Life & Leisure

Duke
A Novel Idea In Our Community - Little Free Libraries
By Kathleen Maca

Duke, a California sea lion, is the latest addition to the North Pacific exhibit and joins fellow sea lion Sam who came to Moody Gardens in 2016. Duke’s former home at the Denver Zoo is scheduled to undergo construction, so he came south to Galveston to keep Sam company.

All Aboard
All Aboard - Galveston's Newest Vacation Rental
By Kathleen Maca

For a unique experience that is still completely Galveston, the Galveston Railroad Museum is now offering one-of-a-kind overnight accommodations in their sleek Bonnie Brook observation car. The former New York Central Railroad car arrived at the museum last year and brought a celebrity history with it. Comedian Jackie Gleason, who famously did not like to travel by plane, chartered an entire train including the Bonnie Brook to transport the cast and crew of his New York-based Jackie Gleason Show to their new home in Florida in 1964. The press dubbed it the “Great Gleason Express.”

Free Libraries
A Novel Idea In Our Community - Little Free Libraries
By Kathleen Maca

Galveston is lucky to have wonderful libraries and bookstores, but when the recent temporary closings due to the Covid pandemic took place, the community discovered the option of “Little Free Libraries” across the Island.

In the simplest terms, they are wooden boxes mounted on posts and filled with books. But the effect they can have on creating community engagement, promoting literacy, and spreading joy is an opportunity much grander than their tiny appearances suggest.

Beach Combing
Beach Combing Part 1 - Secrets of the Sea
By Kimber Fountain & Katherine Pollock

An innate part of life as an Islander is an undeniable obsession with hunting for treasure. Our minds are enraptured by the tales of Jean Lafitte—minted by time and buried by history. They are saturated with the endless mysteries and enduring promises of an everchanging seascape. But as the tide rolls in, the veil is lifted ever so slightly, and at the water’s edge is found a portal to far-off times and distant places. Beachcombers journey tenaciously along these miles of shifting sands, all for the reward of a brief but intimate glance into the secrets of the sea..

Beach Combing
Beach Combing Part 2 - One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure
By Kimber Fountain & Katherine Pollock

When scouring the shoreline for treasures, beachcombers are never limited to shells or naturally occurring baubles. Some beachcombers even have a specialty and with their finds create expansive, intriguing collections.

Pedestrianism
Pedestrianism - When Watching People Walk Was America's Favorite Spectator Sport
By Kathleen Maca

In the 1870s and 80s, the sports craze of competitive walking became an obsession in the United States after first taking hold in England. Known as pedestrianism, these “walking matches” began in Europe with large competitions in major cities. Thousands of onlookers purchased tickets to watch pedestrians compete for prizes by walking a set number of miles in the shortest time or the longest distance in a predetermined amount of time.

Auto Races
Start Your Engines! The Denver Beach Auto Races
By Kathleen Maca

Few people know the forerunners to the popular NASCAR races werer locally held events, including beach races in Galveston. The Galveston Automobile Club organized the first public race in 1906. The event attracted 3,000 spectators, but that was just a hint of the excitement to come.