Cleanest Beach/Water Near Galveston?

[rph]

I'm planning to run down that way for a couple of days and want to take my 4 y.o. to play in the sand. I'd love to let her see some really blue/green water, but that'll have to be another trip to another locale.

For those of you in the area or who have been down there recently, can you recommend a good spot?

Thanks,
Paul

[tc95]

Paul,

If you go down to Jamaca Beach area...it is public access..there is no Blue/green water anywhere on Galveston Island...

[bondarnes]

Cancun is just a little south of Galveston and has blue water. I just returned from Galveston and the water is a nice shade of tan.

[kenw]

Destin is easier to get to than Cancun, but the best beach near Galveston would be to take the ferry over to Boliver and pick a spot off the island. Lots less people.

And you get to ride the ferry 2 times! My wife and I often park on the island side, walk onto the ferry and ride until the sun sets. Small kids like to see the seagulls, sometimes some dolphins and maybe the big ships.

[MT Stringer]

The color of the water is dependent on the winds. Galveston area winds mostly come from the southeast. If it is strong out of the south, the water will be dirty. Best clarity is usually a day or so after a norther blows in or if the winds have been light for a few days.

Sorry I can't be of better help.
Here is a beach camera at Surfside.
Mike

[klynam]

Another vote for Destin...

[toverman]

My family and I just got back from a week staying in Surfside, which is 40 miles west of Galveston. Yeah, the water is brown, but for a 4-year-old you want an area with lots of beach that's shallow far out so the big waves break out there. My 2- and 6-year-old boys had a great, relatively safe time playing in the waves (with our close supervision).

You don't have to go that far. Someone mentioned Jamaica Beach, which is further west than Galveston proper. Those areas can be busy, and there's lots of vehicle access near San Luis Pass ... good that you could take your car; bad that everyone else does. East across the bay on Bolivar, there's not much civilization left, but the beaches such as Crystal Beach and The Flats were great for playing in ... two years ago.

Here's a shot of my two boys in Surfside on what was supposed to be an evening walk (we'd played on another part of the beach that morning). The water was just too pretty to resist ...

[rph]

Originally Posted by bondarnes

Cancun is just a little south of Galveston and has blue water. I just returned from Galveston and the water is a nice shade of tan.

Hahahahah! That's where I'd like to take her one of these days, but this trip is too short and being put on too fast for that!

Those that mentioned Destin have the right idea, too. That's exactly the blue/green I was thinking of. That was my dad's favorite spot while I was growing up. We made several trips there and that, too, might be a good choice for a better planned trip in the future.

kenw, the ferry is a great idea! She'd love that. Especially if there were some dolphins around.

MT Stringer, the camera at Surfside was a cool link. Someone told me there was one and I tried, briefly, to find it today, but got distracted. Thanks for that link.

toverman, can you just drive out and park around there? I haven't been to that area before, but someone told me that the area there and around Freeport was a little clearer.

She's only seen the beach once. She was about 1-1/2. She went nuts. She was having so much fun that I just cut her loose, fully clothed. Then we went to WalMart to buy something for her to wear to dinner. Her diaper was full of silty sand.

I'd hoped to take her a little further, and on an actual vacation this year. Unfortunately, it hasn't happened. Too much going on. But, since she's about to start school again, I decided to take off this week and take her out and about for a few days.

The plan, for now, is Moody Gardens tomorrow, Schlitterbahn Thursday, and beach Friday. Then it's back home and a weekend with Grandpa and Grandma. Monday, I may take her on a train ride. She loves trains.

I may have to fit the ferry in there, somewhere, too. She'd love that.

Thanks for all the info, and if you have any other ideas for a 4 y.o., please post 'em up.

[BigC]

I used to visit Crystal Beach alot. But that was a few years ago. FYI It was a topless beach then.

[carrbowl]

Surfside is probably the cleanest beach area within an hours drive of the Houston area.

[Digigeek]

Are there swimmable beaches in Texas?

[toverman]

There is a small part of Surfside that is a pedestrian beach, but there are access points where you can drive on, too. The sand is hard-packed all around the coast surrounding Galveston, but there's some loose sand to get on so we didn't take my wife's car. There's a $10 annual pass for driving on the beach, too.

toverman added 0 Minutes and 57 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Originally Posted by Digigeek

Are there swimmable beaches in Texas?

Yes!

[MT Stringer]

Paul, you can drive on the beach and park at the waters edge on the west side of the San Luis Pass Bridge. From Galv., go west towards Surfside. Cross over the San Luis Pass Bridge. go about a mile, then turn left at Access Road #6, which is next to the condos. Once on the beach turn right. You can drive down as far as you want.
Here are some pics.

NOTE: On the Galveston side around Jamica Beach and Teramar Beach, you have to park in a pocket park and walk to the beach from there.

Edit: I wouldn't advise crossing the bolivar Ferry and going to Crystal Beach. That whole area was wiped out by Hurricane Ike. There's nothing to do there. Yes a permit is required for that area but not the Surfside area I have described here.

Hope this helps. Have fun.
Mike


1) To access the beach, turn left at these signs. The condos pictured are on the left.

[toverman]

Great shots, Mike! My wife told me as we were driving from Surfside to Galveston and seeing this stretch of pristine beach that we'll bring my car (better for beach travel) even though it's smaller.

Paul, your daughter's probably too small to walk the entire length or appreciate the awesomeness, but there are two fishing jetties lining the intracoastal waterway to Freeport. The one in Surfside is mostly paved (thanks to the hurricane, less so now). They extend about a mile into the gulf and are worth the (free) price of admission. If you're there, I'd recommend driving to the beach on the other side of the jetty, Quintana Beach, where there's an awesome stretch of sand and nice cabins to rent, too.



This is the signal light tower at the end of the jetty.



This is looking back toward shore.

[FranklinRomero]

Originally Posted by toverman

This is looking back toward shore.

Where exactly is this? Looks far in enough for some good fishing...