From Tom’s weekly Galveston Real Estate related articles
Summer is tourist season and a good time to see the island through an outsider’s eyes. Many of the visitors to our island are families, and if you are a local who is staying in town, it’s worth remembering all the great stuf there is for kids and families in our town.
Of course there is the blockbuster fun of the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, Schlitterbahn and Moody Gardens, which have family memberships and even special days for locals to enjoy cheaper rates.
Beyond the big headlines are some not to be missed local traditions. The Summer Pop Band Concert Series has returned. It is every Tuesday evening at the Mary Moody Plaza, 24th Street and Avenue L across from the Rosenberg Library.
Frank Incaprera Jr. leads the Galveston Beach Band in concerts that have a mix of memorable music, including show tunes, big band numbers and jazz. Children get in on the act and become part of the act performing at each concert. Often there is also a parade with lags provided by local real estate firm The House Company, which has been providing them for more than 20 years. Refreshments are on sale, and it is just a fun time in the evening. Take your kiddos or grandkids and make sure you have your iPhone or iPad to record the fun.
If the wee ones in your life are more artistic than musical, then consider signing them up for classes at the Galveston Arts Center. The programs are overseen by an education director and lead by experts and practicing artists. They have a good reputation and are available for all ages, including teens.
If you want a family-friendly option with even more educational value, then sign your kids up for the Summer Reading Club at the Rosenberg Library. Your offspring will get a free T-shirt, and if they log the number of books they read or the hours they read, then they can earn prizes.
It is a great way to avoid the “summer slide” and, more importantly, it is fun. The staff in the children’s department have a heap of great advice and can help ind interesting books for the most reluctant of readers. They know what is popular and what kids like.
The children’s department is recently renovated and a nice place to spend an afternoon. here’s also a lab with the latest touch-screen computers loaded with kid-friendly games and activities. The library also has events for kids and families, so there’s many reasons to check it out.
Other Galveston classics include the movie and music nights on he Strand, which ofer family-friendly fun when the sun goes down.
Let’s not forget the beach. here are sea camps and sailing camps on the island, and you can take surfing lessons from Ohana. Swimming and making sand castles can’t be beat, and if you haven’t hired one of those four-wheel mega bikes that the whole family pedals at once, then make sure you give it a try.
Hopefully many of the visitors will have so much fun they will call a Galveston Association of Realtors Realtor and become an Islander by Choice. Summer is family fun time on the island. Another reason why those of us lucky enough to live by the sea are lucky enough.