Ship's Wheel

our "bartendress" was drunk and gave me 8 dollars in quarters when i asked for 8 quarters and i didnt want to correct her because im sure that would have complicated things. she also kept asking to see our ID's every time we went to order more drinks... i have a full beard.  all in all pretty hilarious and exactly what id want and expect from a bar on bolivar. 5 stars!

The little Dive that could.  Ships Wheel is a bar where locals blend with weekenders.  You are likely to see a charter boat deck hand hitting on a pretty city girl.

In some miraculous mysterious way, our lovey server navigated her way through a crowded bar to refill my Jack Daniels at a comfortable pace.  She was very attentive to my beach weekend drinking needs.  When I was thirsty she stood there with a fresh one.  Uncanny.

The ambiance at Ships Wheel is a beach dive complete with cigarette haze, mud puddled parking lot, and restroom door handles you really don't want to touch.

I'd steer clear of taking on a game of pool with a stranger.  A chic in sweat pants with a cue stick that looks like it washed up on the beach will relieve you of all your loose change and then some.

If you are expecting something other than a smoke filled friendly dive then set your course for somewhere else.

For decades, the Ship's Wheel has been a staple of the Crystal Beach bar scene. The Ship's Wheel is one of the few old bars left on Bolivar Peninsula, as most of the older places were washed away by Hurricane Ike. So, if you want to experience old time Crystal Beach, this is the place to go.

On a typical night, you can expect to rub shoulders with anyone from the local shrimpers to the weekend vacationers from Beaumont and Houston. The Wheel also occasionally features live entertainment, which is always a plus after a long day on the beach. However, on nights featuring live entertainment, there may be a cover to enter.

On the downside, I think that the Galveston Fire Department might be using the Wheel as a fire rescue training center, because the smokiness within rivals many major house fires. If you spend a few hours here, you can expect to end the night with stinging eyes and skin reeking of tobacco. You know the smoke is overpowering when the bathrooms offer the nose welcome respite to the acrid haze.

In all, the Ship's Wheel is a great place to go if you want to get the full on Crystal Beach experience. However, it's a bit smoky for my tastes