Summer is officially here on Galveston Island!

Need a vacation? We can help!

There is so much to do this summer and Galveston Island is ready to make your family vacation one to remember! Enjoy days filled at the beach, Moody Gardens, Schlitterbahn Water Park,  Live Entertainment on the Beach, shops and restaurants and much much more!   Call today to reserve your families island getaway!

Texas’ Largest Mardi Gras Celebration Turns 100

The costumes are ready and the finishing touches of parade floats are proudly being admired, as revelers get ready for the 100th celebration of Texas’ largest Mardi Gras festival.

Beginning Feb. 25, the streets of Galveston Island will come alive with the extravagant parades, festive sounds and playful bead throwing of Mardi Gras! Galveston. The event – which will include eight new parades – will continue through March 8.

In total, this year’s event will include 26 concerts, 18 parades, 13 balcony parties and five elegant masked balls. Opening weekend, the nationally known alternative rock band Neon Trees will headline performances to be held on two stages throughout both weekends of the Mardi Gras celebration. Neon Trees will perform at 9:45 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26.

“We’re expecting the 100th celebration to be better than any year prior,” said Mike Dean of Yaga’s Entertainment, the promoter of the event. “Mardi Gras is a great tradition on the Gulf Coast and Galveston’s event is delightfully unique.”

More than 200,000 people attend Mardi Gras! Galveston annually to participate in the pre-Lenten celebration. The event, organized by the City of Galveston, is best known for its lavish downtown and beachfront parades sponsored by krewes from around the region and state.

This year, new parades include: the “Salute to George Mitchell” Parade presented by Hotel Galvez and The Tremont House, Uptown Funky Umbrella Brigade, Pearland High School State Champs Parade, and Krewe da’ Yaga’s Cafe Parade to be held Feb. 25; the “iheartradio krewe” Parade, Houston Chronicle Neauxs Krewe Parade and Art Cars of Houston Parade to be held Feb. 26; and the Sunshine Kids Parade to be held Feb. 27.

The traditional free beachfront parades on Seawall Boulevard will return this year, including Mardi Gras! Galveston’s largest parade put on by the Knights of Momus at 6 p.m. March 5. Other popular Seawall parades include the Mystic Krewe of Aquarius 24th Annual Mardi Gras Kick Off Parade and the Krewe of Gambrinus “Lights Up the Night” Parade both to be held Feb. 26; the Krewe d’Esprit Rosaire Parade and Battle of the Bands event to be held March 5; and the Krewe of Barkus & Meoux pet parade and Mardi Gras Children’s Parade to be held March 6.

The beachfront carnival – located at 34th Street and Seawall Boulevard – will also return this year and will be open daily Feb. 25 through March 8 from 11 a.m. to midnight on weekends and 5 p.m. to midnight on weekdays.

Most concerts and parades will be held in the event’s gated Uptown Entertainment District, located between Harborside Drive and Market Street within 20th through 25th streets. Admission to the entertainment district is $15. Tickets are required to enter the entertainment district on Fridays and Saturdays of Mardi Gras! Galveston as well as Sunday, Feb. 27 for “Family Day” festivities. On Family Day, tickets will cost $5; children 12 years and younger are free. Gate proceeds from Family Day will benefit The Sunshine Kids, a non-profit organization that works to provide positive group activities and emotional support for young cancer patients. Seawall activities do not require paid admission.

The entertainment district will be open from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.

Are you planning on attending Mardi Gras! Galveston this year? Don’t wait to make your accommodations for the largest Mardi Gras! Celebration in Texas! Call Prudential Gary Greene Vacation Rentals to book your beach home or condo. Visit us online at http://www.PrudentialGalveston.com or call us at 409-944-3220 or toll free at 888-733-3455.

8 Reasons to Kick the Hotel Habit

1. Hotels Are Expensive

Many travelers can spot a good nightly rate for a hotel. The reality is, the vast majority of the traveling public would be shocked to learn that many hotel alternatives are less expensive than hotels.Even the options such as vacation rental homes and B&Bs that are near in price to hotels offer many perks that hotels don’t, making them a better value. Vacationers can use that savings to see more attractions, buy more souvenirs, or even better; stay an extra day. 

