"Secluded Retreat"

Freeport has a place called Sea Center Texas. It contains aquarium and marine life found in the Texas gulf region. It also has a touch tank and fish hatchary. All the oil refinaries are around the Brazosport Area and at night the lights are pretty neat, let alone the miles of pipline.

We drove into Lake Jackson for some great shopping and dining. It is a fairly large town of about 23,000. You are able to drive your car on the beach for about 10 miles from the town of Surfside to the toll bridge to Galveston Island.

Quick Tips:

The Brazosport area consists of 11 communities. If you stay on or near Surfside Beach, buy your groceries in Galveston or Lake Jackson (Wal-Mart, Kroeger, Randalls). They are both about 25 miles away. We used bottled water for drinking and coffee. The mineral content is very high(brown and salty).

Best Way To Get Around:

You definitely need a car. The resort we stayed at was 10 miles from a town.

Best Things Nearby:
The closest town is Sufside Beach (10 miles). This area has ranked #1 12 times in a row in the last 20 years for migratory bird sightings.

Best Things About the Resort:
If seclusion is what you want, this is ideal. The three building complex is right on the beach.

Resort Experience:
All the houses within 30 miles are built up off the ground. The townhouses had two levels and were vary spacious. There was a bath upstairs and down, and a balcony off the dining room and bedroom. They have a little one room office with movies, games, and books to check out. There is a pool, basketball hoop, and shuffleboard.

The two things I didn't like were no phones in the units and the brown water. We were provided with free bottled water for drinking and coffee. The beach was very clean and secluded, but fog hung around till early afternoon on a regular basis.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Fair
• Amenities: Fair
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

We didn't dine here but visited the gift shop. Outside they had arcade games, river adventure ride, and local hawaiian dancers/singers to pass the time. All is themed with a tropical jungle flair.

The magic of Moody Gardens is seeing three huge 10 story pyramids as you drive on Galveston Island. One houses an aquarium, another has a rainforest, and the last one is a discovery center like a science station. They also have an IMAX theater. I thought it was a little pricey, but worth it. You can buy individual tickets (varies) or a one-day pass ($24.95).