By Linda Elissalde
I love the Bolivar Peninsula located on the Texas Gulf Coast. I love all the seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter. Spring brings wild flowers, pleasant weather, and nesting birds, while summer sprouts wild flowers, balmy weather, more birds, more visitors and filled up RV parks.
I love fall on the Bolivar Peninsula. The best sunrises and the most beautiful sunsets occur. There is a crispiness to the mornings and the shortening evenings produce big moons and alpha bright stars. And yes, I even love the winter on this special piece of land located between the Gulf of Mexico and Galveston Bay.
The Bolivar Peninsula has been popular to locals since (forever). Folk from Southeast Texas have come for years, and most come in the spring and summer. They rent cottages, camp out on the beach and fill the myriad motor coach parks during the spring and summer. Families and children flood the area as soon as schools release their charges.
It is easy to see why people choose this as a destination. The Texas Gulf Coast boasts 27 miles of open beaches where you can drive your car or Golf Cart the entire length. Old and young spend hours hunting for sea glass, sharks teeth, seashells and even Indian arrow heads. They bask for hours under the sun. Dogs on leashes are welcome to gambol and cavort with their owners in the warm Gulf waters. Kayaks and canoes frequently hit the waves while surf fishermen cast for red fish, whiting and other treasures of the sea.
Those are a just a few of the joys of spring and summer on the peninsula. The secret of the Bolivar Peninsula is that people are also discovering that this little gem of a place is a wonderful destination for the fall and winter seasons.
Remember robin in that old English poem. The North wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, and what will poor robin do then, poor thing? Well, old robin being a pretty smart bird heads south. He is in good company because a lot of other birds, aka. Snowbirds, will be traveling in the same direction. A really fine destination is the Bolivar Peninsula, Texas.
Bolivar is a 27 mile barrier peninsula located between the Gulf of Mexico and Galveston Bay. Gilchrist, Crystal Beach and Port Bolivar are small towns that occupy this distinct area. You can reach Bolivar via I 10, go south on HW 124 and turn west on HW 87. You will be greeted by sandy beaches when you make that final turn. Another way to arrive is to travel I 45 and ride the free ferry from Galveston.
Why Bolivar? There are plenty of warm spots south of the Mason/Dixon line. There are a lot of locations along the Atlantic coast, Florida, All etc or even the Pacific coast. These destinations have been popular for those fleeing the cold for ages. Bolivar is just being discovered as a prime spot. It serves not only as a place to drop anchor for a short time on your way farther south, but motorists are discovering that it is a grand place in itself.
So what are the attractions for RV travelers? Because of the temperate weather, you can still play on the beach, build sand castles, fly a kite, build a campfire on the beach, roast marshmallows, and go boogie-boarding. Historic Fort Travis Seashore Park is one of the only forts that was active during WWI and WWII. Investigate the bunkers, follow the battlements, and climb over hillocks. Take a picnic lunch or cook out on grills. It is all free.
Are you a golfer? The 9 hole golf course is open to all. (People who want to play 18 holes just go around again.) Tournaments are held regularly to raise money for charity. A Miniature Golf Course is open for smaller golfers.
Fishing is the biggest sport of all on the peninsula either in the Gulf or Galveston Bay. Most fishing folk like to surf fish. Surf fishing is free on the beach or on the North Jetty. Fall and winter bring some of the best fishing of the year. Flounder, Bull Reds, Trout, and Whiting are great to bring back to your motor home to cook in your own style.
You can add to the pleasures of stopping in an RV Park by partaking of the many offerings in Bolivar’s small, thriving communities. The Texas Crab Festival is held every year on Mother’s Day Weekend featuring Music, Art, Food & Fun, Gulf Coast Style. Trunk or Treat at The Gulf Coast Market (aka The Big Store) the Saturday before Halloween attracts residents and guests every year. Dress up. Decorate a car trunk. Enjoy games. Compete for multiple prizes.
Crystaland Christmas Parade features decorated floats traversing the beach. Santa shows up at the Crystal Beach Fire Department with gifts for all the good (and maybe not so good) girls and boys. Fireworks welcome in the New Year all along the beach and bay sides of Bolivar. You can sit in chairs by your motor coach or bring a chair to the beach to view blazing displays nearby or across the bay in Galveston.
Crystal Beach holds its own Mardi Gras. Floats of all sizes, marchers, decorated golf carts swing down HW 87. Each year has a theme, and all are welcome to sign up for a place in the parade. An estimated 20,000 people stand on both sides of the highway begging for beads, beads, and more beads.
Are mom and dad tired of cooking? Dining out is certainly an option. The peninsula provides Mexican, Cajun, down home American, and, fresh seafood. That seafood comes cooked just about any way you want. Boiled, grilled, fried, sauteed and blackened are just a few of the choices. One restaurant will even cook the fish you caught just the way you want it.
You can find more dining choices and more entertainment, only a few miles away as the Pelican flies. Galveston provides all types of dining facilities, a movie theater, live theater, art stores, museums and The Strand shops to accommodate your desires. Grab a free ride on a ferry that takes you to Galveston. Watch the dolphins frisking and the white Pelicans performing Swan Lake in the day as you travel across the pond.
Bring your binoculars and camera. The peninsula is a birders paradise. The land, protected by the state and the Audubon Society, brings birders from as far away as Japan to watch and capture the avian population on film.
