Clear Lake, Galveston and Kemah, TX
“A wedding anniversary is a celebration of life, trust, partnership, tolerance, and tenacity. The order varies for any given year.”
For our anniversay this year, we planned a long weekend getaway in Clear Lake, Galveston, and Kemah, TX with plans to relax and enjoy dinner cruises. Our special weekend coincided with the Labor Day holiday.
We began in Clear Lake, arriving early Friday and having lunch at Boondoggles’s. Their menu specializes in wood fired pizzas and craft beers. It was good.
After eating lunch we went to check in at the Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake. It was a nice hotel; we had a beautiful view of the lake from our 10th floor room. We relaxed until it was dinner time.
If your local to Houston, you may recognize this hotel. Yes, it’s the very hotel where American Justice – Clara Harris murdered her husband in the parking lot.
We had an early dinner at Opus Ocean Grille at the Watergate Yachting Center in Clear Lake Shores. I loved this place. The food was fantastic and perfect for celebrating a special occasion. We will definitely be back.
Saturday morning we slept in and relaxed in our hotel. We headed to Galveston in the afternoon, in plenty of time for our 7pm dinner reservation on the Colonel Paddlewheel Boat at Moody Gardens.
Before dinner we decided to squeeze in a tour of the Ocean Star Museum. The museum is in a retired jack-up drilling rig that once operated in the Gulf of Mexico. An offshore energy museum might not appeal to everyone, but Grandpa and I enjoyed it. We both worked on drilling rig projects in Houston. Grandpa as an engineer and me as pencil pusher. We worked on the Unocal – Phase II Platform project in the Pailin field in the Gulf of Thailand and then the ExxonMobil – Jade Platform project in the Zafiro Field in the Gulf of Guinea. The museum was interesting to us.
The view of the nearby Galveston Wharf is nice.
After the visiting the Ocean Star museum, we drove over to the Colonel Paddlewheel Boat. Dinner was average. Despite the beautiful sunset reflecting off the water, I would suggest a day cruise only next time and save dinner for elsewhere.
Moody Gardens had expanded quite a bit since the last time Grandpa and I were there many years ago. Their attractions would make for a great family weekend trip but their hotel is expensive.
Sunday, we had an evening planned at the Kemah Boardwalk and a nice dinner aboard the Boardwalk Fantasea yacht. Fantasea had a special Labor Day “Fireworks Dinner” planned for their guests. The food was delicious. After dinner the fireworks started over Galveston Bay. They were bright and beautiful reflecting off the water. There were many boaters watching the fireworks from their watercrafts in the bay. It was an enjoyable night.
Traffic was so bad getting out of the boardwalk area. Some people stay at the Boardwalk Inn to avoid traffic, and instead enjoy the music and views from their private balconies overlooking the boardwalk. I think we will stay here next time we visit Kemah. Kemah is family-friendly for a day trip or a weekend trip.
P.S. If you visit Kemah, make sure to ride the Boardwalk Beast. It’s a fun adventure.
We headed home Monday after a nice weekend away and celebrating Us.
Clear Lake, Kemah and Galveston are all easy weekend trips from Houston.