Best Glamping near Galveston, TX

This would be a 5 star if there was sewer hookup 

PROS 

No fee to make my own on-line reservations

Park security gate closed overnight hours 

Good space between sites 

Grass mowed in each site 

Extra wide campground roadway 

Quiet during our weeknight stay 

Wooden and metal picnic table on concrete slab 

Pedestal BBQ grill 

Metal firering (no cooking grate) 

Clean, climate controlled toilet/shower facility. 

Ample supply of TP, and hand soap but hand dryer didn’t work and no paper towels. Campfire wood for sale via honor system in the campground 

Regular ranger patrol through campground

Lots of dumpsters throughout the campground

.85 miles round trip from site 114 to closest toilet/shower facility 

2 bars T-MOBILE 

CONS 

No discount for a one night stay 

Aggressive raccoons 

Site 114 not level 

No lantern pole in campsite 

Site picnic table is anchored to concrete slab and not moveable 

No WiFi

Campground Review

Galveston Island State Park is a really beautiful, peaceful stretch of land south east of Galveston (the city) straddled by Galveston Bay along its north and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. We were amazed at the number of day use patrons there were but it was Easter Weekend and about the best possible place to picnic in all of Galveston. (Day use is $5 per person, kids under 12 are free, or if you have the $70 Texas State Parks pass it gets everyone in the car into any TX State Park for a year.)

There are two areas to camp at GISP - on the Bay Side and on the Beach Side. There are 10 Bay Side Primitive Tent Campsites at $15/night and Water/Electricity Hook-Up Sites are $20/night. Beach Side only offers “Premium Camping” with Water/Electricity Hook-Ups at $25/night. IMO, the Beach side is worth the extra $5/night since you are literally steps away from the water. All sites have picnic tables with shaded cover, trash, fire pits, and nearby restroom access. Additionally, there are two really beautiful cabins you can rent at $200 or $250/night but they are booked months in advance...

A couple other things about GISP. No trees so plan on waking up with the sun cooking you in your tent (RVs outnumbered tents). There are no open alcohol containers are allowed (but I think that applies more to glass bottles) and dogs must be on leashes at all times. We saw some well-behaved dogs off their leashes along the beach but I think this is more for the safety of the animals because there are long grasses between the beach and the bay sides with venomous snakes. Galveston’s water is not my favorite and it was particularly cold this early in the season but there were tons of people swimming, boogie boarding, kayaking, and fishing along the beach (especially on piers closer to town). It’s a great place to ride bikes and Galveston has a great cultural history that is unique in Texas.

4/5

14901 FM 3005 Galveston, TX 77554

Product Reviews

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - this weekend I tested two new products, Midland USA Two Way Radios (GXT1000VP4) and Mountain House Turkey Dinner.

Let me start with the Midland Radios. They. Are. Rad. I am so excited to have these and am considering buying a second set as you can hook up additional radios and put them on the same channel. Without an FCC license you’ve got to stick to specific channels (certain ones are reserved for police, first responders, etc). These have lots of different ring tones and settings. They are water resistant (I took these into the ocean but didn’t submerge them… that makes me nervous) and they have a fantastically long range. Website says 36 mile range. I wasn’t able to test it that far but we got to 10 miles down the beach and they worked great. (We also used them in downtown Houston and were able to get about 2.5 miles away but that was with lots of big buildings and trees obstructing them - pretty impressed!). These walkie talkies came in extremely handy - whenever anyone would head back to the campsite or into town we could call back and forth. Considering the cell service on Galveston Island is pretty miserable, these were seriously great and came in so handy. (Furthermore, I cannot wait to use these puppies at music festivals this summer!!!!)

5/5

My second review is for the Mountain House Homestyle Turkey Dinner. Let me preface this with, I’ve got a particularly snobby chef husband who was very very skeptical of this just-add-water meal in a bag situation. Well. He loved it. And honestly, it tasted like Thanksgiving. Basically a stuffing with chunks of veggies and turkey. The directions on the bag could’ve been a little clearer. I think the time to re-hydrate should’ve been a bit longer as the turkey was a bit chewy and maybe a little salt? But overall, really quite good. Cooking while camping is either super fun or terrible, so this was extremely convenient and easy. I definitely plan on try some of their other products (I’ve heard the Mac & Cheese is yum).

4/5

We loved our stay at Galveston Island State Park at the Bayside sites. Each pad has it's own picnic table with covered pergola, a large hook to hang items you don't want critters getting into, a water spigot, and fire pit. But the best ammenity?? Those bathrooms!! Gorgeous spacious bathrooms with literally granite countertops. Lovely. During the day we took our inflatable boat out on the bay, went fishing (no license needed at a state park) and went to the Oceanside beach. The beach had clear water really nice sand. The only downside? The mosquitoes!! Right at dusk they attacked with a vengenge. Be prepared for that!

This is the best place to go in Galveston, even if you aren't planning on camping. It is beautiful and the beach is so clean. My husband and I, plus our kiddo (3yo) and 2 dogs went tent camping here for 3 nights. We went in January, so there was literally NO ONE there! Lucky for us though we got to pick our site and enjoy the solitary. We have state park pass, so entry was free otherwise it it $5 dollars. We picked a site on the bay-side instead of beach-side so we had grass for the dogs. They do however have beach-side camping, RV sites, and cabins.

Note: if you do stay in the bay site, you will have to drive across a main road to the beach side if you want the waves, but there are some coves, a bayou, and a lake on the the bay-side in walking distances from the camp sites so you still get that ocean feel without the crowds.

We walked a few of the trails, but it did rain (dogs were not having it) while we were there so we didn't get to do all we wanted. We did some fishing which was nice, and my son loves just casting and reeling to his hearts content. (Fishing is free in state parks and a license is not required.) Since we went in January it was too cold to swim but we did walk the beach and it was so lovely. The best part for me is the sound of the waves and wind at night mixed with a beautiful star-lit sky!

They do sell firewood on site which is nice and there is a town just 3 miles down the road with a grocery store. Obviously the heart of Galveston is just 10 miles down the road where you can go to the shops or the historic district, but sometimes it is just nice to be on a beach and joy some quiet, which is what we did! If you do go into the tourist area of Galveston make you park on the seawall and take the trolley to the historic district downtown. The trolley is just a few dollars round-trip and you can get off and on where you like. They have some great shops and restaurants. Make sure you go to La King's Confectionery on the strand, it is so fun and cool! They make salt water taffy right in front of you and it's fun for the whole family!

The bathroom facilities were very well maintained and looked brand new. The campsites are set un in a circle with a bathroom in the middle of ever circle which is really helpful! I loved that the park was not overly crowded like the rest of the island! The rangers were helpful and kind, but I expect no less at a Texas State Park! Wonderful trip for us! We will be back!