A historical marker is the only feature at this small loop that functions as a rest area near the…read moreBolivar Peninsular. There are no other services here - no restrooms, no trash cans and probably no overnight parking. But the marker is interesting to learn some history of the area. It reads, "The coastal community of High Island sits atop a salt dome at the east end of Bolivar Peninsula. It was named High Island because the hill sits about 45 feet above sea, the only dry land visible during storms and flooding. "Settled by anglos in the early 1800s, nearly all of High Island lies within the Martin Dunman survey, granted in 1837. The pioneers were mostly farmers, though George E. Smith gained fame from his patented bottled water from natural springs on his land. "The town expanded in 1886 when the gulf and interstate railroad began operations in the area. A depot was built along with many new businesses. In 1897, C.T. Cade constructed the Sea View hotel on the hill overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. The hotel became a place of refuge in 1900 and 1915 when hurricanes struck the Texas coast, causing flooding over the peninsula. "Oil was discovered on High Island, with successful drilling beginning in 1916. Petroleum deposits found at the perimeter of the salt dome in 1931 started an oil boom and provided employment for the region. "High Island has become recognized internationally as an important habitat for migratory birds, bringing crowds of birdwatchers annually to the area." This is marker number 7490 and it was erected in 1996 by the Texas Historical Commission. The above-mentioned migratory birds seem to have added to the marker. [Review 893 of 2024 - 648 in Texas - 21922 overall]

Stayed at the Kettle during a visit to Galveston. This place is so cool and unique! I was…read morepleasantly surprised to see how the owners (Mike and Ashley) fixed up the place. As far as accommodations, this experience was much nicer and more fun than staying in a hotel. There is a huge deck upstairs where you can enjoy the sun - and moon. The older, lower star reviews all apply to this place before it was renovated. If you're lucky enough to find it open on vrbo, snatch this place up for the weekend. Highly recommend!

Great place to stay out of Galveston business area, well designed and valued place to stay!read more

The Powhatan House is a very well preserved example of early Galveston architecture. Built in 1847,…read moreit was the residence of one of Galveston's early mayors, John Seabrook Sydnor, who also grew up here. It was Sydnor's middle name of Seabrook for which the little town just north of Galveston on the edge of Galveston Bay was named. It is remarkable for the fact that it is in very good shape, and for the fact that it survived to 1900 Storm and several others since! It is located at 3427 Avenue O. It is very impressive to view and is surrounded by shrubs on the front facing avenue O and on the side facing 35th street. It is the current location for the Galveston Garden Club. With that being said, I would think that as a garden club they would keep those hedges a little more manicured! There is a Texas Historical marker located on the 35th street side and it is kind of hard to see, or photograph as the hedges are a little high and somewhat obscure the view. There are times when the Galveston Historical Society do tots of the islands historical homes and sometimes this one is included. It is usually the first two weekends of the month of May. It's a good way to learn about a lot of Galveston's past history, and there is a lot to learn as there are quite a few historic old homes left in Galveston with seeing and learning about!

We attempted to visit the Sabine pass battleground. We drove in and parked. Paid our $5. As we did…read morethe guy told us the mosquitoes would be bad, as if on cue they swarmed. We hastily made a circle around the area, but did not dare stop as they would just attack more. Upon tears of sorrow we made our way back to the car. We had clearly lost the battle of Sabine pass.

Scenic trail way along the Sabine River. State historical…read moresites with historical markings highlighting civil war history and WW2 history and strategic importance of port defenses. (Courtesy of Texas historical society) The location of a significant Civil War battlefield, Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site tells the story of Confederate Lt. Richard "Dick" Dowling and his 46 men who thwarted a Union assault on Sabine Pass, a primary Texas port for Confederate shipments of supplies and vital to the war effort. In a battle lasting less than an hour, Dowling and his men destroyed two gunboats, resulting in significant casualties and the capture of nearly 350 prisoners. Thanks to their efforts, area ports escaped capture and Union forces never penetrated the Texas interior in the Civil War.

