Not too long ago, I complained about how expensive it is to visit family this time of year. It was the cost that put me off even thinking about going to Galveston. But once my sister and her family moved to Texas, I realized it was actually one of the best gifts I could have given myself. This year, instead of spending Christmas in New York City or another big city that has a great public transportation system and affordable airfare, we spent our Christmas vacation in Galveston. The savings? $450! And that’s before we even factor in gas money or groceries. You can fly into Galveston International Airport and rented a car from Enterprise. Or drive from Dallas into I45 South for close to 4 hours, and you will make there. We spent the majority of our time at a nice hotel, where we could walk around without worrying about taxis or rental cars . And then there was the food. For $150 for three people (including tips), we were able to go to several steak houses on practically every street corner in Galveston and get some seriously good food at an affordable price. How did we do it? Read on to find out…
What is Galveston?
Galveston is a city on the Gulf of Mexico in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Galveston County. Galveston’s tourism industry is one of the largest in the Caribbean.
How to get to Galveston
The best way to get to Galveston is by air. It’s the only city in the United States with direct flights from New York City and Miami. There are also direct flights from Houston, Dallas and Chicago. Or drive for 4.5 hours on I45 South, amazing drive with good weather.
What to do in Galveston
My family loved that we spent our vacation in Galveston, we went shopping and sightseeing. We started our day with a visit to the Galveston Board of Trade, which is still standing and has a ton of memorabilia from past industries. Then we spent the day at the South Padre National Historic Landmark and the old Seawall in downtown Galveston. We had such a great time exploring downtown and soaking in some of the beautiful rays while we could.
The best part of Galveston
We loved the boardwalk and the Old Town area. The boardwalk is really close to the water so it’s great to go there and watch the boats go in and out. We loved seeing the seawall from a distance and walking around the city, looking at all the architecture and the beautiful port.
The cons of Galveston
We were there for Christmas so there were less tourists then and so were the prices for a hotel room and groceries. But you can’t beat the savings We were there in August so we didn’t spend as much time at the boardwalk or board-only areas. If you want to sa.ve some money, we recommend booking a vacation rental on AirBnB instead of a hotel. It’s an excellent way to save money and it’s a chance to get to know your neighbors a little better.
Steak Houses on practically every corner
We’re not usually huge fans of fast food, but the Steak Houses is one of the best affordable meals we’ve ever had. We loved the Cajun breakfast, the nachos and everything else! They have a lot of options for different food allergies, so that was a relief.
Conclusion
This has been such a great vacation for my family. We got to spend time with our family and we got to learn about a part of the country that we’ve only heard about. If you’re looking for a cheap and easy family vacation, Galveston might be the one for you. We loved our time there and we highly recommend it!
