Key West or Galveston?

There's a great restaurant in Galveston called Fish Tales. Here's a desciption of it and the address.


FISH TALES
2502 Seawall
409.762.8545
Located at the corner of 25th and Seawall Boulevard, Fish Tales boasts excellent seafood and a breathtaking Gulf view.

 

Dr. Bob,

Galveston and surrounding area is a nice little coastal city with much to see and do. It is a wonderful area full of great people who will make you feel like you are at home. Some possibilities that you would enjoy include, but are not limited to:

(1) THE STRAND : There is an area near the Cruise Ships known as "The Strand" that is very interesting. You can tour an old Sailing-type fighting ship, visit lots of shops, select from many restaurants and eat on the Intercoastal waterway, and do many touristy type things there.

(2) SEAWALL . The seawall area is also great if you like the water...it runs along the coastal side of the Gulf of Mexico. The sand/beaches in Galveston is NOT like the sugary white sand of Destin, Fl., but it is the beach and very pretty. There are lots places to park and walk along the beach, and there are bikes, scooters, etc., to rent and more.

My favorite thing to do when I eat is to find a restaruant overlooking the water and enjoy the view! There is one Hotel built totally over the water! Neat!

Depending on who you bring and the time of the year, there are many great spots to get into the Gulf and enjoy playing in the water! Go for it.

(3) MUSEUMS: There are also some museums, etc., too. One fascinating musemum is one dedicated completely to the Off-shore oil drilling industry! It is very compelling and informative. It is a must for non-Texans and gives you a good overview of what it means to be drilling for oil and gas in the Gulf and the Ocean on general. A must see.

(4) MOODY GARDENS: Some would say that M. Gardens is 'synonymous with Galveston!' There are several enjoyable things to do and see at MG, so this needs to be on the list. Research it on the WWW and you will get a taste of all it includes -- I-Max, Aquarium, gardens, hotel, and more.

(5) Rain Forest Care -- for an 'experience' and NOT just a meal, try this temem restaurant that will leave you saying, "WOW!"

(6) The "All-American City" of Texas City is only about 8 miles away and has a some things to see, too. Although only 40,000 people, TC is a quaint little city with some interesting sites to see... most of all sign up for the tour of the area and see the many birds that live there. People actually come to TC just for the fabulous bird tour. One crucial note about TC: There are about 10 plants, factories, etc., in the immediate area that make it one of the TOP spots in the entire USA for the Petro-Chemical industry. Without a doubt, TC is a key spot in the USA due to this very important industry that is based here.

(7) KEMAH: 8 miles north of Texas City up Hwy. 146 is a little sea-side town called Kemah. There you can view the 100's of beautiful boats and yachts in the Marina, enjoy a sea-side amusement park, take a large jet-boat ride into the Gulf (at speeds of over 50 mph... don't miss this exciting ride, Dr. Bob!!) and enjoy the boardwalk area, eat at many nice restaurants,and more.

This is just a sampling of Galveston area things to do! Contact the Chambers of Commerce and the WWW for more ideas. I am sure you can do some WWW searches on Galveston and area and find many things to do. Good luck and have fun. If you have any specific questions , please let me know.

I have also been to Key West once, but I have not lived in that area, so I cannot give much specific info. It is a neat city, but too many people go there to party to make it appealing to me. I did do some SCUBA diving there, and that was nice. Have fun!

BLT

 

GALVESTON - I've been there several times on business and left as quickly as possible. The only "don't miss" that I've heard of is the Moody Gardens.

KEY WEST -

I hope you have a great time in Key West. It is a wonderful, beautiful and wacky city. Warning -I'm sure you know this, but Key West has a very large gay community. It is not normally "in your face," but you will notice this. If this is a problem, I would suggest going somewhere else.

Favorite Hotel - I recommend staying close to downtown. The hotels out by the airport are less expensive but parking downtown is horrendous and cabs are not cheap. You may end up spending more time and money if you stay at one of these places.

I would suggest a B&B rather than a hotel - usually quieter and more reasonable. Plus, you will probably have more room, including a kitchen. Recommendation include the Merlin Guest House and Courtney's Place.

If you want to stay in a resort/hotel, I would recommend the Crowne Plaza La Concha on Duval Street. It's right in the middle of things and is owned by Holiday Inn, and it more reasonable than the Hilton or Sheraton.

Favorite Beach - Sorry, no really good beaches in Key West. There are a few man made beaches around town if you really feel like you have to go one.

Favorite Restuarant --- Blue Heaven. Go to www.blueheavenkw.com for more information. Dinner is great, but I liked breakfast there too. Not cheap, but worth the price. We also enjoyed Turtle Kraals on the marina.

Favorite Thing to Do - Snorkeling. Highly recommended. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly, and you will see a lot fish, maybe even a shark or two.

Best Place to People Watch - Mallory Square. Offbeat to say the least, but you've got to go, at least one evening.

Favorite Bar - Oops, never mind.

Best Way to See Key West - Conch Tour Train. Very touristy, but a great way to see the town in a short time. Plus, I think you are able to get on/off during the day. Highly recommended.

Alternative - My favorite is the middle Keys rather than Key West, but I don't know if you will have a chance to get up to Islamorada. If so, I would recommend this.

 

Any recommendations for a family with young children going to South Florida in general? We are going there for Thanksgiving to visit the in-laws.

Andy

 

Andy -

Bienvenidos a Miami! South Florida is a tapestry of ethnic groups, languages and cultures, and I hope you and your family enjoy your time here.

