Galveston
Beaches Welcome Gulf Coast Vacationers
Twenty Months After Hurricane Ike, Galveston
Island is Back & Ready for Tourists
Download Galveston Island post hurricane footage: http://www.galveston.com/officialcvbvideo/
GALVESTON, Texas (May 6, 2010)
– Galveston Island, located on the Texas Gulf Coast provides a great
escape for families to getaway. After being hit by the third most costly
hurricane in the U.S. in September of 2008, Galveston Island’s tourism
industry has fully recovered. Located only 50 minutes from Houston, the
32 miles of Galveston’s coast offers freshly renourished beaches, a
rich history and unique attractions like Moody Gardens and Schlitterbahn
Galveston Island Waterpark.
“The Island has something planned for the whole
family to enjoy everyday this summer,” said RoShelle Gaskins, of the
Galveston Island Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Plus our hotels
are offering special rates to accommodate every budget.”
Starting off the summer with one of the Island’s
most popular events, the Houston Chapter of the American Institute of
Architects (AIA) hosts the 24th
Annual AIA Sandcastle Competition the first Saturday in
June. Over 80 teams that consist of area architects, designers,
engineers, and contractors compete for the Golden Bucket trophy using
only their sand sculpting tools.
Galveston’s famed Moody
Gardens features an aquarium pyramid, discovery pyramid,
a 3-D IMAX theater, a tropical rainforest pyramid, a 4D special FX
theater and an IMAX Ridefilm. This spring, in addition to its signature
attractions, Moody Gardens will feature new exhibits such as Jitterbug,
featuring a wide variety of unique spineless insects inside the
Rainforest Pyramid. Also “Amazeing” Butterflies is scheduled
to open Saturday, May 15 and will feature a maze and free-flying
butterflies.
Music will be widespread across Galveston this summer,
from Palm Beach to historic locations around the Island. Moody Gardens
launches Bands
on the Sand at Palm Beach, featuring popular local groups
with an encore fireworks display. Island
Star Performances will continue with the 2010 concert
season at Moody Gardens Outdoor Amphitheater featuring headlining shows
Memorial Weekend with the Bangles & Tonic and performances the
Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends.
Free events also continue this summer keeping the
visitors budget in mind. Movie
Nite on the Strand and Music
Nite on the Strand continue each first and second
Saturday of the month, respectively. ArtWalk,
also a free event, carries on this summer on July 10.
Fourth of July will be an entire weekend of
festivities, with fireworks Friday to Sunday; Galveston will be full of
fun. Moody Gardens will host their Friday concerts at Palm Beach and a
headliner concert on July 3. Saturday, be a part of the Downtown parade
and then on the Fourth of July, city fireworks will be on over the Gulf
of Mexico.
Additionally Galveston’s annual special events are
held throughout the summer. The 30th
Annual Juneteenth Celebration will commemorate the ending
of slavery in the United States with an entire array of jubilee events,
from flag raisings, proclamation reading to picnics and parades. Other
special events this summer include the Clean Galveston Back Garden Tour
and the Great Texas Catamaran Race.
Galveston’s Historic Downtown Strand Seaport
District is the largest collection of steel front buildings in the U.S.
and perfect for antique lovers, art aficionados and shoppers of all
kinds.
Every day can be a fun day this summer on Galveston
Island. Plan something for the whole family to enjoy by visiting www.galveston.com.
For more information on Galveston Island and to hear about special hotel
discounts, please contact the Galveston Island Convention & Visitors
Bureau, toll-free at 1-888-GAL-ISLE (425-4753), stop by the Galveston
Visitors Center located 2328 Broadway, inside Ashton Villa.
Please share you Galveston experiences on our social
media sites, www.facebook.com/visitgalvestonisland
or www.twitter.com/galvestonisland.
