After our trip to Waco, we were excited to spend a few days in Galveston on Texas’ southern coast. We were a little early for the beaches, but we got a chance to see spaceships at NASA, visit a Navy warship museum, and view some impressive historic homes and mansions. This pretty coastal town was definitely worth a stop.
NASA:
Located between Houston and Galveston, our first stop was to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, which has served as a hub of human spaceflight activity for more than half a century. It is home to the nation’s astronaut corps, the International Space Station mission operations, the Orion Program, and a host of future space developments. I thought it was interesting that the term “astronaut” comes from the Greek words meaning “space sailor.”
The visitor’s center has exhibits on starships, astronauts, Mission Mars, and the space shuttle. The International Space Station (ISS) Gallery provides a dynamic look inside the space station. Interactive live shows, a Robonaut, and actual flown space station artifacts all give you an idea of what day-to-day life is like on the ISS.
Just outside the main exhibits you can explore the space shuttle replica Independence, mounted on top of the historic and original NASA 905 shuttle carrier aircraft (SCA). It is the world’s only shuttle mounted on an SCA and the only one allowing the public to enter both. You can walk inside both aircraft and view displays on their design, flight, and missions. The scientific technology gained from this program has led to things like new treatments for diseases, medical tissue engineering, and scratch-resistant lenses.
The NASA Tram Tour takes you on a guided tour around the buildings of the space complex–where the real work happens! The first stop was at the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility where you walk along an elevated path. Looking over into the large facility, you can see where astronauts train for current missions and where scientists and engineers are developing the next generation of space exploration vehicles and robonauts.
The tram also stops at Rocket Park, where one of only three of the remaining actual Saturn V rockets is displayed, along with other rockets that propelled space exploration. The Saturn V was built to send astronauts to the moon and launched the manned Apollo missions from 1968-1973. Although I would have loved to also see the mission control center, that part of the tram tour was suspended during our visit due to Covid-19.
Seawolf Park:
Seawolf Park is named after the WWII submarine USS Seawolf. Although Seawolf herself lies somewhere at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, the park does feature a submarine of the same era. The USS Cavalla gives visitors to Seawolf Park an idea of what life might have been like for the submariners aboard the ill-fated USS Seawolf.
The park is also home to the USS Stewart, an Edsall-class destroyer escort. She is one of only two surviving ships in her class, and one of only two preserved U.S. destroyer escorts. Escort ships were designed to hunt down and destroy submarines and to protect merchant ships from submarine attack
Seawolf Park is a maritime tribute to all the brave sailors who were instrumental in winning WWII. Although they comprised only two percent of the U.S. Navy, submariners sank an astounding 30 percent of the Japanese fleet, including 8 aircraft carriers. More importantly, American submarines contributed to devastating the Japanese economy by sinking almost 5 million tons of shipping.
Historic Homes & Sculptures:
The East End Historical District of Galveston is comprised of over 50 city blocks and has been designated a National Historic Landmark. On a walk or drive down these streets you can experience the architecture of different styles and periods. The dwellings range from simple cottages to large elaborate, and often colorful, houses.
On Sept 13, 2008 Hurricane Ike hit Galveston and powerful winds and waves uprooted many of the city’s beautiful trees. After the storm, a group of homeowners saw a chance to make these symbols of destruction into a sign of rejuvenation. Whimsical tree sculptures have replaced the majestic oaks that once lined many of the streets. A self-guided tour allows the public to enjoy these sculptures and learn the story of why the designs were chosen.
Galveston’s people worked to ensure that 100 percent of the wood from Hurricane Ike was kept out of landfills and used for recycling projects. Wood went to various places including a ship restoration, local building projects, art galleries, and even to Spain for a ship replica.
Historic Mansions:
If you want to see inside a beautiful Galveston mansion, there are two you can visit. Moody Mansion, a 28,000 square-foot, four-story historic home was completed in 1895. Now restored to its turn of the century splendor, the home is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Moodys established one of the great American financial empires. Based on cotton, it grew to include banking, ranching, insurance, newspaper publishing, railroading and hotels. You can take a self-guided tour of this beautiful home’s 20 rooms and see how the powerful Texas family lived.
The Bishop’s Palace, also known as Gresham’s Castle, is an ornate 19,082 square-foot Victorian-style house. Architectural historians list the Bishop’s Palace as one of the most significant Victorian residences in the country.
The house was built in 1893 for lawyer and politician Walter Gresham, his wife Josephine, and their nine children. The Gresham mansion was made all of stone and was sturdy enough to withstand the great hurricane of 1900. The Greshams welcomed hundreds of survivors of the hurricane into their home.
So why the name Bishop’s Palace? In 1923 the home was purchased by the Roman Catholic Diocese to be used as a residence for the bishop of Sacred Heart Church just across the street. The house was opened to the public in 1963 when the diocese offices moved to Houston.
Although the weather was not conducive to hitting the beach, we enjoyed our time in Galveston. We loved getting the chance to visit NASA and learning about the brave WW II sailors at Seawolf Park. The beauty of the historic homes was amazing and gave a view of times past. Some other sights to take in are Moody Gardens and Aquarium, the Historic Pleasure Pier, and The Strand Historic Downtown District as well as some great seafood restaurants.
Really informative and a couple of spots going on wish list
Hi Linda,
Thanks for checking out my post. I hope you are able to get to Galveston–we really enjoyed all of the sights we visited!
I would never make it in a submarine. So narrow and compact and claustrophobic. But I could easily be in one of the Mansions you visited. Nice trip Robin and Mike!
Hi Pam,
I’m with you on the submarine! In a couple of places you had to walk sideways to get through the passageway, and I am sure I would kill my shins trying to step over those doorways every day. lol The mansions were amazing, but I would definitely need a maid there. Not only was the home very large, but each room was about 3 times as big as most homes.
I like how one room in the Moody’s mansion is three times the size of our whole house. 🙂 Loved that Galveston neighborhood with the beautiful homes and creative tree art. Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Laura,
Yes, it really puts things into perspective! Now that we have downsized to the RV for the last few years, I don’t even think I would want that much space anymore. We did love seeing the historic homes and the tree art.
Some very cool stuff to see in Galveston. This is one place in TX I have not been yet either. Those mansions really captured my attention 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Hi Sandi,
Galveston was enjoyable and that’s not even counting the beaches! We visited before the summer season but were happily surprised by the many sights to see. Those mansions were so huge and beautiful too.