Seabrook, TX Outdoor Activities

Weekend cruises along the lake. The occasional night fishing trip. While many people would like to own a boat for those reasons, the expenses of maintaining and storing a boat year-round can be daunting. Carefree Boat Rental eliminates the tedious bits of boat ownership by lending its well-maintained fleet to members by the hour. Inspected weekly by a dock staff using a 50-point checklist, each boat is also equipped with US Coast Guard-required safety equipment such as flares, approved flotation devices, and an emergency stash of Cheetos. The crew also takes care of regular maintenance, such as oil changes, hull cleaning, and annual bottom painting.

Throughout the year, more than 100 ladies compete in the South Side Roller Derby league, racing each other and racking up points during exhilarating bouts on treacherous banked tracks. Owned and operated entirely by volunteers, the league is run by people who enjoy the sport and care about sharing it with their community. In addition to a regular schedule of matchups, the ladies host roller-derby bootcamp classes replete with speed skating drills, derby-specific exercises, conditioning regimens, and hand-holding techniques in case the DJ announces a couples’ skate.

South Coast Sailing Adventures operates a floating fleet of 18 sailboats with instructors certified by the American Sailing Association and more than 20 captains licensed by the US Coast Guard at the helm. Incorporating their vast cruising, racing, and Bermuda Triangle–averting experience into lessons, several of South Coast's instructors have been the recipients of an ASA Instructor of the Year Award, and the entire training facility was voted one of ASA's Outstanding Sailing Schools in 2006. Courses range from basic keelboat instruction, which tests beginners’ mettle in a Colgate 26-foot sailboat, to catamaran sailing, which teaches advanced students to skipper and crew a 30- to 50-foot multihull sailboat. Beyond lessons, sunset and moonlight cruises chart courses toward romance, basking in the glow of the stars or distant underwater volcanoes. Special-event sails include options as varied as an Irish potluck dinner and scenic day sails around Galveston.

Members of Sail Ventures take turns cruising in a fleet of new or late-model Catalina and Beneteau sailboats. The system, known as fractional yachting, teams up members who share their luxury vessels on a monthly basis. A rigorous training program ensures sailors are seaworthy, and the club picks up maintenance, slip fees, and other costs. Sail Ventures also hosts special membership events throughout the year, such as regattas, boat christenings, and boat-show parties.

The ghastly guides of Ghost Tours Texas lead groups of foolhardy interlopers on story-filled journeys past the spectrally inhabited landmarks of Galveston and Houston Heights. On the Galveston tour, a knowledgeable leader takes parties through the Silk Stocking District to visit the 1858 Ashton Villa mansion, whose second floor is occupied by the phantom “Miss Betty” Brown, and whose basement is occupied by a man who years ago forgot how to work a doorknob. The guide also divulges tales told from eyewitness accounts.

The Houston Heights tour winds through the area's historical and opulent homes, exploring such mysteries as the story of the Dean Correl murders and the children who are said to still haunt the alleyways of Houston Heights. Guides weave tales of ghostly possessions and evil voodoo dolls peppered with real-life testimonies from local residents.