Jamaica Beach, Texas

Galveston Island State Park is a Texas state park located on western Galveston Island in Galveston County, on the western Gulf Coast in Texas.

Galveston Island ( GAL-vis-tən) is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf Coast in the United States, about 50 miles (80.5 km) southeast of Houston. The entire island, with the exception of Jamaica Beach, is within the city limits of the City of Galveston in Galveston County. The island is about 27 miles (43.5 km) long and no more than 3 miles (4.8 km) wide at its widest point. The island is oriented generally northeast-southwest, with the Gulf of Mexico on the east and south, West Bay on the west, and Galveston Bay on the north. The island's main access point from the mainland is Interstate Highway 45 which crosses the Galveston Causeway that crosses West Bay on the northeast side of the island. The far north end of the island is separated from the Bolivar Peninsula by Galveston Harbor, the entrance to Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel. Ferry service is available between Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula. The southern end of the island is separated from the mainland by San Luis Pass. The San Luis Pass-Vacek Toll Bridge connects the San Luis Pass Road on Galveston Island with the Bluewater Highway that leads south into the town of Surfside Beach. The residents of the island (the nontourists) classify themselves in two ways: born on the island (BOI) and islander by choice (IBC). “BOI” is cited in print from at least 1956 and “IBC” is cited in print from 1975.

Cedar Lake is a lake in Brazoria County, Texas, United States. It is shaped like a teardrop, and is under one mile in diameter. It is fed by Cedar Lake Creek and the San Bernard River, draining into the Gulf of Mexico. In 1949, the completed Gulf Intracoastal Waterway became another tributary.

Tiki Island is a village in Galveston County, Texas, United States. The population was 968 at the 2010 census.

USS Granite City was a Confederate blockade runner steamer captured in March 1863 by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was armed with cannon and by August 1863 was in service as a gunboat in support of the Navy blockade of Confederate waters. She was recaptured in January 1864 by Confederate forces, again became a blockade runner, and ultimately was abandoned as a wreck after running aground.

Sea-Arama Marineworld was a marine mammal park located on the Gulf Coast in Galveston Island, Texas. Opening in 1965, the park was an animal-focused oceanarium, zoo, and aquarium that attracted hundreds of thousands of attendees each year. The park worked with wildlife experts to study Ridley sea turtles, support brown pelican nesting, and treat/rehabilitate marine life. After the opening of SeaWorld San Antonio in 1988, Sea-Arama’s popularity began to wane and attendance declined. The park closed in January 1990. Animals and marine life from Sea-Arama were relocated to SeaWorld San Antonio and similar parks in the area. After several plans to revitalize the space failed to come to fruition, the park was torn down in 2006. In 2008, the former site of Sea-Arama was used to provide a temporary debris holding station after Hurricane Ike.

The George and Cynthia Mitchell Memorial Causeway is a set of causeways in Galveston, Texas, United States. Two of the routes carry the southbound and northbound traffic of Interstate 45, while the original causeway is restricted to rail traffic. It is the main roadway access point to Galveston Island. The second access point is Bolivar Ferry. The causeway carries traffic over Galveston Bay and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The original causeway was built in 1912 and carried both rail and auto traffic. The auto traffic was transferred to new causeways built to the west in 1939, leaving the original bridge for rail traffic. The original route was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Bayou Vista is a city in Galveston County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,537 at the 2010 census. It received severe damage from Hurricane Ike on September 13, 2008.

Scholes International Airport at Galveston (IATA: GLS, ICAO: KGLS, FAA LID: GLS) is three miles southwest of Galveston, in Galveston County, Texas, United States. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a reliever airport.The airport provides charter service and has no scheduled flights; the runways can accommodate airplanes as large as the Boeing 767-200.

Tor Baseball Field (a.k.a. Tors-Whitecaps Field, Whitecaps-Tors Field, Whitecaps Field, GISD/Whitecaps Field) is the home of the Galveston Ball Tornadoes located at 83rd and Stewart Roads on Galveston Island. The field has also been the home of the Galveston College Whitecaps baseball team from 1992 to 2009. However, the Galveston Independent School District took over the field after the 2009 season causing Galveston College to look for a new home. The field was also ravaged by Hurricane Ike in September 2008.

Hitchcock is a city in Galveston County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,961 at the 2010 census.

Naval Air Station Hitchcock was a Naval Air Station built by the United States Navy during World War II to accommodate lighter-than-air aircraft, more commonly known as blimps. It was located in the small town of Hitchcock, Texas, about fifteen miles (24 km) northwest of Galveston. Construction began in 1942 and the base was commissioned on May 22, 1943. The most prominent feature of the base was the 1,000-foot (300 m) long, 200-foot (61 m) tall largely wooden blimp hangar. The blimp hangar, which held six aircraft was built at a cost of $10 million. The purpose of the base and its aircraft was to search for Axis power submarines in the Gulf of Mexico. Beside the hangar there were auxiliary buildings including barracks, warehouses, a mess hall, gymnasium, auditorium and an Olympic-size swimming pool which was used to teach swimming and water-rescue. The base was sold as war surplus in 1949 for $143,777 to John W. Mecom Sr., who leased the building during the Korean War to remanufacture half-track vehicle and World War II tanks for use in the Korean War. Because of damage sustained from Hurricane Carla in 1961, the wooden parts of the hangar were demolished in 1962. The only parts of the hangar still standing are the four tall concrete corner supports and the concrete foundation. Camp Wallace, a U.S. Army World War II training center for antiaircraft units, was located adjacent to the base.