Although America’s Gulf Coast doesn’t have any major gay beach resorts, the Texas barrier island of Galveston has steadily become a popular destination with GLBT travelers. About 220 miles south, the coast’s largest city, Corpus Christi, contains a number of notable attractions as well as the coast’s only gay bar south of Galveston. And at the southern tip of the Texas coast, scenic South Padre Island has developed increased cachet as a getaway, thanks in part to biannual Splash South Padre Island gay parties.

Here’s a look at these three classic coastal getaways in Texas.

The historic and charming city of Galveston (www.galveston.com) is a haven of sandy beaches, opulent Victorian houses, and touristy but engaging seafood restaurants and souvenir shops. Gays and lesbians – many from Houston, 50 miles inland – regularly visit here. With colorful architecture, a small but discernible arts scene, and a laid-back demeanor reminiscent of Key West and New Orleans, this city of 48,000 is a bit more open-minded and offbeat than any other on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Galveston occupies a narrow, 32-mile-long, windswept coastal island. Several historic neighborhoods abound with stately old mansions and cheerful clapboard cottages, and the main drag along the shoreline, Seawall Boulevard, bustles with seafood restaurants, chain hotels, and shops selling postcards, seashells, swimsuits, and sunglasses.

If you’re a beach lover, you’ll want to hang out around the shorefront neighborhoods, but the city’s vibrant and quirky personality reveals itself most strongly a couple of miles north, in the downtown Strand Historic District, which overlooks Galveston Bay. This warren of palm-shaded cobblestone lanes is punctuated by a few tall buildings.

There are numerous attractions to keep you busy around Galveston, the most famous being the Moody Gardens, a dazzling nature-oriented complex consisting of three huge pyramidal buildings housing a vast tropical rain forest, an aquarium, and a science museum. Other points of interest include downtown’s Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum, in which you can explore an actual retired oil rig; the dramatic 1894 Grand Opera House, which now presents theater and music events; and the Texas Seaport Museum, which is home to 1877 Tall Ship Elissa.

If you start to feel a little peckish, downtown’s festive Yaga’s Cafe (www.yagaspresents.com) is a longtime favorite for casual Caribbean-inspired fare. For extremely tasty Latin American and Mexican fare, including delicious Gulf snapper ceviche, head to Rudy & Paco (www.rudyandpaco.com). A spacious, elegant restaurant overlooking Galveston Bay, Willie G’s (www.williegs.com) serves huge and rich portions of seafood, including lump crab au gratin and snapper Kathleen (blackened with shrimp, crab, mushrooms, and lemon butter). Gay-popular Mosquito Cafe (www.mosquitocafe.com), despite its pesty name, might just serve the most sophisticated and polished contemporary cuisine in town. This charming space with tall windows exudes understated elegance. Gay-friendly MOD Coffeehouse (www.modcoffeehouse.com) is one of the best places in town for espresso and tea drinks, plus decadent desserts.

The city has a few gay bars. The friendly and festive 3rd Coast Bar (www.3rdcoastdowntown.com) overlooks the Gulf and has a small deck outside. Robert’s Lafitte is another neighborhood bar with an easy-going personality. A relative newcomer that’s quickly become popular, Stars Beach Club (starsbeachclub.com) is a great spot for dancing. And the Pink Dolphin (pinkdolphingalveston.com) is a low-key neighborhood gay bar that’s a favorite with locals. The dapper Bacchus Wine Bar (www.bacchus-wine-bar.com) serves a nice range of wines (and beers) by the glass - this mixed hangout is a fun place for drinks before or after dinner along the Strand.

Galveston claims a pair of Texas’s most renowned historic hotels, and both of them are quite gay-friendly. Anchoring the heart of downtown’s Strand Historic District, the Tremont House (www.wyndham.com) captures the elegance and warmth of a European boutique hotel. The hotel’s 119 rooms have marble baths and fluffy pillow-top bedding. A 10-minute drive south, the imposing Hotel Galvez (www.wyndham.co)  offers a more peaceful setting overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Although rooms have every amenity, the period decor thoroughly recalls the city’s gilded era. You can sip cocktails at the pool’s swim-up bar or relax to piano music over the Sunday champagne brunch. Among mainstream B&Bs, the gay-friendly Avenue O B&B (www.avenueo.com) is a romantic, imaginatively decorated inn set in the city’s historic Silk Stocking District. The 1923 Mediterranean Revival house overlooks beautifully landscaped grounds.

With a population of just over 300,000, Corpus Christi (www.visitcorpuschristitx.org) is the largest community along the Texas coast - it’s about a 4.5-hour drive south of Galveston, and it’s just a 2.5-hour drive down I-37 from San Antonio. The city enjoys a sheltered setting on Corpus Christi Bay, which separates it from Padre Island. From downtown Corpus Christi, it’s an easy drive to the island, which is home to popular seaside attractions like Mustang Island State Park and the scenic town of Port Aransas.

A fairly conservative city with a strong military presence, Corpus Christi has a limited gay scene but is home to several noteworthy attractions. At the north end of downtown, the outstanding Art Museum of South Texas and Museum of Science & History anchor a waterfront cultural district that also includes the first-rate Harbor Playhouse Theatre as well as a complex of restored historic houses known collectively as Heritage Park.