2. Hotels Offer Limited Amenities

Sure, hotels are great if you are looking for an Olympic-sized pool filled with strange children, but when all you want is an iron that isn’t tethered to a wall, hotels fall unbelievably short. For all of the amenities hotels offer, only a miniscule fraction offer the amenities of home.Things like washing machines, kitchens, and a refrigerator large enough to hold at least TWO Styrofoam leftover containers, all are standard in vacation rental condos or homes, but are considered high-end in the hotel industry. Travelers who prefer coin-operated televisions are best suited for hotels; the rest of us are better off exploring alternatives. 

3. Hotels Are Impersonal

There is something warm and inviting about knowing the actual owners of the property you are inhabiting or meeting the local staff and management of a vacation rental company who help individual homeowners manage their rentals, and not just the 21-year-old assistant manager who is working over Christmas break to earn some extra cash. Hotels are mainly corporate chains.Vacation rentals offer a personal and inviting touch that cannot be offered by their hotel counterparts. Until Paris Hilton gets a job delivering room service and making beds, hotels will remain impersonal and uninviting. 

4. Hotels Are Crowded

Nothing is more romantic than a private getaway between you, your loved one, and the four college kids doing keg stands in the room next door. Although a week in a hotel sounds like the pinnacle of romance, the reality is most people are subjected to the sounds of romance bleeding-in from the room above them.Hotels are crowded, have thin walls, and are usually filled to the brim with tired guests. Choosing to stay at a private house, villa or condo instead of a hotel guarantees a much more private experience, and that your private memories don’t become the memories of Jerry from Cleveland as well. 

5. Hotels Are Dirty

Although most travelers find hotels dirty, anyone studying forensic science will find no better location to spend a week. Because of their high volume, fast turnaround, and the general mindsets of their visitors, hotels take a much worse beating than any other inhabitable space on the planet.While condos, cabins, and bed and breakfasts may be subjected to the same sort of messy activities as hotels, they have a significantly higher cleaning power-per-room ratio, ensuring that each room spends more time under the scrub brush, and less time under the black light. 

6. Hotels Shuffle People to Tourist Traps

While hotel alternatives offer comfort, great locations, and neighbors who have great advice on what locals actually like doing in town, hotels are programmed to shuffle everyone to the same tourist traps. Even a well-intended concierge will assume that you want, “the experience,” read: “the same experience as every other three-star schmoe. If you want insights into the culture around you, just ask your neighbor.

7. Hotels Are Tiny

“Cozy” is an extra $200 per night; what you get for affordable accommodations in hotels is often disturbingly tiny. Why keep yourself cramped in a small, cookie cutter box, when you could spread-out and enjoy a larger space in a hotel alternative.

8. Hotels Are Forgettable

Perhaps the greatest, reason to kick the hotel habit is that at the end of the day, hotels are all the same. Hotels are a lot like wedding meals; you remember the best and the worst you’ve ever had, but all the rest blend together and disappear into obscurity.Hotels are designed to look the same, offer the same, and fit within the same floor plan. They are, by definition, cookie cutter and bland. For those looking for a memorable experience, staying in a hotel alternative guarantees that vacations (and lodging) are remembered for a long time. 

(Source: Homeaway.com)

Galveston Mardi Gras! Celebrates 100th Year!

February 25 – March 8, 2011

Don’t miss the revelry at Mardi Gras! Galveston! The island comes alive with 11 extravagant parades, more than 50 galas and festive events, bead throwing, exhibits, live entertainment in local clubs, and the best Gulf Coast cuisine in the world. One of the most popular annual events to take place in Texas, the event is rich with laughter, celebration and people watching. There is something for everyone including a beachfront carnival, shopping, and nightlife featuring everything from Cajun and salsa to jazz and rock and roll. Galveston celebrates its 100^th Mardi Gras event since it’s inception in 1867. Make your mark in history & attend Mardi Gras! Galveston 2011! Twelve days of fun and entertainment! Beginning on February 25 and it’s not over until the Fat Lady sings! Fat Tuesday, March 8.

Galveston Island Lone Star Bike Rally 2010

Galveston Island, TX
November 4-7, 2010

Prudential Gary Greene Realtors welcomes Lone Star Rally visitors back to Galveston Island! This year, the theme is the United States, its military (Past & Present), and everything we love about our country! As always, it will be a FREE ADMISSION event so make your plans and reservations now! But don’t worry, Prudential has your covered! We have plenty of homes and condo’s available for the weekend at our low season fall rates. Don’t miss out on one of Galveston’s biggest parties of the year!

