So, Thursday morning Mason, Nathan and I headed down to the coast {Texas Gulf Coast}. We left around 7:45 am and made great timing! Even with a 25ish minute stop at Bucees we arrived at our hotel in La Porte, TX at 11:30! Such a smooth, easy drive. Mason did so great!!
We unloaded our luggage and then headed to Galveston. It was around 25 miles from our hotel, but with the traffic and stop lights it took about 40 minutes! We headed straight for the Pleasure Pier. We got Mason and Nathan an all day ride pass. They work you that way....they make the kiddie rides just to the height where most would need an adult to ride with them. Nonetheless, Mason had a wonderful time.
We were at Pleasure Pier a good 2.5 hours and then headed to lunch at Fish Tales by recommendation of Christine! It was fabulous!! And right across from the water. Such wonderful views. After lunch we went on a Duck tour. Mason was excited to be in an old military vehicle! He ended up falling asleep before our tour was over. He was exhausted after such a long day!
We tried to check out a man-made beach by our hotel, but it was fourth of July and they were having fireworks so it was impossible to get to! So, we just grabbed dinner and went back to the hotel. Early bedtime for us.
Friday morning we woke up headed over to Sylvan Beach for a bit. We were blown away with how trashed the beach was from the night before {4th of July festivities}. There was all kinds of stuff covering the beach. We found a spot that was clear, but we still didn't feel very comfortable there. There were beer bottles and all sorts of other trash. We didn't stay too long.
Next we visited the Kemah Boardwalk. I didn't take my camera because we had planned on taking a boat ride that got everyone wet. But at the last minute we changed our mind and went on a cruise ship type of boat. So, I have no pictures {except the ones from Instragram} of our time at Kemah. It was a ton of fun, though! Mason played games and we rode the train through the park. He also loved the hour long cruise ship ride.
That evening we drove to the beach. Galveston Beach on the seawall was so incredibly packed that we had to drive a good ways before we found a beach that wasn't so crowded. We were almost to San Luis Pass when we found an okay spot! We spent a good 3 or so hours at the beach. Mason was having a complete blast and wasn't scared of the ocean one bit. He'd just take off running into the ocean and would let the waves do their thing! It as awesome to watch. He's definitely our beach baby!!!
We tried to go back to the boardwalk after the beach to eat on a patio and watch fireworks. But even at 2.5 hours early, we still couldn't get a table. So we grabbed fast food and went back to the hotel.
Saturday morning we went to Rainforest Cafe for lunch. It's one of our favorite restaurants in Galveston. Mason of course loves the shop and the animals. But, they also have a little cave/water ride there too! We had a good time there. But this is where Mason started to have an upset tummy {before our lunch came}. After lunch we tried going to the Strand...but couldn't find any parking at all! Bummer. I could have done some good shopping there!! But, it's kind of a good thing because Mason's tummy was off all day. We did go to the San Jacinto Battlegrounds...which I posted about on a Texas Tuesday post here.
I'm not sure if it was drainage from allergies, swallowing too much ocean water, or a tummy bug but Mason had an upset stomach all day. He didn't act like he felt bad, but couldn't keep anything in {not throwing up, but the other}. Poor guy! We took it easy for the rest of the day and stayed close to the hotel.
Sunday morning we checked out of our hotel and drove back to Galveston to go to some beach shops. Mason wanted some souvenirs. Those shops were so stinkin crowded. It was honestly a big waste of time!
The drive home wasn't as great as the drive down there. Mason thought he had to potty a couple of times so we stopped {in houston, where it's not so easy to do so}. And then there was traffic and wrecks galore! We didn't get home until 6:45 that evening! Wowsa!
All in all, it was an amazing trip and perfect 1st family vacation!!! Nathan, Mason and I have been on many vacations, but this was the first with just us 3. We made a lot of great memories.
Have you been on Summer vacation? Where did you go? Or do you have one planned? Share with me?
