Sea Isle Beach
Galveston, TX
Sea Isle is a beach community established in 1950 on Galveston's West End, with a gravel lot off Kennedy Drive and a boardwalk leading out to a genuinely wide, open stretch of sand with no vehicles allowed on it. It's a different feel from the drive on beaches nearby, a deliberate walk in that keeps the immediate shoreline clear.
The no vehicle boardwalk access is a genuine point of difference on a stretch of coast dominated by drive on beaches, though the amenities are minimal beyond the parking and boardwalk itself.
How we score beachesThis is the pick on the West End if you want sand without trucks parked next to your towel. The no vehicle rule here is the main thing that sets it apart from Jamaica Beach and Sunny Beach nearby.
A gravel lot at Beach Access 27 on Kennedy Drive is free, with a boardwalk connecting it to the beach.
A boardwalk crosses from the gravel lot to the sand, an easier surface than a straight walk through loose beach sand.
Summer draws the most visitors, with Gulf water in the low to mid 80s. Hurricane season runs June through November, and this stretch has seen beach nourishment projects to offset erosion.
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