• Contact
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • About
    • About Streets, Beats and Eats
    • FAQ
    • Privacy Policy
  • Shop
    • Shop My Instagram
    • LTK App
    • Amazon Store Front
    • StreetsBeatsEats Discount Codes
  • DFW
    • Date Ideas
    • Food + Drinks
  • Sports + Entertainment
    • Football
    • Spotify Playlists
  • Lifestyle
    • Wedding
    • Health + Fitness
    • Travel
    • Home
    • Holiday
  • Fashion + Beauty
    • Bras
    • Swimsuits
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Amazon
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok

Streets, Beats and Eats

January 31, 2023 · 11 Comments

How to Spend an Adult Spring Break in Galveston, Texas

Travel

Who says Spring Break stops when you graduate college? No one, that’s who! And if they do, then boo to them. You don’t need that type of negativity in your life!

We weren’t quite sure where we wanted to adventure to this spring (2019), but one thing we knew for sure was that we needed a quick break from reality. Quick, unfortunately, being the key word here. And since we are planning a wedding and tackling lots of home projects, it was important that our trip didn’t break the bank. Quick, relatively cheap, somewhere new and warm… Galveston, Texas! A quick 4 1/2 hour drive south from Dallas and on the ocean. I toyed around with the idea of hopping on a cruise ship, but that would have kept us from exploring around town for a true Galveston Spring Break vacation.

How to Spend an Adult Spring Break in Galveston, Texas

greetings from galveston mural in downtown galveston texas

Road Trip From Dallas To Galveston

packed up rav 4 for spring break road trip

Most of the times I call shotgun on a road trip, but this time I around I decided to drive. Largely due to the fact that we were taking the new Toyota Rav 4 Adventure down south, not our normal vehicles. Something about a new car, man, it excites me! I have zero regrets driving down to Galveston, in fact, I drove the entire way home, too.

We left Dallas around 12pm on a Friday, and I would have to say that’s the latest you should leave DFW to head down south. If I was going to do it over again, I would probably leave more like 11:30/11:45am. Houston traffic is the real deal. I mean BRUTAL, y’all. We had already planned to stay the night in Houston Friday and meet up with friends (it was my first time to Houston!), but I wanted to explore the city a bit before dinner, which didn’t happen. We were making great time and then out of nowhere, on the outskirts of Houston, the GPS display went from 20 minutes to destination, to 30, to 45, to 50. Woahza. Also, had I been to Houston before I probably would have tried some alternative routes, but Waze said to try the service roads, so that’s what we did.

If we weren’t in a hurry trying to beat (#FAIL) Houston traffic, we would have stopped at a few places that caught our eyes during the drive! Listing them here in case you have more time to leisurely drive to Houston.

Pit Stops on I-45

woman on a roadtrip from galveston to Dallas standing in front of Buc-ees

If you want to make a fun road trip out of your drive, there are plenty of places to pop in at.

Cooper Farms Country Store at 301 West I-45 Fairfield, TX 75840 is open year round. You can stop by the Bluebonnet Trails in Ennis, Texas. There are actually quite a few things to do in Ennis if you have the time! If you want to stop in Huntsville, you can go to the Texas Prison Museum, located at 491 Hwy 75 N Huntsville, TX 77320.

And of course, there’s Buc-ees! We stopped in at this famous gas station on the way home, thank goodness! The brisket tacos are *chefs kiss*. They have multiple stops along the I-45 route from Dallas to Galveston.

Spending the Night In Houston

Icon Hotel in Houston, Texas

We stayed at the gorgeous Autograph Collection hotel, Hotel Icon, in downtown Houston (read more about what My Curly Adventures’ thinks about it). It was a quick walk down the road to dinner at Moonshiners. Pro tip: order the Strawberry Breeze and thank me later. I downed two of ’em before dinner came. WHOOPS.

charity bar in houston texas

After dinner we walked back towards the hotel and got drinks (kidding, we had a drink, not drinks, because we’re old) at Angel Share Houston.

houston hotel icon unique bathroom and bath tub

Honestly that’s all we explored because going back to the hotel to take a bath was calling my name. I mean, look at this setup. Could you blame a girl for wanting to relax in a cool Houston hotel?

Galveston Spring Break Activities

galveston texas in the spring

We arrived in Galveston on Saturday, a little before lunch time, so we decided to dive straight into exploring. First stop: Downtown Galveston.

