Galveston Island KOA Holiday is the perfect beach destination

Looking for a true beachy feeling vacation destination? Need it to have full hookups but don’t want to sacrifice the feeling of camping on the beach? Do you love frozen cocktails? If you answered yes to any of these questions then Galveston Island KOA Holiday is the place for you.

Heading toward the Galveston Island KOA Holiday one of the first things you notice is you are not located in the center of town with all the hustle and bustle that comes with that. Some people will not like this as you are no longer within walking distance to restaurants and bars. I on the other hand love that I am away from people. This allows you to get the full breeze of the ocean, not have to hear all the traffic, plus you get almost exclusive access to the beach without having to fight large crowds.

This KOA is possibly one of the cleanest and most well-maintained locations we have been too. Almost all the sites have their own palm tree adding to your beach atmosphere. We stayed at one of the pulls through sites with a KOA patio and it was a perfectly level location giving us a large parking pad for the camper, Jeep, and even could have fit another car on the pad. Are you anything like me and have to do some work while on vacation? If so, the Galveston Island KOA has the best internet that we have ever had ant any previous campground. Normally I have to use my hotspot to do anything online, but here we had absolutely no issues at all using the KOA internet exclusively.

It should be no surprise that being in Texas in June we are hot! like super-hot all the damn time. So, once we got parked and set up, we headed directly to the lazy river that is located on the grounds of the KOA. After a bit we decided to go check out the store for an ice cream and then go and enjoy the hot tub/pool. That is when we made a discovery that was going to not only change the entire vibe of our stay, but also was going to put this KOA as one of the best ones we have ever visited. The Frozen Drinks!!!!

That’s right frozen margaritas and pina coladas. Frozen Miami vice and peaches and crème. Total game changer for the cherry on top of our beach vacation vibe. So, we sat on the elevated deck, drinking a frozen mango colada, looking out over the Gulf and feeling the warm breeze take away all of our travel stress!

The one negative I have to say about this park is the mosquitos. They are horrible here. Like cannot go outside at all horrible. I have been to Colorado and Alaska both that claim they have the worst mosquitos and I sear these pest make those look like lady bugs!

Beach Vibes

Onto the beach! You have public access to the beach within walking distance from Galveston Island KOA. Not that we walked….to damn hot for all that. So, we took the jeep and made the small drive to the public access parking. Now I am not going to sit here and lie to you telling you this is the best beach I have ever been too. The water is not crystal-clear blue water. There are no white sand beaches stretching for miles.

Instead, you get a normal beach with somewhat mucky water. Do not despair, what you lose with the water you gain with easy access and minimal crowds. Seriously minimal crowds, everyday we went to the beach we maybe had 15 other people that we could see. I will take that any day over crowded beaches on the emerald coast. Instead of hundreds of high rises along the coast, you get super cute beach houses lining the beaches, once again giving you that island vibe.

The sand at the beach seems to stay moist at all times. Keep this in mind if you like to lay on the sand, you will get wet. With it being so moist it never really gets hot! Very comfortable all day long. I really enjoyed the beaches and the gulf that you get here in Galveston.

I cannot say the same for Killian. While on one of our evening beaches walks Killian was in the water at about knee depth when all of a sudden, he started screaming and crying saying that he was stung! Looking into the water I found that there was in fact a jellyfish (looked to be a sea nettle) that was wrapped on his ankle. After a lot of tears, a hot water soak, and some cortisone cream he was feeling much better. Now he just wants to stay in the pool area, cannot say I blame him.

Galveston Ferry

If you are looking for a cheap fun thing to do with the kids, the Galveston Ferry is going to be a big hit. Coming in at a whopping FREE you cannot get much cheaper than that. All you have to do it go and get in line and await a fun filled experience. Once we boarded the ferry you are allowed to get out of your vehicle and go to the observation deck. That is where we had some up-close views of the surrounding cargo ships! Man, these things are HUGE! On our return trip we where able to see some dolphins that came up to say hi to everyone.

Just be aware that you may sit in line for a hour or so depending on traffic just to get on the ferry. We were able to basically drive right on from Galveston but then had to wait about 45 minutes for the return trip. It would not be that bad if we had AC in the Jeep but without AC it was a little miserable.

Galveston Island Brewing

As per the usual I am always looking for excellent places to go and grab a drink. So, when I was checking into the KOA, I noticed they had some beer from Galveston Island Brewing in their refrigerator. That spiked my interest enough to go and check out the brewery.

Walking into the brewery you notice how family friendly they are. Offering a outside playground for kids, coloring book, and games. Not to mention some excellent Root Beer so they don’t feel left out. The atmosphere for my children and me and perfect. Very warm and welcoming, I highly appreciate that as you don’t always get that at a brewery.

