Two-step into Texas history

GALVESTON is a survivor’s town, sort of the unsinkable Molly Brown of the Texas Gulf Coast.

It has weathered catastrophic hurricanes (especially in 1900), pirate colonies and financial booms and busts.

Right now, Galveston is sailing high economic seas, largely because of its cruise business, which was launched with a single ship in 2000 (Carnival’s Celebration) and has since lured Royal Caribbean, Princess and Celebrity.

Which is fitting. The island city’s soul has always been sea commerce of some sort.

Jean Lafitte, the renowned buccaneer, started the first permanent settlement on Galveston Island (then called Campeche) in 1817. His followers numbered about 1,000, and when they weren’t pillaging, they were playing in the settlement’s pool halls and gambling houses.

Lafitte and his ragtag band decamped in 1821. Fewer than 20 years later, Galveston was incorporated and its thriving port earned it the nickname “Ellis Island of the West.”

Galveston is still full of cultural non sequiturs and surprises. To wit: Within a dozen or so blocks of the city’s lavish historic residential districts is one of the granddaddies of Texas dive bars, the Poop Deck.

Like any American port city, Galveston has areas you probably shouldn’t explore on foot (primarily along western Seawall Boulevard and up the numbered streets from Seawall to Broadway), but in tourist areas such as the Strand, the East End Historical District and the port, walking is best. A trolley takes visitors from the Seawall to downtown.

There’s no shortage of diversions, as I’ve learned on numerous trips here from my home in Austin. This time, my friend Caroline Duncan Tinkle and I returned to check out what a cruise passenger might be able to see in a short time. Most of the attractions revolve around historic architecture and preservation; port industry, culture and history; beaches and parks; birding and marine life; a clutch of arts centers, regional museums and, of course, the city’s storied history.

If you arrive by early afternoon the day before your cruise leaves, you’ll have time to take a self-guided tour of the “Broadway Beauties,” three of the city’s most illustrious and opulent homes: the 1886 Bishop’s Palace, the 1859 Ashton Villa (it also houses the Heritage Visitors Center) and the extravagant 1895 Moody Mansion.

The 15-block stroll from one to the other will lead you past scores of stunners from the mid-19th to early-20th centuries. And if you have the legs for a longer excursion, take a self-guided walking tour of the East End district, where many homes predate the 1900 hurricane, which leveled much of the city. (Go to www.galveston.com/selfguidedtours/ or get a brochure at the Galveston Island Convention & Visitors Bureau office (23rd and Strand streets, [409] 797-5144, main office at 2027 61st St.). Although not concentrated in one area, other jewels include the Michel B. Menard Home, the 1830s Samuel May Williams Home and the 1847 Powhatan House.

Later, you may want to pop into the Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe (413 20th St.; [409] 762-9199; cover charge varies), where the specialty is obviously acoustic, with a tendency toward folk. We peeked in, but the evening’s entertainment hadn’t started yet; instead, we had an after-dinner drink at the Poop Deck (30th Street and Seawall; [409] 763-9151).

Some revere the Poop and some fear it because of its hole-in-the-wall atmosphere. But on my many trips here, I’ve found nothing scary about this grungy bar on stilts, with its wide deck overlooking the gulf. Drinks (cash only) are cheap. If you stay awhile, as we did, you’ll get into the spirit of things, and before long, you may find yourself singing sea chanteys with the locals.

Next day, we headed to the Strand, where most visitors hang out if they have only an afternoon. Clustered around Market and Post Office streets between 22nd and 26th streets are several antiques stores. They aren’t the cheapest, but most boast high-quality items. Check out the Antique Warehouse (423 25th St., at Post Office Street; [409] 762-8620), which has two floors of architectural salvage, antique housewares and nice collectibles; also Vic’s Estate & Fine Jewelry (2413 Market St.; [409] 762-5792) for interesting wearables; Andrea’s Antiques & Collectibles (2215 Post Office St.; [409] 763-6295), a tight space but chock-full of days-past desirables; and La Maison Rouge (418 22nd St.; [409] 763-0717).

From here, you can head to the city’s port and tour the tall ship Elissa at Pier 21, part of the Texas Seaport Museum complex. This 1877 beauty, built in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a classic sailing ship stretching 205 feet, with three masts, the main soaring 99 feet. Admission is $8 and includes a self-guided tour. (See www.tsm-elissa.org.) This complex also houses fascinating Galveston nautical history and gives a great view of the harbor. In fact, from one of the piers, you’ll probably spot your cruise ship waiting in the harbor. We saw at least two during our port tour.

