Find Life Outdoors With JD

HOUSTON - For anyone living along the Texas Gulf Coast, the beach can be a great place to spend some time outside. The waters around Galveston can be used for other outdoor activities as well. And unlike most of the pools across the Houston area, these warm waters stay open even after school starts.

Galveston has done a lot of work on their beaches recently. Hurricane Ike left its mark and required a major beach nourishment project to get things back together.

New, fresh white sands were put down along the sea wall from 14th to 61st street. This also increased the size of some of the favorite spots, allowing more space to enjoy the sun, sands, and surf.

“We started back to school, but we’re still looking for fun affordable things to do, to keep the kids active”, says RoShelle Gaskins with the Galveston Island Convention & Visitors Bureau. “It’s the perfect place to let the breeze blow off that stress. Bring your cooler, you can do it all for free if you need to. Come down to the beach and just enjoy the day.”

There’s nothing wrong with playing in the sand and the surf, but there are many other ways to have fun in the waters around Galveston. One of those is exploring the bay side of the island in a kayak.

The Artist Boat is a non-profit organization that can provide that kayaking opportunity. They serve all over Galveston Bay with a mission of promoting awareness and preservation of coastal margins and the marine environment through the disciplines of the sciences and the arts.

Their guiding services on the weekends are a great way to get out of the house and learn something new, while exploring the natural wonders of Galveston.

“We start on land with a little bit of kayaking and paddling demonstrations and a small safety talk”, explains Lisa Reznicek, Eco-Art Program Coordinator. “Once we’re done with that, we get out onto the water and it’s just a fun experience from then on out. Not only do we paddle out to a certain destination, but we can get out of our kayaks, walk around, and experience what we have. Once we get to our destination, we take a long, relaxing break, do an observational water color and then we paddle back at a reasonable relaxing rate.”

The bay side of Galveston is filled with birds, plants, and fish not found on the gulf side.

Artist Boat’s interpretive staff is certified kayak instructors, who can help develop paddling skills and interpret natural processes. They take paddlers of all ages and ranges of experience, from people who are not familiar with the water at all, to people who have their own gear.

So whether you play in the sand or explore the bay waters, work Galveston into your new schedule for the fall.
 
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