My personal favorite beer was the Roast Master Blonde. This blonde is infused with coffee beans from a local coffee roaster name Red Light Coffee. It is a perfect pairing of a light beer with the slightest taste of coffee. Mush smoother than a coffee porter this beer can be more described as an iced coffee beer.

Texas Tail Distillery

Our first meal while visiting Galveston was at a small distillery called Texas Tail Distillery. This is a smaller more intimate distillery that has excellent whiskey, vodka, and moonshine. I stuck with my favorite drink of all time…. the old fashioned. The whiskey is smooth and flavorful. The old fashioned was made perfectly with just a splash of bitters and a candied cherry. The ice block comes with a stamp of Texas formed into the ice to top off the experience.

As far as food, I ordered the Drunken Tail Burger that is a smash burger. The burger has maple peppercorn, bacon, whiskey molasses onions and shredded cheese on it. It is served on a fresh bun with fries. Those of you from the Midwest will recognize the name Rally’s, these fries remind me of a more freshly made version of those fries. If you are dinning with kids, have no fear. The distillery is family friendly and does have a kid’s menu.

My only real complaint is the server was overwhelmed by a large party that came in and basically took over the entire distillery. To the point of hosting a meeting in the dinning area basically running out anybody that was not part of their meeting. This led to the server only ordering a kid’s pizza for my boys to split instead of a full-size pizza that we wanted. Our party also had ordered another item that was never even put in the system. It is very frustrating when you order something and receive something else or don’t even receive what you ordered. It was not worth trying to rectify this as with the large takeover party, we were told food items would be significantly delayed.

West End Marina Restaurant

The most expensive meal of our trip goes to West End Marina Restaurant. Let’s start with the atmosphere. If you are looking for a local eatery that will give you those island vibes, I do recommend this eating here. It is an outdoor deck with plenty of TV’s and misters to keep you cool. If reminds you of being on a deck of an old pirate ship.

The food was good, not the best that we had while in Galveston but it was good. If you are into appetizers, you must try the boudin and brie eggrolls. These eggrolls are fried to perfections and served halved on the plate making them a perfect shareable.

Looking for a taste of the ocean? I ordered the Red Snapper that is fresh gulf snapper. Toped with a lemon caper artichoke sauce. Served with mashed potatoes and fresh veggies. It was good but to be honest it was not the best snapper I have ever had.  My brother-in-law order the fish tacos and was raving about how good they are. They looked very crispy and you could tell they were fried in fresh clean oil.

All and all I would go here again if you are wanting fresh seafood directly from the marina. You cannot go wrong with anywhere that the locals are flocking to, just be careful not to run over any of them as they are buzzing around in their golf carts.

Gaido’s

The best food we had in Galveston came from Gaido’s. This classic eatery has been in Galveston since 1911. They have been proudly serving seafood to the Galveston area every since. So, it goes without saying that they know what they are doing. Before I get to the food, I do want to let you know that if you are planning on grabbing a bite to eat at Gaido’s. You will need to go online or call and book your reservation. Parking is extremely limited and so is seating so make sure you are prepared and not just trying to walk in and eat.

OK so now to the good stuff. Their menu is extensive and all of it is amazing. They have anything from Salmon to Mahi Mahi. They have Yellowfin Tuna to Red Snapper. I guess I was being a bit boring but I see something on the menu that really reached out to me and I had to try it. The shrimp and grits!

The shrimp and grits at Gaido’s are done differently. Grits are made with a blue cheese, then they add the grilled shrimp and top the entire thing with a sweet and smoky chipotle sauce. I have to say this is the best shrimp and grits I have ever had.  The servings are large, to the point that I should have taken half of this plate home. But I didn’t. Forcing myself to eat it because it was so good. If you are getting any plate besides the pasta, make sure you try the parmesan tomatoes. Trust me!

Millers Seawall Grill

Millers Seawall Grill is a small building right across the street from the beach. They have been in business since 1976. What makes them unique is the serve breakfast all day every day. The breakfast as well as breakfast incorporating seafood, think crab benedict. Kaitlin ordered the shrimp and gouda grits but I didn’t because I had just ate shrimp and grits at Gaido’s the night before. I must say that the presentation of the shrimp and grits at Millers Seawall Grill was a lot better than Gaido’s. Honestly though I did prefer the taste of the blue cheese grits over the gouda grits at Millers.

