Hubby and I just returned from a long weekend at Galveston, Texas. We had not been there in quite some time, and wanted to see how it was coming along. As it is – Galveston Island is quite nice and quite popular! If you haven’t been in a while, I highly recommend it for a nice family vacation destination. In the meantime, see how well you fare with this trivia about Galveston and the surrounding area.
1. In what year did the deadliest natural disaster ever to strike the United States cause an estimated eight thousand deaths in Galveston? 1898; 1900; 1911; 1913.
2. When was the Galveston Sea Wall completed? 1899; 1904; 1912; 1915.
3. What is the nickname of Galveston, Texas? Oleander City; The Hurricane City; The Sea Wall City; Oil Town, USA.
4. Who was the infamous pirate who formed a settlement called Campeche on Galveston Island? Captain Kidd; Henry Morgan; Blackbeard; Jean LaFitte
5. True or False: Moody Gardens cannot be found in Galveston.
6. Which famous water park opened in Galveston in 2006? Schlitterbahn Galveston; Blizzard Beach Texas; Six Flags Galveston; Busch Gardens Galveston.
7. Which hotel, known as the “Queen of the Gulf”, opened in 1911 and is now a popular hotel on the Galveston Seawall? The San Luis Hotel & Resort; Hotel Galvez; The Victorian Condo-Hotel; Flagship Hotel.
8. Until is was destroyed by Hurricane Ike in 2008, the Balinese Room was a popular haunt for Galveston citizens looking for a good time. Sitting at the end of a 600 ft long pier stretching into the bay, what sort of entertainment was found in the Balinese Room? Discount shopping mall; Putt-Putt golf; Illegal gambling; Prostitution.
ANSWERS: 1. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 brought winds of 135 miles per hour to the city which was often dubbed the “Wall Street of the South” because of its many banking and financial institutions. 2. Construction began in 1902 and was completed in 1904. 3. The official nickname of Galveston is The Oleander City, due to the large number of colorful, vibrant oleanders in the area. The oleander is an extremely toxic plant to people, particularly young children. Both leaves and berries of the oleander are toxic. 4. Jean Baptiste Lafitte, a famous privateer and pirate, came to Galveston around 1817 and remained until 1821 when the U.S. Navy drove him out. 5. False. Moody Gardens is a major attraction in Galveston. It consists of three glass pyramids that can be seen if you are coming to the island from Houston. Attractions at Moody Gardens include the Aquarium Pyramid, Discovery Pyramid, Rainforest Pyramid, Colonel Paddlewheel boat tours, a small beach, an IMAX 3D theater, and the Moody Gardens Resort Hotel. 6. Schlitterbahn Galveston. The water park was scheduled to be opened in 2005, but a fire delayed the opening. The term Schlitterbahn means “slippery road” in German and was the name of the original water park in New Braunfels, Texas. 7. Hotel Galvez. Once a showplace hosting guests like Theodore Roosevelt, Howard Hughes, and Frank Sinatra, the hotel underwent a renovation in the late 1980’s and now boasts elegant Victorian furnishings and a lush, tropical swimming area. 8. Illegal gambling. Originally opened in 1929, the Balinese Room was turned into an entertainment hot spot in the 1940s by Sicilian immigrants Sam and Rosario Maceo. Originally known as The Grotto and then Sui Jen, the name was changed to the Balinese Room after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, when a Japanese name was not wanted. The back room of the club was famous for its illegal gambling and mob activity. Although the Balinese Room was closed for a time, it was remodeled and reopened for business in 2001. Hurricane Ike ripped through the pier in 2008 and destroyed the Balinese Room.