Get away to Galveston for a tour of Battleship Texas and more

Visitors can take a hard hat tour of the exterior of Battleship Texas, which is being renovated in Galveston. Pam LeBlanc photo

Midway through a tour of Battleship Texas, now dry- docked in Galveston for repairs, I squat down, waddle under the belly of the hulking vessel, and rest my hand on her keel.

I doubt too many folks have tickled the underside of a battleship deployed in both world wars, yet here I am.

This hard hat tour is just one part of a whirlwind trip to Galveston that includes bird watching, a stop at Moody Gardens, a brewery tour, playing in the waves and some excellent food and drink.

Tour the Battleship Texas

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The ailing USS Texas moved from LaPorte to Galveston last August, after crews discovered she was leaking 1,500 gallons of murky water a minute.

“She was rusting from the inside out,” tour guide Bob Lunsford says as he leads our group of 15 visitors, all wearing yellow hard hats and safety glasses, during a nearly two-hour tour on a muggy afternoon.

When the ship was launched in 1914, she was considered the most powerful battleship in the world.

I try to imagine her bustling with activity. She was built to accommodate 1,000 sailors, including a surgeon and a dentist, who originally slept in hammocks hung in her berth. Later, fold-down beds, tables and chairs were added. Remarkably, she suffered just one battle fatality during her days of active duty.

The ship was designated a museum in 1948, and had been docked at the San Jacinto Battlefield and Historic Site. There, years of exposure to mud and brackish water took a toll. Once she arrived in Galveston, it took workers more than 12 hours to settle her out of the water. She’s expected to spend another year here, then she’ll go back in the water before getting another year of repairs.

The Texas Legislature appropriated $35 million toward those repairs in 2019, and added another $25 million during the most recent legislative session. The non-profit Battleship Texas Foundation hopes to raise an additional $25 million to cover costs of her restoration.

A lot of the current work is focused on the torpedo blisters, a second skin designed to absorb impact and protect the ship’s interior in case she’s hit by weapons.

“You want the torpedo blisters to shred, not transmit the force of the explosion,” Lunsford says.

Tours are offered Sundays through the end of January. When renovations are complete, she’ll likely stay in Galveston, although a specific location has not been announced.

Tremont House

After the tour, we dropped our luggage at the historic Tremont House downtown. The entrance of the hotel, one part of which occupies an old dry goods warehouse, stands just down the block from the ornate Powell Arch, built for the city’s Mardi Gras celebration in 1986. It’s close to everything, from the shops and restaurants along the Strand to the Grand 1894 Opera House on nearby Postoffice Street.

We cleaned up, then headed down to Toujouse Bar in the lobby to meet some friends. For a classic cocktail, try the Side Door, the hotel’s take on a New York Sour, complete with bourbon, egg white and a cabernet floater. The Tremont’s rooftop bar is undergoing renovations and will reopen in 2024.

Bar hopping

The Grand Galvez on Seawall Boulevard recently underwent a renovation. Pam LeBlanc photo

From there, we headed to the beachside Grand Galvez, which recently underwent a renovation of its own.

The vibe is all Great Gatsby iInside the stunning, flamingo-colored building, which opened in 1911. We stepped across black and white marble floors on our way to the lobby bar. There, we settled onto a couch beneath a blood-red chandelier the size of a hippo. Brass railings, mosaic floors featuring flowers and seashells, and a restored 1915 Ford Model T Speedster add to the retro atmosphere.

And the drinks? Thumbs up.

RELATED: Experience the holidays at JW Marriott San Antonio

Galveston Island State Park

After three years and $10 million in renovations, Galveston Island State Park reopened its beach facilities this spring at the west end of the island.

We spent a few minutes checking out the improvements, including new multi-use campsites (they’re pretty exposed and clustered together). A boardwalk makes it easy to access the beach, and the new headquarters building is worth a stop. Then we booked it  to the bay side of the park, where birdwatchers flock to see herons, egrets, gulls, terns, ibis and more.

Don’t forget mosquito spray if you hike. We spent 30 minutes on the Eskimo Curlew Loop, where you can see a giant sculpture of the bird now thought to be extinct, and the bugs feasted on me. Still, the trails, which wind past ponds and into tall grasses, are worth a stop.

Rainforest Pyramid

I usually avoid zoos and artificial habitats, but if you’re into birds, stop by the Rainforest Pyramid at Moody Gardens.

We spent nearly two hours strolling through the steamy, glassed-in structure, where birds flap from tree to tree and fish the size of sofa cushions ply the waters.

I couldn’t keep my eyes off a turquoise- and teal-colored beauty called a blue-bellied roller. A native of Africa, the stocky little bird landed on a tree branch near me and ruffled its feathers.

In all, the exhibit encompasses more than 1,700 plants and animals, and most of them roam at will.

Galveston Island Brewing

Like beer? Drop by Galveston Island Brewing, where we got splashed in beer as we watched head brewer Jason Stromberg man the canning line.

The brewery is known for its Tiki Wheat, but today you’ll find 18 different beers on tap. Stromberg’s favorite? “Sour beers,” he says. But really, he just loves beer and yeast and says “being able to take a living organism and create something is a fascinating thing.”

You can’t buy it in Austin, but you can get it at liquor stores, groceries, and bars all over Houston and Galveston.

Oh, and guys: ? Don’t miss the bathroom, where you can pee into a urinal crafted out of a beer keg. Or so I hear.

LaKing’s Confectionery

I can’t visit Galveston without stopping by LaKing’s Confectionery, where you’ll find glass jars filled with rock candy, cases loaded with hand-dipped chocolates and baskets filled with salt water taffy. The shop uses vintage equipment to make more than 50 types of candy from old-time recipes and sells an array of more modern sweets, like gummy bears and jelly beans, too.

Hungry yet?

Galveston’s got some great seafood restaurants, and I tried a few for the first time this visit.

A night at Rudy & Paco downtown feels a little like stepping into the 1920s. It’s dimly lit, the wait staff is impeccably trained, and the menu features redfish, scallops and other Gulf seafood. I went for the pecan-crusted redfish, but the best thing I ate was the ceviche.

For a more affordable night on the town, try BLVD. Seafood on Seawall Boulevard, where we blissed out eating some of the best fried shrimp and soft-shelled crabs we’ve ever tasted.

But the best discovery of all is the Maceo Spice & Import Company, which sells its own spice blends along with a muffaletta that got the stamp of approval from my husband, who hails from a small town in Louisiana.

RELATED: Women, wind and waves: Surfing for adventure

A dip in the Gulf

The Pleasure Pier entertainment district is located on Seawall Boulevard in Galveston. Pam LeBlanc photo

Galveston sometimes gets a bad rap because the water isn’t Caribbean blue.

The local water’s café au lait- hue comes from sand and sediment that gets stirred up in the shallow waters. The waves are still terrific fun to play in, and I made two forays to take a dip. You’ll find 32 miles of beaches, and parking is available right on the Seawall.

Holidays

Looking for an excuse to make the three-plus-hour trip to Galveston?

The 50th incarnation of Dickens on the Strand, a Victorian-inspired festival featuring parades, costumed vendors and live entertainment, is set for Dec. 1-3.

The Galveston Railroad Museum offers a one-hour Polar Express train ride to the North Pole through Dec. 23. Moody Gardens gets decked out for the holidays with ice sculptures, an ice slide, holiday films and a mile-long trail of illuminated displays through Jan. 6. And the Grand 1894 Opera House presents Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” on Dec. 1 and 2.