport Museum next to it.