Galveston County Rest Stops

[CupKayke]

You know it's bad when you are starting a thread... I'm not a moron and we aren't total cheapskates... BUT...

 

Looks like we will probably book a last-minute cruise out of Galveston this week. I've been doing my research and I'm currently in love with Galveston ~ had no clue all there is to do, etc. However, this is a last-minute situation and there is a 50/50 chance we will be doing the following.... leaving our home late due to a family preplanned celebration and driving basically overnight... arriving in Galveston sometime between 3am and 6am.... depends on several factors... probably closer to 4am or 5am. We board the ship that morning.

 

I made a hotel reservation.

 

Hubby says we shouldn't pay for a hotel for a couple of hours. I found on the Texas DOT website that Galveston has two county rest stops ~ which have bathrooms and free wireless ~ one north, one south. We could always drive-in, park at one of these rest stops, stretch our legs, get a tiny bit of snooze time in the car, walk the beach area, have breakfast somewhere, and then go park our car to board the ship ~ hopefully by 10am. So... why pay for a hotel for 5 hours??

 

Suggestions or Ideas?? Is anyone familiar with these two county rest stops ~ are they safe? clean? Which one would be closer to the sea wall area and the Ihop ~ North or South??

 

Btw, we just decided to book this cruise in the last 2 or 3 days so I'm just now planning and am waiting on a call from a family member to make some final decisions and book. There is a chance we get to leave our home much sooner and can spend an entire day & night in Galveston ~ which I am really hoping for now that I've read so much about Galveston!! :D

[VideoTech]

Well, I can't tell you specifically about the Galveston county rest stops, but in general the rest stops along the interstates that are maintained by the state of Texas are fairly clean, and have adequate - but not very private - restroom facilities. Sometimes they'll have vending machines as well. Some of the larger ones have separate parking for cars and trucks, which makes the car area a little quieter.

 

If you can stand the constant highway noise, and possibly the sound of trucks pulling in and out, you can probably catch a few minutes of sleep in your car.

 

How safe will it be? Can't really tell you. A lot depends on how busy the highway is, and how often the rest stop is patrolled by local police, county sheriffs, or Texas highway patrol.

 

Personally, I'd spring for the hotel room, even if only for a few hours, but that's just my preference.

[Galveston Cruiser]

Have no clue as to where the rest stops are. There are none on Hwy. 45S between Houston and Galveston - only a 50 mile stretch.

 

There is a state park on the island with facilities on West End (past Seawall) but it is for campers and charges a fee.

Hopefully, you can arrive early, have a room and enjoy the island.

 

BTW: Beautiful here this morning, clear, cool and flat blue water:)

[CupKayke]

Maybe this would help...

 

Galveston County South

 

Location

• SH-87, next to Port Galveston Ferry Landing
  
• Latitude = 29.3276 Longitude = -94.7727
  

 

Galveston County North

 

Location

• SH-87, next to Port Bolivar Ferry Landing
  
• Latitude = 29.3627 Longitude = -94.779
  

 

Here is the link to the Texas DOT website...

http://www.txdot.gov/travel/safety_rest_areas/srahome.htm?sranbr=114&dir=S&title=Galveston

 

 

I'm hoping someone who lives in Galveston will know something about these rest stops. If we arrive at 5am and check-in, we will have to check-out by 8:30am in order to walk the sea wall, have breakfast, and have our car at the parking area by 10am. I think my husband may be correct but I wanted some confirmation on these two areas as being safe to sit in our car for a couple of hours and snooze.

[Rudyard]

Maybe this would help...

 

Galveston County South

 

Location

• SH-87, next to Port Galveston Ferry Landing
  
• Latitude = 29.3276 Longitude = -94.7727
  

 

Galveston County North

 

Location

• SH-87, next to Port Bolivar Ferry Landing
  
• Latitude = 29.3627 Longitude = -94.779
  

 

Here is the link to the Texas DOT website...

http://www.txdot.gov/travel/safety_rest_areas/srahome.htm?sranbr=114&dir=S&title=Galveston

 

 

I'm hoping someone who lives in Galveston will know something about these rest stops. If we arrive at 5am and check-in, we will have to check-out by 8:30am in order to walk the sea wall, have breakfast, and have our car at the parking area by 10am. I think my husband may be correct but I wanted some confirmation on these two areas as being safe to sit in our car for a couple of hours and snooze.

 

Those locations are actually in Galveston and Bolivar, which is across the water from Galveston. As Galveston Cruiser stated, there are none on 45 between Houston and Galveston. I think the last ones on 45 are actually about a good hour north of Houston, give or take a bit.

 

There are plenty of hotels along the 45 corridor between Houston and Galveston and it might be a better idea to try one of those. I'd look into the Webster and League City areas as they have a lot of newer hotels around there and it's a nice area. There are enough of them that you might even consider using Priceline to try and get a good rate since it will only be for a few hours.

 

ETA: I just reread your post and realized you had mentioned driving straight to Galveston. In that case the rest stop on the Galveston side of the ferry landing might suit your needs. I haven't been to that part of Galveston in years though, so I'll let someone else comment on how safe it might be to park there for a few hours in the wee hours of the morning.

[CupKayke]

According to the directions... we will be taking Exit I-45 South towards Galveston and coming-in that way...

 

I wouldn't be against getting a hotel in Lufkin for the evening and then driving in but, again, it would be just for a few hours and then we would be driving around Houston at 7 or 8 am on a Monday morning. :eek:

 

We haven't booked this yet ~ still waiting for that phone call or email from a family member due to prior obligations planned ~ I may just look into the next week's departure since rates are comparable and we could then spend a full day and night enjoying Galveston.

[crazy4themouse]

I had no idea that was an "official" rest stop... My son and I go ride the ferry all the time, and I just thought it was part of the ferry landing. The restrooms are always very clean, and there has always been an attendant there cleaning up or sweeping and very visible, even at midnight. The parking lot has an attended security shack and I've always felt very comfortable leaving my car there. I usually park closest to the guard shack. There are nice covered tables by the water, and we have sat there many times waiting for a ferry.

 

I'm a cheapskate too, and I wouldn't pay for a few hours in a hotel room. :) Mostly, I would be afraid that at that point, once I fell asleep I wouldn't wake up again on time! :p

 

 

-gina-

[crazy4themouse]

And as an aside, are you planning on cruising Carnival or RCI? If it's Royal, you should book for Mariner on the 26th -- we have such an awesome, fun roll call group. Gonna be a party. :D

[CupKayke]

Thank you for the information!! This is all very good to know if we end-up in that situation.

 

I found a good deal on Carnival out of Galveston this time. I had never considered Galveston as a port and when I started doing research, I really liked what I saw so we will definitely be looking at Galveston more in the future.

 

Thank you, again! :)

[CupKayke]

We were able to get a better deal on a different date ~ a date which allows us to drive down early :D ~ but a date which also is now causing me to scramble to find a decently priced hotel! :rolleyes: Go figure!

 

Anyway ~ thank you to all who answered my questions. Maybe they will help someone else some other day.