I ordered the lump crab cakes. This gives you two large crab cakes that are topped with a crab and corn chowder. The cakes themselves are cooked with onion and bell peppers incorporated within the cakes. You get 1 side with this huge meal and I ordered the fried okra with them. The okra was cooked perfectly, nice and crunchy. The crab cakes were amazing. Huge and the crab was tender. The only complaint I have is the cakes had a little more spice in them then I like. I had to take some heart burn meds afterwards but that is a small price to pay for such good food.

We finished off the meal with some homemade peach cobbler and a scoop of ice cream. This is served in a boat that is overflowing. Literally overflowing to the point, they have to serve the boat on a plate to catch all the extra cobbler. Highly recommend.

Naked Iguana Brewing

If you are looking for a great way to get out of the heat and enjoy a small microbrewery in the Galveston Area, I have to suggest the Naked Iguana Brewery. This is by far my favorite brewery on the island. At the time of this writing, they have only been open for about 7 months but I can tell you they are going places.

Anybody that knows me knows that I love a good microbrewery. They are my favorite places to drink and eat. I also love a good dark stout and/or porter. Well Naked Iguana has a porter but to be honest I have had better. The beet that got me was a IPA called the Bearded Hipster. Now remember that I normally HATE IPA beers. Just not a fan of the strong hops, but this beer is different. It is smooth and has a hint of grapefruit. Now I am not going to lie to you. I am not sure that I would drink this beer back home in Illinois. BUT down here, on the beach, in 100-degree heat. It hits just right. I absolutely love this beer and this brewery, please come and give them a try. Tell them I sent you.

Mama Teresa’s Flying Pizza

If you want to take a break from seafood and enjoy some Italian instead you must come down to Mama Teres’s Flying Pizza. Located just a few blocks down from Naked Iguana Brewery, this classic Italian restaurant will leave you wanting to come back again and again. I got the eggplant parmesan po boy and it was amazing how large this dish was. They used a entire loaf of French bread with a whole eggplant and about a ton a cheese on top. It was to die for! I must tell you though, I was envious of the pizza. The pizza is where they shine and that is what I suggest for you to try while you are there. More specifically would be the Greek pizza, holy crap did that look good!!

If you have a birthday coming up you must go and let them know. You will be gifted a free dessert but more important there is a guy that will come to your table and sing happy birthday to you in a Italian Opera. His voice is stunning and almost crippling to listen to. It will stop every conversation in the restaurant. This is something you must experience, it is truly one of a kind.

Venados Cantina

Want to take a step back from Mexican food? Troy out the Vanados Cantina. I recommend the boudin Enchiladas. These enchiladas have the spice of boudin with the savory of enchilada sauce. It comes with your choice of beans and rice. If that is not floating your boat you can honestly get anything on the menu and be happy. This is a traditional Mexican Cantina. All the dishes are amazing as well as the dessert. The Tres leches cake is fantastic as well as the corona-Rita. There is nothing here that is not worth eating.

This is a place that is filled with locals. That should tell you that the food is good. I even overheard some of the locals commenting on all the out of towners coming in to their restaurant. I don’t take offense to that, hell I would feel the same if I lived in the area and had some amazing food, I wanted to keep to myself. If you are wanting to eat here, I recommend coming in early. We got there around 4:30 PM and was able to get seated immediately. After about 30 minutes of drinking, I went to the bathroom and overheard that the wait was up to over an hour. So do yourself a favor and go early. Grab a drink then eat.

Uncle Sam’s RV LLC

Owning a RV has its perks, but it also has its problems. One of those problems is, its going to break. When it breaks it is going to be at the worsted times you can imagine. When we got to Galveston, we noticed that the rear AC unit on our Fleetwood Discovery is making a squealing noise when it kicks on, but it immediately goes away and runs perfectly fine. So, I did not think much of it and just hoped that it would make it through our trip.

That did not happen, just 4 days into our stay the rear AC locked up and was no longer providing any cool air. I got up on the roof to disassemble and see if there is anything that looks like a definite issue. I could not notice anything out of place or broken so I decided to call Uncle Sams RV LLC and see if they can give me a hand. The lady on the phone was very happy, asking the questions needed for the tech to have an idea of what they would need. Communication was excellent has she asked for some photos of the unit, then called me back to give me a price and estimated time of arrival.

Sam called me when they were 20 minutes out and informed me that they would be at my campsite to diagnose. The kept telling me what they were testing, what to expect to see, and what they needed to do. After 10 minutes or so they diagnosed the motor was bad and started to repair it. Only a hour and half since they arrived, everything was fixed and back together. I cannot say enough about Uncle Sams RV LLC. They charged a very reasonable price and off they went.

If you are in Galveston and have any issue at all with your RV, do not hesitate to call Uncle Sams RV LLC at 409-789-7873. They are veteran owned and operated. Very honest hard-working people that are not looking to take advantage of a situation.