With Texas long being considered “the west,” it’s easy to forget the state’s long coast along the Gulf of Mexico and popular tourist destinations. And visitors on cheap flights to Texas won’t be missing out on the charm of famous New York City features like the Staten Island Ferry, either.

According to the Texas Department of transportation, the free ferry service between Port Bolivar and Galveston is a route serving as an extension of Texas Highway 87. The course of the highway, which is diverted around Galveston Bay, “saves motorists a three-hour, 140-mile drive around the bay.”

With a USA Today article calling it “Texas’ version of the famous New York Staten Island Ferry,” those taking the new route for convenience, or just for fun, will enjoy the quick 20-minute ride across the bay, with an added bonus of the journey being free.

Especially in today’s economy, nothing rings more loudly in the ears of tourists than a free ferry.

California native Mille Garfield, quoted in USA Today, said “We just love it,” as she, her daughter and her young grandson enjoyed the free, scenic ride across the bay.

Because it technically serves as part of a state highway, the ferry runs twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

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Source: USA Today

Flickr Photo Credit: CJTravelTips.com