Beachy getaway

Galveston Island State Park reopens for beachside fun after major makeover

A popular Galveston destination now boasts a whole new look, thanks to a highly anticipated major makeover. Galveston Island State Park reopened the beachside of the park on June 27 following an extensive renovation.

Beachgoers can look forward to a new park headquarters building, two new restrooms, new roads, 95 new campsites, two new changing areas and rinse-off showers, 20 new shade shelters in the day-use area, and a seasonal equestrian day-use area, according to a press release.

Hikers can enjoy more than five miles of hiking trails, a newly remodeled nature center on the bayside, two observation towers, two boardwalks, three kayak launch locations on the bayside, a new vendor area, and three new group-use pavilions on the beachside.

Park reservations may now be made online at the TPWD website or by calling the Texas State Park Reservation Center at 512-389-8900. Visitors can make overnight reservations up to five months in advance; day passes can be reserved up to 30 days in advance.

Dubbed the Galveston Island State Park Beach Redevelopment project, this redevelopment comes via $10.6 million in Deepwater Horizon Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) Phase III Early Restoration funds from the Texas Trustees. The Texas Trustees is made up of organizations including the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas General Land Office, and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The project broke ground in summer 2018.

“The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is very excited to be able to reopen such a popular park on the Texas coast,” said Rodney Franklin, director of Texas State Parks, in a statement. “I am extremely thankful for the hard work of our state parks team, TPWD partner divisions, numerous volunteers, as well as our partnership with the NRDA Trustees Implementation Group. The commitment and dedication of countless individuals and stakeholders made this redevelopment project a reality. Thanks to our ability to leverage grant funds along with sporting goods sales tax, the people of Texas will benefit from this enhanced outdoor opportunity for years to come.”

Boardwalk beachside seating.

Photo by Nieco Payton

Boardwalk beachside seating.

nature parks

Flying News

Frontier Airlines adds nonstop service from DFW to west Florida coast

Frontier Airlines Facebook

undefined

There's a new way for Dallas travelers to get to the west coast of Florida: Frontier Airlines, the low-fare carrier, launched nonstop service from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida (FLL) on November 20.

The service will operate three times per week, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, although schedules are subject to change.

According to a release, the new service underscores Frontier’s commitment to being the number one low-fare carrier in all top 20 U.S. metro areas — including Dallas-Fort Worth with 40 destinations now offered nonstop from DFW.

Frontier has already been flying from DFW to Fort Lauderdale, but not nonstop. Flights between the two cities have layovers in cities such as Cinncinnati, Cleveland, Chicago, and even Carolina (in Puerto Rico) — resulting in trips that can take anywhere from 6 to 24 hours.

The nonstop flights take 3 hours and 28 minutes.

“With the launch of this new service, we are thrilled to offer Dallas-area consumers affordable travel to Fort Lauderdale and the many other exciting destinations we serve from DFW just in time for the busy holiday travel season,” says Frontier VP Josh Flyr in a release.

Frontier Airlines has introduced changes to its product and customer service offerings, including seating with extra leg and elbow room in the first two rows of the aircraft, a guaranteed empty middle seat, and unlimited companion travel for its most loyal customers. Debuting in early 2026, Frontier will begin offering First Class seating.

transportation openings