Historic Downtown Galveston

Old Galveston Square Downtown Galveston

Now that everything is said and done, I can confidently say this was my favorite part of the trip. There is so much character at every corner! The shops, the people, art, food, it was all the best. We found a parking lot (corner of Postoffice St and Michelle Ave) that was $8 per day (as of the time we visited) and conveniently located in the middle of the area we wanted to explore.

There were so many cute boutiques we walked by, but for some reason we only made it into a few. You can easily walk around and go into places that intrigue you, or if you want to plan ahead, here are a few: Salty Southern Chic, Fullen Jewelry, Tina’s On The Strand and Tangerine Boutique.

The Unicorn in a Box ice cream dish at The Gypsy Joynt in downtown Galveston

We had some freakin’ delicious ice cream at The Gypsy Joynt. I ordered The Unicorn in a Box because life’s too short not to eat glittery ice cream out of a Chinese takeout box. Everything (except the ice cream) is homemade. The cake that was part of my dessert is homemade by someone’s mom (by someone I mean the guy who helped us). We will absolutely be back to one of their two locations on our next Galveston Spring Break trip.

Vintage Crown in downtown Galveston Texas

The team at Gypsy Joynt pointed us in the direction of Vintage Crown, located at 215 23rd St, which had this slushy-Bloody Mary-esque alcohol beverage. It was mainly used for a cool photo, but I did have a few sips! It was just a little too sweet to eat right after ice cream and before we ate lunch…

Unfortunately El Jardin was closed while we there, but we heard it was the best hole in the wall Mexican food in Galveston. They only serve breakfast and lunch, so plan accordingly.

Greetings from Galveston mural located in Galveston Texas

Beyond all the great things to eat in Downtown Galveston and the shopping, there’s some cool art! This is one thing we want to go back and explore more of next time, because we only saw a few murals. The Greetings from Galveston mural featured here is located at Saengerfest Park, 23rd and The Strand.

Galveston Pleasure Pier

Pleasure Pier in Galveston Texas

I am so sorry to burst anyone’s bubble here… But if we could do anything different, we wouldn’t have spent the $22 to walk on Pleasure Pier. If you are planning to ride the rides, more power to you, but I can’t justify paying $10+ taxes/fees to walk around the pier. There weren’t amazing food places, just your typical carnival food, or anything else besides the games/rides. Not even a super cool photo spot which was my honest expectation. If you plan to ride rides, you can get a wristband for around $25 for unlimited rides.

Galveston Island Beach

Where to Eat in Galveston

Taquilo's Tex Mex, Mexican food in Galveston Texas

A few of the places we tried include  The Gypsy Joynt, Vintage Crown, Miller’s Seawall Grill, Hotel Galvez Bar & Grille and our absolute favorite, Taquilo’s Tex Mex.

Millers Seafood in Galveston Texas

One thing I noticed about Galveston, there aren’t many foodie accounts to use for inspiration! I’m a big fan of using Instagram (obviously) to find places to eat in new cities, but that didn’t provide much luck on this trip. There is one place I want to try next time called The Spot. And of course, the previously mentioned El Jardin.

Staying at Grand Galvez in Galveston, Texas

We stayed at Grand Galvez Saturday and Sunday night during our Galveston Spring Break trip. It’s an absolutely beautiful hotel located right by the beach.

Couples massage at Grand Galvez, the best spa in Galveston

Honestly, this is when we put the “adult” in the “adult spring break” concept. Since we did so much exploring Saturday, our plan was to wake up Sunday for our couple’s massage and then spend the afternoon day drinking at the pool and/or beach. Such a spring breaker thing to do, yeah?

size 14 Dallas blogger wearing Target bikini and Asos black coverup at Grand Galvez in Galveston Texas over spring break

In reality, we went to our massage and then had muffins (there was a huge Sunday Brunch at the hotel, but since it was Easter it was $65 a person and we couldn’t justify that). And with the best intentions, we changed into our swimsuits and headed down to the Grand Galvez pool. We stayed at the pool for a few hours, had a few drinks each, ate lunch and made our way back to the room. I napped, hard. Talk about a self care day.