Just a bit north, the Harbor Bridge leads to the North Beach neighborhood, which is home to the world’s oldest surviving aircraft carrier, the World War II-era USS Lexington, which is now an impressive floating museum. Next door, you can tour the excellent Texas State Aquarium, home to sea turtles, river otters, piranhas, and three graceful bottlenose dolphins.

Downtown’s upscale Omni Corpus Christi Hotel Bayfront Tower (www.omnihotels.com) as well as the stylish and more intimate V Boutique Hotel (www.vhotelcc.com) are reliable, gay-friendly lodging options close to local attractions - they’re both a short walk from Water Street Market (www.waterstreetmarketcc.com), a lively hub of restaurants, shops, bars, and a cool little museum dedicated to Texas surf culture. Here you’ll find an excellent coffeehouse, Agua Java, as well as the Water Street Seafood Co. and Oyster Bar and the Executive Surf Club - all good places for drinking and dining. The main gay club in town, the Hidden Door (thehiddendoorcc.com), is on the south side of downtown and has good drink specials, a cheery patio, and a side bar called the Loft with piano cabaret.

If you’d rather stay outside of the bustle of downtown and near the beach, Anthony’s by the Sea (www.anthonysbythesea.com) is a terrific, lesbian-owned B&B in Rockport, just 30 miles up the coast from Corpus Christi. This comfy six-room property is just a few blocks from Aransas Bay, and rates include a hearty breakfast, which you can enjoy on the shaded patio.

The southernmost Gulf Coast town in the United States, bustling South Padre Island (www.sopadre.com/island) has long been famous as a family vacation spot, more recently as a Spring Break destination flooded with college students, and in just the past few years as the site of two raucous and fun gay circuit parties, known as Splash South Padre Island (splashsouthpadre.com) - it’s held twice a year, once in late April and then again in the fall (usually late October or early November). Check the website for dates, as they’re usually announced a few months in advance of these parties.

A word about the geography of the area, which can be confusing for outsiders. Padre Island is the world’s longest barrier island and the second-largest island in the Lower 48 (after Long Island). It extends for some 130 miles from just east of Corpus Christi, where it’s generally called North Padre Island, all the way down to the tip. Because the central section of the island is preserved wilderness, you can’t drive from the northern to southern parts. The town of South Padre Island is the only substantially developed part of the island, and from Corpus Christi you get here by taking U.S. 77 south to Highway 100 east - it’s about a 3.5-hour drive.

Splash South Padre Island is a fun time to visit, drawing revelers from throughout the South and increasingly from all over the country. With a mild climate, a couple of miles of beautiful beachfront, and a restaurant scene that’s become steadily more sophisticated, this narrow island community is a terrific destination year-round, especially from fall to spring, when the weather is mild (it can be a little toasty in summer, although Gulf breezes moderate the temperatures).

The preferred activity in these parts is relaxing: you can laze on the beach, ride horseback at Padre Island National Seashore, and enjoy the usual sorts of recreational activities you’d find at the seashore: fishing, boating, kite-boarding, surfing, snorkeling, and even dolphin-watching cruises. Fans of nature should check out the fascinating South Padre Island Birding Center, which comprises both a nature center and a network of boardwalks that lead out along the bayfront (and from which you can spot everything from alligators to least sandpipers). Just across the Queen Isabella Causeway on the mainland, the historic village of Port Isabel contains shops, restaurants, a marina (with boat tours), a historic lighthouse, and other amusements.

Seafood is a highlight in the area, with the Dirty Al’s/Daddy’s (dirtyals-daddys.com) restaurant group among the top contenders - they have locations both on the island and across the bay in Port Isabel, and fried shrimp, oysters on the half shell, and blackened fish are all outstanding. The low-frills Manuel’s in Port Isabel is a good bet for outstanding Tex-Mex fare, including enormous breakfasts. More upscale, urbane options include stylish Cafe Kranzler (www.cafekranzler.com), where specialties include lobster omelets at breakfast and marinated sesame-crusted ahi at dinner; and Zeste, a gourmet market and restaurant known for creatively prepared tapas, salads, sandwiches, and other healthy fare.

There are no gay bars on South Padre Island, but establishments like Mooncussers (www.mooncusserspi.com) and Louie’s Backyard (www.lbyspi.com) are always welcoming and often host GLBT parties during Splash weekend. And inland, you’ll find gay bars in some of the border cities, like Studio 69 in Brownsville (30 miles southwest) and PBD’s in McAllen (75 miles west).

South Padre is lined with beach resorts and condos, many of them facing the Gulf and others set along the bay (it’s just a few blocks from one side to the other). Most properties are moderately priced, with one of the nicest being a relatively new Hilton Garden Inn (www.hiltongardeninn.com) across from the Birding and Nature Center. A small, friendly spot on the beach with spacious, nicely updated suites, Palms Resort (palmsresortcafe.com) is one of the best values on the island - rooms have kitchenettes and nice-size sitting areas, and the on-site cafe overlooking the water serves tasty, casual food. There are also a few value-priced properties that offer special rates during Splash and are always very gay-welcoming: Comfort Suites, La Copa Inn, and Suites at Sunchase.