Is Galveston worth a day trip from Houston?

Only if you have done everything you wanted to do in Houston.

I would hit Nasa, the galleria, etc. before Galveston.

You can spend a day there, there is a nice breeze off the ocean, there are some decent restaurants on the beachfront etc...

I always enjoy it there, if you really get bored there, there is always Moody Gardens: http://www.moodygardens.com/

Galveston's about an hour drive from Houston. Is it worth the trip? Well, that depends what you're interested in. Galveston is nice because it helps you remove yourself far from the bustle of Houston. (But the drive is no picnic along I-45.) The beach is nice to walk along, and there are some interesting sites -- a lot of history down there, what with the Strand District, a lot of the historic homes, etc. There are also some fantastic seafood restaurants, which are certainly worth a trip (Gaido's has always been my favorite, although you can't go wrong with the more casual, cheaper Casey's right next store -- basically the same food as Gaido's but less dressed up. They share a kitchen!)

The thing about the whole Houston area is that, even if you do NASA or Galveston or Moody Gardens -- I never feel like there's anything that doesn't feel touristy.

But Galveston's a fun change of pace. I tend to go down there once every couple of months just to see the water and remind myself that, yes, there is life outside of Houston.

yes it is, Almost every trip to the Houston area I would try to find an afternoon to head down and walk barefoot on the sand.

Just make sure you bring something to remove the oil stains

Ahh, Galveston...a beautiful place to see and smell the aquatic life killed by whatever might have been spilled in the Gulf yesterday.

I used to visit Galveston once or twice a year in the 1970's for Choir or Band competitions. Because of that, I grew up thinking that the normal color of ocean water was brown and murky! I didn't learn differently until moving to New England and wandering around the coast lines of Maine and Northern Massachusetts.

It's nice to know that Gaido's (Guido's?) is still there after all this time. They used to have some wonderful crab dishes. Aside from the water quality, Galveston has an interesting history and is probably worth the visit. Just do some research in advance.

Hey, at least it's not Texas City or Pasadena! Talk about cancer waiting to happen in those places ... but it's true, in Galveston, there's nothing like a peaceful, relaxing walk on the beach in the early morning with no one around, staring out on the horizon ... and soaking up the view of the oil rigs

I finally got to Galveston. Quick drive from Houston along a very commercial corridor. My impressions: miles of low-end hotels and eateries, more miles of houses on stilts, several eye-popping restored old buildings, nicely restored downtown shopping district, fine waterfront meal (although I was driven inside by a storm). I noted a couple of drydocked oil platforms and a B&B boat capsized within view of my restaurant table. Interesting, but I probably wouldn't go back.