Beaches of Crystal Beach & Bolivar Peninsula

Beaches of Crystal Beach & Bolivar Peninsula
crystalbeach.com

Our Seaweed We have 27 miles of sandy beaches. Much of the beachfront land is still undeveloped, and the state has severly restricted the land use. We are allowed to drive on the beaches, and that is a source of great pleasure to leisurely cruise the length of the peninsula.

What are our beaches like?

Go to any travel magazine you can find, and pick out pictures of several beaches in different locations around the US or in the world.

The beaches of Bolivar are just like all of them

The sand is not as white as Destin Florida

The surf is not as rough as California's or any ocean.

The surf is gentle most of the time, for babies to play in.

The beaches are not as wide as Padre Island's but much wider than those in Galveston city.

On holidays, we have many families enjoying our beaches; lots of days during fall & winter there are no people on the beach.

We have plenty of sand for castles, and the ocean is just as mysterious here as it is on the other side of the world.

- Mike Osten

About Crystal Beach and Bolivar Peninsula

Bolivar is a narrow peninsula on the upper Texas coast between the Gulf of Mexico and East Galveston Bay. It lies in a northeasterly direction separated from Galveston Island by the Houston Ship Channel and the Bolivar Roads, 3 miles wide. Free Public Ferries link the Peninsula with Galveston Island.

The Peninsula is called "an offshore sandbar at the eastern end of a chain of islands extending along the Texas and Mexico coasts". The widest point of the Peninsula's 27 miles is between Crystal Beach and Caplen, (about 3 1/2 miles). It is also known as a barrier peninsula.

Bolivar Peninsula was named in honor of Simon Bolivar (1783-1836), a freedom leader fighting to free South and Central America from Spanish rule.

The industries of Bolivar Peninsula are mainly tourism and commercial fishing, concentrating on harvesting and marketing shrimp, crabs and oysters. Their boats are docked at the seafood houses, and are a great photo opportunity on a summer evening.

There are five small communities on the peninsula. Port Bolivar, Crystal Beach, Caplen, Gilchrist and High Island, none of which are incorporated. The residents of these communities are members of civic organizations, such as the Chamber of Commerce, Volunteer Fire Department, Emergency Medical Service, A.A.R.P., Lighthouse Krewe, Community Outreach, & Jesse Tree.

Crystal Beach has the largest population. It is primarily a resort community catering to summer tourists. There are several hundred beach houses available to rent on a weekly basis from the many real estate companies, or individual home owners. The rental units are all privately owned homes with full kitchens and sleeping facilities for families of any size.

You will find a variety of fine restaurants, grocery stores, a bank, water slide, night clubs, gift shops, video stores, convenience stores - even a Golf Course !

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