Campground Review: Jamaica Beach RV Park, Galveston, Texas

Jamaica Beach RV Park

Galveston Island, 

Galveston , Texas

After checking in and spending a day sight-seeing, we booked a second month.  (February & March 2013). We had site # 103, which is located at the front of the park, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. The sites are concrete with grass areas.  Not huge, but adequate.

The owners, Ron and Dora, do everything humanly possible to make your stay pleasant and enjoyable. During Mardi Gras, they set-up an RV and BBQ grill along the seawall parade route (11 miles from the campground) and fed everyone from the resort for free (tips appreciated). 

On Wednesday of each week, Dora takes people shopping.  The ladies usually get together and go to lunch and then shopping for the day; so, if you do not have a tow-vehicle, you can still get into town for groceries, or go out and get beads, yarn, clothes, or wine (again, no charge ~ tips appreciated). 

Weekend Movies

Also, twice a week they serve breakfast (Wed & Sat mornings) for a nominal fee. Pot-luck, during the off-season, is on Thursdays and is enjoyed by many. They have a communal fire pit where they sometimes host a hotdog and smores event (no charge). Plenty of other activities are scheduled (jewelry making classes; RV related seminars; swap meet; etc...) 

The beach across the street is within walking distance; also, you can drive your vehicle on the beach in designated areas. The fishing was great (our group caught plenty of whiting; pompano; catfish and an occasional drum).

The campground boasts two pools and a hot-tub. One pool is heated at the beginning of Spring Break; the other has a swim-up bar for the adults (this feature was not open during our stay). 

Resident Muscovy Duck

The laundry was efficient. The bathrooms were clean. Cost of propane was a little steep in my opinion ($26 for a 30 pound tank); but, it is the "only game in town" for propane. Overall, this is a wonderful resort. You are not "nickeled and dimed"; you can wash your RV for free. Electric was included in our monthly rate of $545 (taxes included). The owners just completed a major overhaul of the park, doubling its size, and there is still some debris in the back of the campground. WITHOUT HESITATION, WE WOULD RETURN! 

The island of Galveston is well worth the visit with lots of restaurants, shops, and miles of clean, hard-packed-sandy beaches.

 There is a Kroger's (get gas points) and Walmart in town.  But for quick needs, there is a small market a stone's throw away, next to a good restaurant, Nate's.

Pleasure Pier

Lots of shops, bars, and cafés.

dead fish

Horseback Riding 

Visit our Things to do in Texas page ...

Spend Some Time on an Oil Rig

If you travel to Galveston, Texas, and look out onto the Gulf, you will see itty-bitty oil rigs far, far away. If you don't plan to get a job on one of those rigs, you should head over to The Offshore Energy Center: Ocean Star, on Galveston Island.  

You'll learn about the history of oil rigs and the industry for which they are built.  

Here are some of the things you may use that are made from petroleum.

Visitors board the retired jackup drilling rig and view a video about the offshore industry.  The museum features three floors of models and interactive displays illustrating the story of offshore oil and gas from seismic technology, to exploration and discovery.

The second Saturday of every month is Family Day where children get free admission (normally $5) and adults pay $8.     A different activity is planned each Family Day.  The day we went, the kids made Valentine's Cards using shaving cream...a petroleum product.

The museum

Escape Pod

Jack-up drilling rigs

Jack-up Mobile Drilling Units (or jack-ups), as the name suggests, are rigs that can be jacked up above the sea using legs that can be lowered, much like jacks. These MODUs (Mobile Offshore Drilling Units) are typically used in water depths up to 400 feet (120 m), although some designs can go to 550 ft (170 m) depth. They are designed to move from place to place, and then anchor themselves by deploying the legs to the ocean bottom using a rack and pinion gear system on each leg.Main article: Jackup rig

I...don't know what this is.

Deep Sea Diving Suit

Models are amazing.

Amazing model.

Two hard-working crew members.

Some really cool oil rig part.

I think these guys have been working too hard.

Link of a chain used on the rigs.

The docks

Bird Greeter

Texas Seaport Museum

Texas City...where the oil gets processed.

These refineries are like cities within themselves.  Especially cool at night.

Parking is free right there at the museum, (well, there's an honor box of a dollar fee that Steve paid but, apparently, no one else does.)  Leave the car there when you are done and walk Pier 21; check out the cruise ships or million-dollar yachts; head to the restaurants and pubs; walk a couple blocks to The Historic Strand for food, drinks, and shoppes.

Fort Travis, Bolivar Peninsula, and a Free Ride

At the end of Galveston Island is the Port Bolivar/Galveston Ferry.  

The ferry is free, and a nice little ride.  Something to do if you want to just take a little water trip.  The ride, about 20 minutes, takes you across the Bay to the Bolivar Peninsula. 

The ferry is nothing fancy, but you can get out and wander up to the top floor to get a nice view of the port and coast.  It was a bit foggy the day we went, but on a clear day there is lots to see.

Even the birds use it to cross the bay.

SeaWolf Park: More on that later.

Ferry Ride

Not a cruise ship, although there was a  big one in port.

Now, Bolivar is not Galveston.  It's narrow, and surrounded by Gulf and Bay, has houses on stilts; but, that's where the similarities end.

There are a few campgrounds, but the beach is not clean, packed sand like on the island...lots of sea (and people) trash.  No cute shops or fun cafés.  

But, right after the ferry, near the lighthouse, is Fort Travis Seashore Park.

Here holds a history of fortifications dating as far back as 1816.  

The current forts that remain were begun in 1898.  In 1900, a storm damaged much of the fort, and a 15-foot seawall was constructed.  During World War I, the fort garrisoned troops defending the Port of Galveston.

In 1942, after enlarging the fort, 2,500 troops were stationed here during World War II.  After the war, it was sold and in 1976 acquired through a Moody Foundation grant (Moody is a prominent name in Galveston history).  

 

Now, the park invites picnickers and children.  Hurricane Ike damaged the seawall extensively, as well as some of the forts, and FEMA restoration is underway.

 (Incidentally, if you are traveling to Galveston, or Corpus Christi, coming from Louisiana or North Western Texas, and the GPS tells you to take route 124, to route 87, and then take the ferry...DO IT!  Even with an RV.  18-wheelers use the ferry.  

We didn't know this and traveled quite out of our way to Galveston.)

Galveston Sculptures in Rock

Today we ventured along Seawall Boulevard in Galveston, TX.  We stopped as we passed what seemed to be a mini beach-front Stonehenge.  There is free parking along the street and we stopped across from Fort Crockett Seawall Park where there is a ramp to walk down to the rocky shore.  There we saw what appears to be the latest fad...rock sculptures.  

Visitors to the beach collect the small broken fragments of rock and balance them creatively into fantastic towers and rock formations.  People leave messages scratched into the rocks and drawn on the sand.  Even several roses were left with personal messages.  We had fun traversing the piles of huge boulders and climbing amid the exhibits left by unknown artisans.

Sky-view of the area.