Grand Galvez frozen pool drinks over spring break

Galveston Spring Break Final Thoughts

Toyota Rav 4 Adventure in Galveston Texas

Would we go back to Galveston? Totally! Would we go every summer? No. I love that we got to explore a new part of Texas and enjoy some sunshine, but Galveston isn’t somewhere I would vacation to every year. It’s a smaller town, so you can explore quite a bit on a single trip vs bigger cities where you need weeks to check everything off your bucket list.

Will I drive the Rav4 Adventure again? In a heartbeat. It was hands down the smoothest, most stress-free road trip I have ever embarked on. And I drive a lot! I could get used to having the lane detection assistance and a cruise control that automatically updates based on the cars in front of you. I touched the gas pedal/brakes a total of 3 times in 3 hours of driving… Austin kept asking if the changes were me or the car, and 9/10 times I could confidently say it was the car. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a total game of trust, but once you believe in the car, magic happens.

galveston pier over spring break in texas
margarita, chips and salsa in galveston texas
galveston street food
the gypsy joynt in downtown galveston texas
Grand Galveston Hotel near the Galveston Beach

Thanks to Toyota for sponsoring this trip. All opinions are my own. 

Let’s Connect On

  • Amazon
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok

Subscribe to the SBE Newsletter

Previous Post: « 10 Things You Need To Survive Cold Football Games
Next Post: 11 Best Self Love Podcasts on Spotify for Women »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katherine says

    March 4, 2020 at 7:47 pm

    I need to know where you got that swimsuit!!! It’s gorgeous!

    Reply
    • Nina says

      June 13, 2020 at 4:22 pm

      Did we ever find out where her suit is from?? ❤️❤️❤️???

      Reply
      • caseyleewalker says

        June 13, 2020 at 5:05 pm

        Hi Nina! It’s from Target! Bottoms >> https://bit.ly/2ABrQii and the exact top is sold out but here is the top that matches the bottoms >> https://bit.ly/30IQA2T

        Reply
    • caseyleewalker says

      June 13, 2020 at 5:05 pm

      Hi! It’s from Target! Bottoms >> https://bit.ly/2ABrQii and the exact top is sold out but here is the top that matches the bottoms >> https://bit.ly/30IQA2T

      Reply
  2. Jenn says

    June 11, 2020 at 11:58 pm

    Where is your swimsuit from

    Reply
    • caseyleewalker says

      June 13, 2020 at 5:13 pm

      Hi! It’s from Target! Bottoms >> https://bit.ly/2ABrQii and the exact top is sold out but here is the top that matches the bottoms >> https://bit.ly/30IQA2T

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 8 Travel Tips to Make Your Next Trip a Breeze | Streets, Beats and Eats says:
    May 10, 2019 at 1:07 pm

    […] READ ALSO: 20 Travel Captions for Instagram, Austin Mural Guide, Non-Mountain Lovers Guide to Utah, Vacation Adventures, Long Weekend in Playa del Carmen, 10 Reasons to Cruise, Adult Spring Break In Galveston […]

    Reply
  2. Ultimate Guide on What to Do in College Station Texas says:
    August 23, 2019 at 9:03 am

    […] on this road trip! My dad drove a 4Runner for years, so it was a bit nostalgic getting to do on our Texas Adventure in a 4Runner. The thing I remember by dad telling me over and over is that the 4Runner will last […]

    Reply
  3. Guide to Finding the Austin Mural Locations | Streets, Beats and Eats says:
    September 9, 2019 at 10:23 am

    […] Lovers Guide to Utah, Vacation Adventures, Long Weekend in Playa del Carmen, 10 Reasons to Cruise, Adult Spring Break In Galveston, New York Ice Cream, My Favorite Vacation Adventures, Weekend in College Station, Bald Head […]

    Reply
  4. Perfect Couples Getaway at Choctaw Casinos & Resort in Durant says:
    October 10, 2019 at 1:05 pm

    […] YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: College Station, Bald Head Island, Galveston, Austin Mural […]

    Reply
  5. Best Travel Bloggers and Influencers in Texas - My Curly Adventures says:
    November 28, 2019 at 5:15 pm

    […] for any travel lover. Her travel blogs feature a little bit of everything. Adults can enjoy Spring Break in Galveston too and Casey shows how it’s […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

SEARCH THIS SITE

SHOP MY FEED

Let’s Connect On

  • Amazon
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok

Footer

  • Amazon
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Contact
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • About
  • Shop
  • DFW
  • Sports + Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion + Beauty

Copyright © 2025 · ·Beloved Theme by Restored 316