If you want to stick with land sites, spend the afternoon at Moody Gardens. Getting to the 242-acre complex (not the same as the Moody Mansion) requires a taxi or bus ride to the city’s outskirts.

The gardens feature three glass pyramids: The Rainforest Pyramid has a 10-story tropical environment with more than 1,700 plant and animal species; the Aquarium Pyramid contains a lovely 1.5-million-gallon water “museum”; and the Discovery Pyramid, which began with NASA-inspired displays and now hosts various traveling exhibits.

The Moody setup also includes an Imax 3-D theater, as well as the Imax Ridefilm, an 18-passenger joy ride courtesy of a 180-degree spherically curved screen.

Birders also come to Moody (birding is big in this part of Texas) to enjoy an hourlong narrative cruise on a 19th century paddle wheeler as well as a man-made white-sand beach and a huge hotel complex.

A day or two here will give you a view into the Texas Gulf Coast’s rough and ready past, its wealth and culture and, more than anything, its ability to soldier on -- in grand style.

Getting there

From Los Angeles, fly into one of Houston’s airports -- William P. (about 40 minutes north of the island) or George Bush Intercontinental, about 70 miles away. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $198. The cruise lines offer transportation for guests on the day of embarkation, but you also can arrange a shuttle through Galveston Limousine Services, (800) 640-4826, www.galvestonlimousineservice.com. Fares begin at $35 one way or $60 round trip.

Where to stay: the details

If you’re going on a cruise, your ideal base will be in the Strand. The gracious Tremont House (2300 Ships Mechanic Row; [409] 763-0300, www.wyndham.com) is decorated with antiques and is a restful way to spend an evening. Doubles begin at $139; suites are available.

We stayed at the historic Hotel Galvez (2024 Seawall Blvd., [409] 765-7721). The Spanish villa-style Galvez is off the Seawall facing the Gulf, about 10 blocks from the city’s historic districts. Doubles begin at $119. (Just outside it is one of the Island Transit trolley stops, free for Galvez guests.)

Where to eat: the details

For a sumptuous feast in an elegant environment, one of the city’s new leading lights is Palm’s M&M; (2401 Church St.; [409] 766-7170, www.palmsmm.com; closed Mondays and Tuesdays). The handsome wood-paneled bar is a good place to savor a cocktail while awaiting a table (reservations suggested). Caroline and I shared the Colossal Crab Parfait ($18), an explosion of flavor, followed by an order of gulf oysters on the half shell ($14), incredibly fat and fresh. For entrees, we chose Lobster Thermidor ($65), with garlic cream, smoked bacon and butter, and the Steak Oscar ($50) -- an 8-ounce filet mignon with Dungeness lump crab and homemade bearnaise sauce with asparagus.

Gaido’s of Galveston (3828 Seawall Blvd., [409] 762-9625) is a culinary staple. My faves are any of the fresh-fish or snapper entrees (about $18 to $45), which come cooked and dressed in at least eight ways. The big dining room is kitschy but strangely elegant, the service quite down-home.

To learn more

Galveston Island Convention & Visitors Bureau; (409) 797-5144 or (888) 425-4753, www.galveston.com.

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Bishop’s Palace, 1402 Broadway; (409) 762-2475. Open noon-4 p.m. daily until Memorial Day, then longer hours through Labor Day. Admission $6 adults, $5 for seniors (65 and older), $3 for teenagers, $1 for children 12 and younger.

Ashton Villa, 2328 Broadway; (409) 762-3933. Open noon-4 p.m. daily, longer hours Memorial Day-Labor Day. Admission $6 for adults, $5 for those 7-18 and free for children 6 and younger.

Moody Mansion, 2618 Broadway; (409) 762-7668, www.moodymansion.org. Open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, noon-3 p.m. Sundays; longer hours Memorial Day-Labor Day. Tours on the hour. Admission $6 for adults, $5 seniors 65 and older; $3 for children 6-18.

Michel B. Menard Home, 1605 33rd St., (409) 762-3933. Open noon-4 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only. Adults $5, students $2.

Samuel May Williams Home, 3601 Avenue P; (409) 762-3933. Open noon-4 p.m. Saturdays only. $2 adults, $1 students.

Powhatan House, 3427 Avenue O; (409) 763-0077. This Greek Revival home is not open to the public but is worth a look from the outside.

Texas Seaport Museum, Pier 21, Harborside Drive at 21st Street, (409) 763-1877. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Admission $8 adults, $6 students and free for children 6 and younger.

Moody Gardens, (800) 582-4673, www.moodygardens.com. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays-Fridays; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays. Day pass is $39.95.

-- Shermakaye Bass