Good morning! I was up super early and made it here for coffee and the sunrise, enjoying watching…read morethe container ship CGM Samson at the tail end of its journey. It left Busan Korea on around four weeks ago and arrived in Houston today. Welcome! Yes, there's a website where you can track ships including that one that you see right there. A perfect spot for a sunrise, nice and quiet other than the swarms of seagulls that will mostly leave you alone unless you have food. Super windy this morning, so be prepared for that. The marker here reads, "The northeastern tip of Galveston Island has seen defense fortifications since the early 1800's. Crude Spanish and French forts (1816-1818) gave way to small sand forts and batteries constructed by the Republic of Texas from 1836 to 1844. In 1863 the Confederate Army built sandbag breastworks and an earthen battery named Fort Point. All traces of these early fortifications were destroyed by the strong winds and tides which regularly reshaped the sandy tip of the island. A more substantial fortification call Fort San Jacinto was built here by the U.S. Army in 1897. After the fort was destroyed in the 1900 storm, the Galveston seawall was extended northward in 1921 to protect the area. The fort was rebuilt and new gun emplacements were added for the defense of Galveston during World War II. The round, concrete base of one of these 90-mm gun emplacements remains here today. For San Jacinto was decommissioned in 1959." [Review 885 of 2024 - 640 in Texas - 21914 overall]

A sad little spot, but may be fine if you want to watch the ships go by. This is a dirty, smelly…read morelittle observation area at the end of the road. Not sure I'd want to be here after Dark. I'm sure there's some history here, but it's lost in the simple unattractiveness of the location. However, if you're interested in watching ships go by this is the place to do it. Break out a program like marinetraffic.com and play identify the ships.

Sorry but I will always refer to this by it's correct and rightful name, Anahuac National Wildlife…read moreRefuge. This is a great place to go to see life in the salt marsh east of Galveston Bay. The bird are numerous and of so many species. And besides birds there are tons of alligators, both large and small. The main attraction towards the center of the refuge is Shoveler Pond. The pond is surrounded by a 6 mile one way road and you shouldn't be in any rush to get around. The road is narrow and one way but there are pull-offs where you can stop to let someone go by or just to sit and watch the wildlife. As you stare off into the cat tails and grasses, if you wait long enough you will realize there are a myriad of creatures both big and small there. Tiny wrens red winged black birds and warblers, ducks of all kinds, rails, stilts, avocets, moorhens and then the bigger birds like egrets and herons and ibis. And then there are the alligators, sunning themselves after a mud bath. It's nice when there is a slight wind blowing as the mosquitoes can be kind of bad as the weather warms up, you might want to apply some OFF. And it can be hot and humid in the winter. I like to go in the cooler months. There is also a large boardwalk and deck area for viewing farther out in the marsh but the benches are usually covered in bird poop so be aware before sitting down. There is a shop at the entrance and it is worth a visit as well as restrooms and a butterfly garden. There is a pavilion with picnic tables but last time we were there a lot of wasps and hornets had made nests so we found another spot to have our lunch. The refuge is about half way between Winnie and High Island and a good stop if you are going to or coming from Smith Oaks Bird Refuge at High Island.

What a lovely way to spend a beautiful, clear skies winter day!…read more We loaded up the bikes, backpacks with snacks, binoculars, bug spray, clothing layers, SPF, water, hand wipes, etc, and drove out to explore this 34K acre wildlife refuge an hour or so outside of Downtown Houston. There are hiking trails, biking trails, and people exploring the wetlands from their cars. I DON'T recommend that. I mean, if you have people who are elderly or people who find it challenging to bike around, by all means - you can drive around and treat it like a drive-thru wetland experience. But my biggest rec is to take your bike and explore that way. Aside from the wetlands, we went over to the bayside to watch the sunset. There were LOADS of mosquitos, so prepare for that. And a few families were harvesting oysters. We missed some of the hiking areas and oyster bayou, but looking forward to returning earlier in the day to explore.

I was in the area and decided to find a trail where I can take my dog off leash. This park is huge…read moreand has a lot of wooded trails. Not gonna lie, I was super skeptical about going through the wooded trails, because I didn't want to see a snake. I am TERRIFIED! But one day I decided to just go for it and if I needed to run, I had on my best running shoes. Well, I've been coming for a month now and I haven't seen not one snake. Take the hike. You will be happy you did. It's super peaceful. It's our favorite park. Lots of running room for my pup. There are deers there, she loves to chase them, but keep in mind they are there.

Beautiful, well kept park, with lots of trails, a fishing lake, artwork scattered throughout, the…read moreChallenger mural, playgrounds and picnic areas. Great for exploring with your dog. They were doing some maintenance work, on some of the parking lots, when we were there.

Wow! What a cool stop this was!…read more Did this kind of on a whim, and now I want to make time to go back when we have more daylight. There are different paths you can take, but we went on a road around and through a lake that was... well, like nothing I've ever done, honestly. Small, one-lane road, slightly elevated over the surround water... just made us feel like we were on a boat, almost. TONS of cool birds everywhere - lots of different kinds, many familiar but some not, and never in these kind of numbers - as well as a few alligators. Everything felt very well maintained, and the other vehicles on the road were taking their time - no one was impatient or tailgating. There are multiple stopping / pull-off points and there are helpful signs. There are many photo ops. There's a neat wooden walkway over the water. We barely scratched the surface of this place. And there are multiple ways in, so I look forward to hitting the "official" entry and visitor's center at some point when COVID-19 is in the rearview mirror. Very cool spot - worth checking out, especially if you're into wildlife and specifically BIRDS!

It's beautiful here! We were just taking a Sunday drive to get out of this house and saw a sign for…read morethis place. Lots to see and do, nice driving tour, hiking trails and wildlife. Just gorgeous!

I really like the Shadow Creek Ranch Nature Trail, it the best place to see wildlife such as deer,…read morearmadillo, rabbits, and the wading birds. It is the best nature trail that I've been to.

My passenger-side window was shattered when I got back to the parking lot before dawn about 2 years…read moreago. It's a nice place to run, but this one instance made me not want to ever return.

What a beautiful park and nature preserve! The staff here is wonderful and their excitement to…read moreshare their love of nature with park visitors is infectious. Great nature and learning centers - great for people of all ages.

I love this trail on my bike! This is an awesome 5 mile trail that has many different routes.read more

Beautiful park with ball fields, volleyball courts, soccer fields, hike and bike trails, batting…read morecages, covered pavilions and restrooms. GCVA organized adult and juniors (teens) sand volleyball leagues. It's fun, active, good exercise and the kids love to play in the sand or on the playground.

So I was out here taking softball pictures for a coworker's grandson. This complex is beautiful…read more There is so much to do from volleyball, soccer, baseball/softball, biking, hiking, you name it you can do it here. I guess that's the beauty of being OTL and having so much land to develop. It is very clean and family friendly. Lots of parking space and the lots are very well lit for even evening usage. The 8+ baseball fields were very well maintained and have their own lighting. Grass manages to stay green even in this Houston heat.