1.5 year old kid. +/- a dog.
Looking for a Memorial Day weekend trip
Thanks in advance!

That isn't a lot to go on. Where are you coming from? Driving?
In general, the quality of beach is best towards the southwest and progressively gets worse as you move east. That doesn't mean the beaches are bad, or that a 1.5 year old and a dog will not have just as much fun on Galveston as they would on S Padre. I would pick the spot with a reasonable drive that you can get good accommodations at.

Thanks! Sorry should have added that. We are coming from BCS and would like to limit car driving to 3 hrs. 4 hrs maybe if beach area is real nice. We have been looking at Galveston but wasn't sure if there are any other places we have been overlooking.

With a 1.5 year old, I'd say Galveston. We took our kid there when he was 1.5 and he had a blast. All they're gonna do is run around on the beach and maybe go into the water a little. Pay for the parking at Porretto Beach and park on the sand and get an umbrella and chairs, since they're going to get overheated quick.


We've taken him to South Padre as well and it wasn't worth the drive. Galveston has more options for food and things to do, like Moody Gardens if you want a day out of the sun.

Maybe look at Port Aransas/Padre Island, nicer beach than Galveston and a little quieter (although Corpus is right there). Main drawback may be that cars are allowed on the beach if that is an issue; we like it because we can haul our stuff to the beach but a lot of people can't stand it.

Re: Galveston ... Rent a two-bedroom house in Pirates Beach or some other west end community. You can walk to the beach (and haul toys and stuff with a wagon).

Easy to get back and forth with a little one and there aren't any cars on the beach. A couple of hours in the morning; lunch and nap; then another couple of hours in the late afternoon. You escape the heat of the day and still get plenty of beach time.

S Padre is the best. That said, a dog and a 1.5 year old won't care, so its not worth the drive.

Now, if the wife cares, then that changes things.

Morpholino said:

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1.5 year old kid. +/- a dog.
Looking for a Memorial Day weekend trip
Thanks in advance!

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Sorry, but the best answer is to leave Texas if possible. Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Alabama is very nice. I love this state and will probably die here, but Memorial Day on Texas beaches tends to bring out rough crowds.

NoahAg said:

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Morpholino said:

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1.5 year old kid. +/- a dog.
Looking for a Memorial Day weekend trip
Thanks in advance!

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Sorry, but the best answer is to leave Texas if possible. Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Alabama is very nice. I love this state and will probably die here, but Memorial Day on Texas beaches tends to bring out rough crowds.

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its a holiday weekend. beaches will be packed/crappy anywhere you go.

AggieOO said:

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NoahAg said:

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Morpholino said:

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1.5 year old kid. +/- a dog.
Looking for a Memorial Day weekend trip
Thanks in advance!

---

Sorry, but the best answer is to leave Texas if possible. Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Alabama is very nice. I love this state and will probably die here, but Memorial Day on Texas beaches tends to bring out rough crowds.

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its a holiday weekend. beaches will be packed/crappy anywhere you go.

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True. I think it's the driving allowed on so many Texas beaches that I dislike the most.

Thanks for all of the responses.

Rent a house in Port A so you can take the dog.

The Chicken Ranch said:

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Rent a house in Port A so you can take the dog.

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We'd love to go to Port A but will probably wait until the little one gets a bit older so he doesn't melt down on the drive there.

NoahAg said:

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AggieOO said:

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NoahAg said:

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Morpholino said:

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1.5 year old kid. +/- a dog.
Looking for a Memorial Day weekend trip
Thanks in advance!

---

Sorry, but the best answer is to leave Texas if possible. Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Alabama is very nice. I love this state and will probably die here, but Memorial Day on Texas beaches tends to bring out rough crowds.

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its a holiday weekend. beaches will be packed/crappy anywhere you go.

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True. I think it's the driving allowed on so many Texas beaches that I dislike the most.

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I live on N Padre so I love it. Makes carrying **** to the beach easy.

Check out the condos at the Galvestonian. They have rentals on their website and maybe Vrbo etc. we went there with small kids and it was great. No driving on the beach and it is far from public parking. They have a big pool too.

I spent many memorial days on the west end of Galveston when my parents had a house in Indian beach. It is not bad, just try to bring all of your groceries to your house and don't plan to go out to eat because everything is slammed. Look for something as far away from public access parks. There is a park like every mile or so on the west end for a ways.

If you find a place and want an opinion on how busy it is post it up.

The closer you get to SLP the better.

If you're driving 3-4 hours and rule out Port A based on distance, Galveston is the only option. I would look on the very west end, Point West… nice pool area and private beach with no cars.

Premium said:

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If you're driving 3-4 hours and rule out Port A based on distance, Galveston is the only option. I would look on the very west end, Point West… nice pool area and private beach with no cars.

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This is true. I live on NPI and it's almost 5 hrs to BCS from here. PA might be a little bit shorter but that's if the ferry line is short - which it won't be that weekend.