SUMMER ESCAPES
On Our Island
HOW OUR FAMILY BECAME A GALVESTON BEACH FAMILY, AND WHY YOURS SHOULD TOO
Photos courtesy of the Galveston CVB.
By Jordan LaHaye Fontenot
W
hen we were growing up, we only went to Gulf Shores once. It’s true the sands were white, the waters sparklingly blue. But what I remember most about that trip is that my baby brother would not stop screaming for fear of that snowcolored-sand, and that every time I stepped into the water, I came out with a jellyfish sting. It turned out that we really were, to our core, a Galveston Beach kind of family. It makes sense. After all, it’s where our parents met, where they got married. Hell, it’s where I lived the first six or so months of my prenatal life before being carried away to Acadiana. We felt quite at home there. Still to this day, almost every time we visit, my parents make a point to drive past the monuments of their time on the island as medical residents: their old neighborhood, the pink house, Sonny’s Place. These days, we visit Galveston more often than ever. My brother Joshua moved to the island with his wife in the summer of 2019, and they had their son—my very first nephew—last July. It’s incredible how quickly a four hour drive can go by when there is a fat, toothy baby on the other end. Sentimentality aside, frequent visits have made me appreciate this little Texas isle all the more in recent years: as a destination, but also as a fascinating community with a lively history. Drawing together twenty-five years of at-least annual visits, combined with recommendations from my once-local and newly-local family members and some help from the Galveston Island Convention & Visitors Bureau, I’ve curated this collection of Galveston experiences worth the ferry ride.
On the Water
Honestly, though, the ferry ride alone is almost worth the trip. My parents really hit the jackpot here when it came to entertaining five small children for cheap: we might as well have been on a cruise to the Bahamas such was the sense of adventure. Upon driving onto the ramp, we’d pile out of the car, loaf of bread in hand. Industrial as it may be, the Galveston ferry gets you up close and personal with the local wildlife. The seagulls can spot a five year old with a Cheeto from a mile away, and you’ll often catch a pod of dolphins leaping along beside the ship. Time it perfectly, and pop open a bottle of champagne from the backseat, and you can call this fifteen minute voyage a sunset cruise if you want to. Galveston gets some flack for its brown-colored beaches. But take a minute to relevel your nose and you’ll find most of the coastline quite clean, and teeming with life. If you’re intending to stay for more than a few hours, I’d recommend steering clear of the often-packed seawall and instead driving out to the more remote stretches along the west side of the island. In some spots, you can even drive your vehicle onto the sand for a tailgate-side sunset watch. Currently under renovation, the beachside of Galveston Island State Park will offer campsites right on the water in 2022. The beaches are great for fishing, but so is the bay. For many of those years visiting Galveston, my dad had a boat, and we’d get a house on the bayside of the island, where excursions out into the brackish waters ensured dinners of fresh redfish, speckled trout, sheepshead, drum, and even flounder. Crabs, too. Our family’s favorite spot for crabbing—we use the old turkey neck and string method—is in the salt marshes around San Luis Pass, though Joshua prefers to climb onto the island’s South Jetty. Don’t forget: anyone over the age of eighteen requires a Texas fishing license to fish or crab in Galveston (starting at $63 for saltwater packages) unless you are fishing in the State Park.
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Where to Eat
For my parents, at the top of any list of Galveston musts is Sonny’s Place. You know Jo’s Bar on Grey’s Anatomy? As medical residents, this was their Jo’s. You can get a burger for under $5 and the beer is known to be the coldest ever. Ruddy and soaked in nostalgia, the place was opened by the Puccetti family in 1944, and is now considered a Galveston institution. After a few closures over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, Sonny’s plans to reopen later this summer following renovations. Speaking of Galveston institutions owned by Italian families, if you’re looking for the classic Galveston dining experience, get yourself a reservation at Gaido’s. From its stead on the seawall, which it’s occupied since the year 1911, the upscale restaurant has maintained its reputation for serving the freshest of the Gulf’s bounty. The shrimp are hand-peeled, the oysters hand-shucked, and each dish is inspired by Gaido family recipes. Then, there is Maceo’s. Opened in 1944 by Galveston crime boss Rosario Maceo, the Spice & Import company has the small grocery feel of yesteryear and smells like oregano. In fact, if you buy a local beer out of their fridge, you get a little whiff of Italian kitchen with every sip. The shelves are stacked with a fantastically curious assortment of house-made seasoning blends and tomato gravies alongside specialty imports of Italian pastas, canned escargot, and a truly thrilling cheese selection. When I walked in recently, two of the owners were sitting in a corner, peeling shrimp to be fried for poboys. Smiling and raising a tail to me, one of them proclaimed: “We make the best gumbo west of the Sabine River!” Other oldtimers worth stopping by include The Original Mexican Café, which claims the spot of the longest continually operating restaurant on the island. It’s got an extensive menu of good old Tex-Mex classics, made fresh daily, and it’s been serving them up since 1916. Then, there’s Queens Bar B Que, where I highly recommend the Smoked Turkey Cliffhanger—a melt-in-your-mouth marriage of melted cheddar and jalapeño cheese, chives, and ranch dressing nestled against a pound of house smoked barbecue. Newer concepts shine on the island too, though. Gypsy Joynt’s flamboyantly creative spread of craft burgers (including the “PMS w/ Blue Ball” which—toppling over with mac and cheese, potato chips, caramelized onions, and bacon—is served with a chocolate dipped blue cake ball) is just about the best hangover cure I’ve ever encountered. Then there’s the Old Moon Deli & Pie Shop, with its play on pub style and ornate portraits of cats adorning the walls. With All Time Low’s “Dear Maria Count Me In” playing in the background, I recently tried their special of the day: a spicy ham sandwich on a jalapeño bun with spicy mayo, gouda, spinach, and pepperoni, all smashed together for a perfectly fresh and satisfying lunch downtown. They’ve also got kombucha on tap and pies that are the stuff of legends. As far as breakfast goes, natural light and café charm thrive in the land of Southern islands. Mosquito Café’s eclectic lunch counter-style menu of benedicts, rancheros, quiche, and omelets absorb the additional sweetness granted by its verdant courtyard, bursting with lush greenery and shaded over by palm trees. Shykatz specializes in homemade breads and pastries, but is beloved for its generous all day breakfast menu. The Sunflower Bakery & Café, too, is a hyperlocal haven of scratch-made locallysourced goodness to start your day. Go heavy with the chicken fried steak and eggs, dainty with the brie and prosciutto omelet, or straight up indulgent with the lemon curd waffle. Speaking of indulgence: I almost never let a visit to Galveston pass by without a stop
