Planning Your Summer Vacation? Enjoy Crystal Beach

Crystal Beach – Restaurants, Ocean Breezes, and The Big Store

Make Your Summer Vacation Memorable

Are you looking for a special family getaway?

Enjoy all Crystal Beach has to offer.

People from other states seem surprised that Texas has beaches you can drive on. Growing up here, I guess I have taken that for granted.

In the United States, cars have always been a symbol of freedom. On our miles and miles of beaches, they really do give us the freedom to explore. What could be better? Cruising the beach in a quiet electric golf cart. Bring your own or golf carts are available for rent in Crystal Beach. Texas Custom Carts: (409) 684-1043, West Canal Beach Buggies (409) 750-5688, or Crystal Beach Golf Carts: (409) 679-1448.

I remember going to the beach in Matagorda Beach as a child, there were always a lot of people right where the road met the beach. Families that made a short drive down the beach were rewarded with privacy and space – sometimes a mile or more between other visitors or campers.

Crystal Beach has a lot of traffic in the summer, but you can enjoy more calm and privacy in the Spring or Fall. In the summer, expect a constant parade of jeeps, trucks, and side by sides (Raptors, Rangers, etc.).

It is free to drive on the beach, but you need a $10 pass to park or camp on the beach.

There are trash cans every 100 feet. The beach is professionally cleaned, but sometimes there is trash on the beach.

Galveston is just a free ferry ride away. You will almost always see dolphins on the ferry ride. Wait times are typically short in the Spring, Fall, and Winter, but can be an hour each way in the summer.

Some of the regional beaches (Holly Beach, McFaddin Beach, Sea Rim State Park) don’t have restaurants, convenience stores, or grocery stores. Crystal Beach has several convenience stores and restaurants. They also have “The Big Store” where you can get groceries, beach wear, fishing supplies, hardware, beach decor, pizza, and a Crystal Beach parking pass.

Travelling with horses? Call Crystal Corral Stables. 1109 North Crystal Beach Road in Galveston. (832) 768-3428

What’s the best way to enjoy Crystal Beach?

Rent a beach house in May or September. A week is ideal, but in the off season a weekend is nice too. Invite friends or family to stay with you. Make breakfast in your beach house. Set up a pop up shelter on the beach and enjoy collecting shells, swimming, surf fishing, and picnicking. Enjoy the sunset from the balcony of your beach house or from the Stingaree restaurant. My go to beach balcony dinner is bacon wrapped shrimp skewers with garlic butter. Perfect with a fresh squeezed lemonade or Texas craft beer.

There are no nice hotels in Crystal Beach, so if you aren’t camping you’ll want to look into renting a beach house. There are local rental sources, or you can find them on AirBNB. If you want a more hotel like experience, try the “Out by the Sea Bed and Breakfast”. You’ll have a beach house experience with a wonderful breakfast served in the beach house or on the balcony.

Crystal Beach Restaurant Guide: At any given time, there are usually four or five really good restaurants on Crystal Beach. Unfortunately, you can’t count on which ones are open at any given time.

The Stingaree Restaurant on Crystal Beach has long been one of the best and most reliable restaurant options on the Bolivar Peninsula.

There are actually two restaurants the make up the Stingaree.

Downstairs is a more casual venue with both indoor and outdoor seating. I really enjoy getting one of the outdoor tables right on the water.

It’s the perfect place to enjoy a shrimp po boy and watch fishing boats, big barges on the intercoastal canal, and gorgeous sunsets.

The downstairs menu at the Stingaree offers burgers, salads, sandwiches (including shrimp or oyster po boys), and bar fare.

If you’re looking to enjoy live music on Crystal Beach, The Stingaree brings in some of the best bands.

Upstairs is a more formal dining area with an elevated menu (and air conditioning). The upstairs menu has more chilled seafood, seafood pastas, and options like grilled flounder or red snapper.

The Stingaree also has a boat launch that gives access to the shallow bay between the Gulf of Mexico and the Intercoastal Canal.

Launch your boat at the Stingaree and you could catch flounder, redfish, black drum, sheep’s head, crabs, sand trout, or croaker.

The Stingaree has a bait shack where you can buy live or frozen bait typically including shrimp, mullet, and blue crab.

Are you a history buff? In addition to Texas’ tallest lighthouse, Crystal Beach is home to historic Fort Travis. Dating back to 1836, the fort was built by the Republic of Texas to defend entry to Galveston. Later, the United States upgraded the fort to help defend Galveston during World War II. Fort Travis has a lot of rocks in the water which can be excellent for holding flounder, sheepshead, black drum, redfish, and speckled trout.

What Crystal Beach has to offer: There are a number of very good restaurants and places you can get snacks, sodas/beer, and ice cream. The Big Store offers a great resource for supplies at prices very reasonable for a beach community. All of the local restaurants and businesses are locally owned with a “mom and pop” feel, a nice difference from the chain restaurants in Galveston. Regular law enforcement beach patrols make the area relatively safe, but there are a lot of intoxicated drivers during the summer. Are you a lighthouse fan? Crystal Beach is reportedly home to the tallest lighthouse in Texas. This is a long beach. Crystal Beach is part of the “Bolivar Peninsula”, 45 contiguous miles of beach.

What this beach doesn’t have: Cleanliness can be spotty. Some days it’s great. Other days it is trashy. Rollover Pass was a big draw for fishermen for decades, but it has been filled in permanently by the Corps of Engineers. A beach breeze is nice, but some days on Crystal Beach, it seems relentless. There are not a lot of clean restrooms or porta potties on the beach or in the community. The best ones are in the upscale restaurants where you’ll need to be a customer. Lots of trucks and side by sides display giant Confederate flags, which makes many people visiting from other areas uncomfortable. In the summer, heavy traffic starts after 10am and people start drinking. If you have young children, factor that in.

Crystal Beach Fishing Report: There is potentially excellent fishing on the surf side and the bay side. On the surf side, most people fish from the beach. Bring a “surf spike” style rod holder (taller is better). Catch your own bait with a cast net or buy bait from one of several bait shops on the Bolivar Peninsula. Use a surf weight to keep your weight from drifting in with the waves. What will you catch? Redfish (including trophy bull reds), speckled trout, flounder, and Spanish mackerel. The Bay side doesn’t have as much shore fishing access, but you can have a better shot at flounder and speckled trout. In addition to live bait, Berkley Gulp and soft plastics are both good. You have more access to the bay from kayaks or shallow draft bay boats, jon boats, and flats boats. Watch for sandbars. Run slow until you get the lay of the land. Rollover Pass was a go to fishing destination for generations, but it has been filled in by the Corps of Engineers.