Driving into Houston from Galveston - Interstate Traffic
 

We will be staying in Galveston for an upcoming beach trip ( June 29-July 7). We are staying in a large beach house with other family members. My husband and I don't care for the beach, and the kids don't really either. We would love to check out several things in Houston including the Space Center, The Natural Science Museum, Fine Arts Museum, The Zoo , The Downtown Aquarium, and maybe a few other things.

It appears to be about a 1 drive from where we are staying in several of the places in Houston. They open at 9. Would that put us into crazy Houston traffic every morning? Are there alternative routes?

That should say " It appears to be about a 1 HOUR dive"

It's about 50 miles from Galveston to downtown Houston and about a 1:15 drive via I-45 without traffic. Add another 15 to 20 minutes if you plan to arrive in Houston between 8AM and 9:15AM. You can avoid "rush hour" if you plan to arrive after 9:30AM. No real good alternate route as highways 3 and 6 have "traffic" plus lights of stop lights, making for a longer ride. One good thing is Rush Hour traffic into Houston between June 29 & July 7 will be a little lighter than other times of the year because some commuters will be on vacation.

Probably best to leave Galveston around 8:15/8:30AM and arrive about 9:30/10:15 - you'll avoid most traffic and still have plenty of time to see the sights before it's time to head back to Galveston.

There are long HOV lanes for part of that trip on I-45. So when you jam the group into the car, you'll be able to use the carpool lanes.

Moody Gardens is in Galveston. That should keep you and the kids out of trouble too.

The rest of the town is kind of . . . not worth avoiding the commute to Houston.

<<One good thing is Rush Hour traffic into Houston between June 29 & July 7 will be a little lighter than other times of the year>>

Difference between serious suck and just suck. Going up 45 into downtown Houston is never particularly pleasant. The HOV is your friend, as long as it's open. http://www.ridemetro.org/Services/HOV/i45s.aspx

Great, thanks to you both!

We did see Moody Gardens advertised but it looked quite expensive and we could get a Houston City Pass for much cheaper and see more sites. We try to hit Museums in every city we go to and the kids will be excited about the Natural History Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts looks to have some amazing artists we have been learning about lately, so we are excited about that.

Just not a beach family....but at least Houston is close enough!