Warm waters, gentle waves and miles of broad sandy beaches stretch across 625 miles of the Texas coastline, from Louisiana to Mexico. Just east of Houston, the Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island make up a beautiful section of this narrow band of beachfront barrier islands. Originally known as Patton, Crystal Beach is found on Texas Route 87, with its beaches covering almost seven miles of the Bolivar Peninsula. The old Bolivar Lighthouse and remnants of Fort Travis convey the importance of this inlet to Galveston Bay. Fort Travis, named for famed William B. Travis, was completed in 1899, only to be severely damaged during a Gulf storm the following year. The Bolivar Point Lighthouse, built in 1872 to mark a shallow channel, withstood both severe 1900 and 1915 hurricanes.
     Crystal Beach and the surrounding peninsula offer a wide variety of coastal activities. Along with its historic attractions, the area is noted for its excellent fishing and bird watching. Included with some of the best birding on the coast, the Bolivar Flats, the High Island Bird Sanctuary and Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge are within short driving distances. Thousands upon thousands of water fowl and migrating birds, seen throughout the coastal marshes and prairie, make this an exceptional site.