We decided to do a day trip to Orange to visit the Shangri-La Botanical Gardens (see my other…read morereview) and thought we'd stop at this old home for our elderly guest. You cannot go straight to the house for a tour, you must meet at the Stark museum across the street, purchase a ticket, and then be accompanied by a tour guide to the house. The museum is free if you'd like to visit that while you are there. Once you walk over to the house you cannot bring a camera in with you. A knowledgeable and very long winded tour guide will bring you around the average sized home for about an hour describing every room in detail. It's a pretty home from the outside and I wish that was all I had seen. The long tour of the inside was boring. Our tour guide was obviously very proud of the home and the history of the house in relation to Orange, Texas, but it wasn't as interesting to out of town people. I don't think that I am being overly harsh. My 70 year old mother-in-law accompanied us; she is a huge fan of old homes and antiques. She found the tour to be too long and to focus on mundane items in the house. My suggestion... go to Orange for the day. Visit Shangri-La and stop in front of this home to see how pretty it is from the outside.

We like going here around Christmas when the house is decorated and there is a small ensemble…read moreplaying Christmas music.

The hours of operation stated 24 hours, but the facilities were closed upon our arrival. No big…read moredeal! I was still able to walk the grounds reading the historical markers. The building seemed in disrepair, but overall was impressive in its historical aura. Support your local historical site by donating time and money to restore the house to its original granduer.

It's a old historical site. The owner died and left it to the town along with a large sum of money…read moreto take care of it. The town took the money during bad times on the promise the town would take care of it. Water front property.

During a long weekend trip last week to Galveston, I was fortunate enough that a waitress at BLVD…read moreSeafood recommended I check this old house out. It was nicely laid out and you could walk up and buy a ticket with a self guided audio tour of the place that included historical tid bits about the family and what was happening in the area at the time they lived in it. They apparently have private tours of the upstairs/attic areas but those you have to book and pay for in advance. I enjoyed the audio tour and even bought a few items at the quite spacious gift store! At times I felt like I was the only one in the house because it was probably a non tourist heavy day. You can easily park on the street and walk in to buy a ticket the day of...well at least on the day I was there!

A very neat experience that takes no time at all. Easy to navigate and very enjoyable to see the…read morehistory of Galveston.

Beautiful, centuries-old live oak tree that was already huge before Houston was even founded. It's…read moreseen a lot of history, including (allegedly) a few hangings, over the years.

Exactly what it claims to be - the old hanging oak. There's not much to do around it, but it's a…read moregood reminder of a different time. Don't go here if you expect a museum, or exhibit, or anything like that. It's a nice tree with an interesting history. Nothing more, nothing less.

March 18, 2022 Galveston Island Texas…read more Went to an event that was sponsored by the Villa but was put on by "Rockstar Beer Festivals" We sat at a sold out show for about an hour 15 minutes. We listened to the narrator tell us ghost stories about the owners of Ashton Villa and other well knowns while we sipped cocktails (not one craft beer though which there is plenty of local breweries here) They "tried" to make it like the ghosts were present in the home, but, that was funny not haunted. We stayed in the big banquet room the entire time; we never toured the home (I've seen this home before but, I'm sure others had not, my friend included) C'mon, now if you're during a haunted ghost story event in a beautiful 3 story "historical" home that's a survivor of the 1900 storm that wiped out this island...you gotta move around and see the place. Disappointed. The drinks were very tasty. The crew was nice. The narrator was a good story teller AND he hammered a 6 inch nail into his nose, besides the awesome location, these were the best parts. For $46...and a BIG emphasis on tipping, it wasn't worth it. 5 STARS for the location. 3 for the event.

I grew up coming here and as an adult went to a few weddings. Today I went to celebrate Juneteenth…read morebecause it began in Galveston and this is where General Gordon Granger read off the proclamation for the emancipation of the slaves. As Ashton Villa was the site of the reading, it holds a special place in history. I am proud of this beautiful home in my wonderful hometown.