Lauri D. Bridgen

I was born and raised in Houston. Throughout my years, I have made many trips and visits to Galveston. I wish we had a cleaner beach near to Houston, but we don't, so Galveston is it when I need a salt water breeze.
I much prefer Florida's clear emerald waters and sugar white sand beaches. The temperatures are basically the same. Both areas are hot and loaded with humidity, but the atmosphere is so much prettier in Florida.
I have visited Galveston in every month of the year. In my opinion, April and May are the best times to go. If you plan a trip to Galveston, remember there are several areas for Galveston proper. The "Seawall" is the most populated area. Parked cars line the street of the seawall with people unloading their gear to enjoy a day on the sand near the water. Further east you have an amazement park with rides and food. I like further west near Sea Isle and Jamaica Beach. It is less crowded and there's easy access to the beach. The communities have golf carts for rent which are also fun to ride through the neighborhood. I am partial to this area as we have a bay house in the neighborhood and a few of our friends have places near us as well.
The pictures included in this review are as recent as last weekend (August 25-27, 2023) and as far back as May 2015.
Only 3 stars even though I go a lot, but that's because it's close to home. (closer than Florida :))

4/19/2023: Iconic bar with great nostalgia everywhere! This was one of my favorite spots on Broadway. The first level is very thin and hard to find a seat, but it’s a lot of fun! They have multiple levels with multiple live bands, like most of the Broadway bars, so there’s always a spot somewhere. You just have to walk around a little to find a place. I love the bright purple and the iconic photos. The service is good. Don’t miss this place on your outing.

4/20/2023: We almost skipped this because we overbooked ourselves. So glad we squeezed it in our tour of Nashville. We went around 11:00 AM on a Thursday. I've been to a wax museum years ago, but I don't remember it being THIS good! The detail is phenomenal! This is a self guided tour. We spent about an hour going through the exhibits. It was so real, I kept expecting the wax figures to move. You can take photos and get close to the statues, all they ask is you don’t touch their face or hair. It was eerie and cool at the same time! The background settings are so awesome too! The museum is inside the Opry Mills Mall. Parking is very convenient and free. Your event is located to the right as you walk in to the mall. Highly recommend!

Fun patio bar off the golf course. Went with a friend in a Friday night. Very enjoyable crowd. Kid friendly and spacious area. They have TVs and outdoor space heaters with lots of tables for all size groups. The service was terrific and the martinis were great! Greg took good care of us. The atmosphere is comfortable. No stuffy, snootiness here! Love that!
We went inside to have dinner. Eric was very attentive. We ordered the calamari which was fantastic! We had an order of gumbo to go since they were about to close. I didn’t get a photo, but it was very tasty! They give you lots of club cracks with the gumbo. Highly recommend both the calamari and gumbo!

Pretty postcard mural. Easy to park and take pictures. It’s on a corner near a food truck stand. Didn’t get to try that, but maybe next time. Down the street is East Hill which seems to be a really nice part of Pensacola. Beautiful cathedral, trees and homes. Worth a look after visiting the postcard wall.