Give us a call 409-944-3220 or visit us online at PrudentialGalveston.com.

 

Galveston Island Happenings in September….

Galveston Island Shrimp Festival September 24-26

Who doesn’t love a good bowl of gumbo? Visitors can sample gumbo from nearly 100 cooking teams as part of the inaugural Galveston Island Shrimp Festival on Saturday, Sept. 25 at Saengerfest Park, 23rd and Strand. Gumbo lovers can sample and judge wild shrimp gumbo prepared by 100 teams including area restaurants.

“We invite not only our local residents but all Texans to join us in celebrating the return of Galveston Island from Hurricane Ike and take this opportunity to honor the shrimp industry in Texas,” says Mike Dean, president of Yaga’s Entertainment, Inc., a local event company. “We plan on making this festival one of the largest shrimp festivals on the Gulf Coast in the years to come.”

This year, the festival will limit the number of participating teams to 100 including 20 teams designated to Gulf Coast area restaurants and Texas Department of Agriculture’s GO TEXAN Program members. All shrimp in the contest must be wild Texas shrimp. Attendees will taste and vote on the best shrimp gumbo of the twenty restaurants and the best in the amateur category. The winning amateur team will be honored by having their championship gumbo on the menu of Yaga’s Cafe in Galveston for one year. Other gumbo categories include chicken and sausage, shrimp bisque and an open division.

A limited number of Texas wineries will offer wine samples to festival attendees. “We are focusing on bringing Texas wineries to the festival as well as Texas artisans so we can showcase Texas only products,” notes Dean. “All exhibitors will have to qualify as GO TEXAN members to participate in event.”

Additional activities include a children’s parade, 5K run, 1K children’s walk ( register here ), and a Whimcycle Shrimpcycle. A timed 5K and a 1K children’s walk/run will benefit the University of Texas Medical Branch. Festival goers can also participate in a merchant walkabout to win a grand shopping spree in downtown Galveston.

The Galveston Island Shrimp Festival has put a spin on an old tradition by changing the blessing of the fleet to the blessing of “dafeet” to tie in with the 5K and 1K. “Since Hurricane Ike, we don’t have a huge shrimp fleet to bless, so we decided to have a ‘blessing of dafeet’ that serves as a tagline to our festival name,” adds Dean.

The festival ends on Sunday, Sept. 26 with a Whimcycle Shrimpcycle on the Seawall, a leisurely bicycle cruise from Stewart Beach down Seawall Blvd. to the Float Pool and Patio Bar, 29th and Seawall. The costumed ride will conclude with a tailgate party for all costumed riders prior to the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys game.  Pre-registration is required.

Accommodations can be made by calling Prudential Gary Greene, Realtors Vacation Rental Department! We have homes and condos to fit any size group or family. Don’t miss this great opportunity to taste wild shrimp gumbo and partake in other great island entertainment like the Whimcycle Shrimpcycle! Give us a call or visit us online and reserve your home or condo! 409-944-3220 or www.PrudentialGalveston.com

Touring Galveston Island’s Tree Sculptures

What does the Tin Man, a Dalmatian, and a Japanese geisha all have in common?  They are some of the more than 20 tree sculptures scattered throughout the Island.  These whimsical sculptures have replaced the majestic oaks Galveston lost to Hurricane Ike.

Some sculptures are tucked into gardens and nestled into side yards while others are proudly on display near the street.  Touring the sculptures in the Island’s East End is an easy walk or bike ride. Please click here for a map to all of these beautiful sculptures!

July 4th Weekend is Just Around the Corner!

We Have Availability for the July 4th Weekend!
Visit us online or call our office to reserve your vacation
beach rental and don’t miss all the Island Celebrations!!!

www.PrudentialGalveston.com or 409-944-3220

Bands on the Sand Concert Series

Friday Nights at Palm Beach (Moody Gardens) with Fireworks!

Memorial Weekend Concert!!!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The Bangles and Tonic Live in Concert
Moody Gardens Outdoor Amphitheater

We have last minute rentals available for the weekend!
Don’t miss out on seeing these bands, give us a call
and reserve your beach house today!

409-944-3220 or www.prudentialgalveston.com