Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Yet the resort also happens to be one of the state's most historic places. Just before the
turnofthecentury,Galvestonwasconsideredthesecond-richestcityinAmerica,butadis-
astroushurricanechangedallthatin1900,claimingthousandsoflivesanddestroyingmost
of the buildings. Luckily, some of them survived: the restored 1894 Grand Opera House
and 1893 Bishop's Palace both recall the city's early days of glory.
Did you know…
After the devastating storm in 1900 that destroyed a third of Galveston, the city
was raised by 8 feet, with a slope toward the shore. The engineer responsible:
Henry Martyn Robert, the same man who developed Robert's Rules of Order.
2.
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge
Freeofcharge,aferrytransportstravelersonStateRte.87acrossGalvestonBaytoBolivar
FlatsShorebirdSanctuary.ThousandsofbirdspausetofeedandrestalongtheBolivarPen-
insuladuringtheirmigrations.Fromthetinyleastsandpipertopelicans,herons,androseate
spoonbills, they throng the salt marshes and mudflats.
For equally rewarding bird-watching, turn north on Rte. 124, then west on Rte. 1985
to the access road for Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, where more than 30,000 acres of
wetlands attract huge flocks of ducks and geese in winter.
American alligators share these wetlands with the birds, and the reptiles can often be
seen sunning themselves near the refuge's unpaved roads. Be sure to give them plenty of
room:Theymightseemsluggishandlazyastheyfloatonthewaterasstillaslogs,butthey
can run with a surprising speed that they surpass when swimming.
3.
Big Thicket National Preserve
Thanks to its richly varied plant life, Big Thicket has earned a special renown among bot-
anists and other observers of nature. Nearly all of East Texas was once covered by this
semitropical wilderness—a tangle ofwoodlands,swamps,bayous,andbogsthat fewdared
to enter. Over time, however, Big Thicket was tamed as farmers and lumbermen moved in.
Today only scattered fragments of the original wilds are protected in Big Thicket National
Preserve, yet each separate unit is pleasantly evocative of the region's original appearance.
Of particular note are the nearly 1,000 species of flowering plants in the preserve, in-
cluding 20 kinds of wild orchids and four out of America's five types of insect-eating
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