There are a lot of things to do and I have listed some suggestions below. Of course, I would check these out with your family and also on the net.

Miami Metro Zoo - On SW 152 Street south of Miami and just west of the Florida Turnpike. A good value and a lot of fun.

Shark Valley in the Everglades - West of the Florida Turnpike off the Tamiami Trail. Also, a good value. If you want to go further south, you can go all the way to Homestead to the Everglades National Park.

Airboat Rides - If you are out in the Everglades, you may want to go on an airboat ride. This is not offered at Shark Valley, but at places close by. Also, there is one offered by the Micosukee Indian Tribe which will take you to an indian village.

John Pennekamp State Park - In Key Largo. This is a bit of a drive, but may be worth it. You can go snorkeling or on a glass bottom boat and see the reefs.

Seaquarium - Touristy, not as good as SeaWorld, IMHO. Located on Key Biscayne.

Fairchild Gardens - Beautiful tropical gardens in southern Coral Gables - your wife may like this better than the children.

Parrot Jungle - On Watson Island in downtown Miami. Your children may enjoy this. Very touristy though.

Lion County Safari - In Palm Beach County. You drive around with the animals around you. I've never been here personally.

Butterfly World - In Coconut Creek. Again, I've never been here, but have heard it's intersesting.

Basketball - The Miami Heat may be in town. The arena is on the bay in downtown Miami.

Bayside Marketplace - Located downtown on the bay, just south of the arena. An waterside mall with loads of shops and restuarants, and ususally some free entertainment outside. They also have tourist boat rides on the bay, leaving from the Bayside Marina.

Children's Museum - One in Ft. Lauderdale and one in Miami on Watson Island. A great place to visit with the children.

Vizcaya - A beautifully restored mansion on Biscayne bay. Your wife may enjoy this more than the children.

Beaches - I would avoid SoBe (South Beach) with small children. One of the best family friendly beaches is Bill Baggs State Park at Key Biscayne. Plus, there are no big waves here, as it more "bay" than "beach."

Little Havana - Enjoy at least one authenic Cuban meal on Calle Ocho (8th Street) in Little Havana. Personal favorites include Versailles and La Carreta.

Warning - Be careful driving. It's not that people don't know how to drive, they just know how to drive in their own country.

 

Dr Bob, I have been to both and you will enjoy the historical sites in both cities. Key West is the most expensive of the two places but there is a variety of things to do with your family. Galvaston, is one of my favorite places in the state of Texas. You are in driving distance of Houston, which is a great place to visit also.

 

Blue Heaven is great. When I lived in Key West, it was one of our favorites.

The Blue Heaven used to be a brothel where Hemingway would referee boxing matches and bet on cockfights.

Another favorite is Pepe's, which is about two blocks away from where I lived (I lived on Williams Street). It's across the street from Jimmy Buffett's studio, Shrimpboat Sound, so Mac and Peter and the gang have been known to hang out there and Jose Uribe, of ESPN's "Spanish Fly" is a regular.

The food is great and inexpensive.

The Schooner Wharf and the Green Parrot were two of my regular hangouts, but Bob's probably not going there for that.

It is and so is the Key West Bight.

Bob, almost forgot, I know you're into history, so don't forget to see the cemetary that has a monument to the sailors lost in the Spanish American War.

 

I too would recommend Pepe's - it was very good! Also, there is a Jamaican restuarant near Mallory Square called Jamaica Me Hungry that comes with high recommendations.

 

Andy -- One more...

I'm not sure of where you will be in south Florida. If you are in Miami area, you may want to bring the children to the Clot Home in Pinecrest one evening, which was voted the best Christmas display in the country. The lights come on Thanksgiving night.

Here is some information -
The display consists of over 600,000 lights, over 100 custom made animated displays and takes approximately 15 days and 15 volunteers to assemble. The display draws in excess of 2,000 amps of current and consumes approximately $4,000 in electricity monthly. Every year the Clot family gives away over 60,000 candy canes to children who visit the site. Visiting the home is free, but donations to the Woman's Cancer Association of the University of Miami are accepted. Over the past ten years or so, they have raised over $300,000 for this worthy cause. You can visit www.clotxmas.com for more information and for directions. I hope you go - it is worth seeing.

 

We ended up going there today. The kids absolutely loved it, especially feeding the exotic birds. The shows could have been better but fine for the kids.

I would like to go to a place like Billies Swamp Safari but don't know if that attraction is the best place for that type of thing.

We may try your latest suggestion tomorrow night after we eat.

Andy

 

Glad that you liked Parrott Jungle and hope you were able to visit the Christmas House. I think that the children would like the Everglades air boats - either Billies or the Miccosukkees.

 

Well I know nothing about those places but I will try and post my favorite place to spend quiet time with my Lord.
(I am not that good with pasting pics, so if you can help...HELP

Okay someone please tell me why I have only a little red box???

 

I spent a bit of time in Key West back in my lost days. Whew!! What a weird place!!

Stay away from any hotel with a rainbow flag!

 

We didn't make it to the Christmas house but we did get to take an airboat ride near Shark Valley. Those airboats are pretty neat! We had a lot of fun with that. Thanks so much for the suggestions.


Andy

 

Andy - Glad you had a good time down here. You can see the "Christmas House" on Home & Garden Television (HGTV), as they are included in their showing of the best Christmas Houses in the US - showing continuously between now and Christmas.