Just an hour away from Houston, Galveston is the sentimental favorite for a weekend getaway by H-Town residents. There are some 32 miles of beaches (enough to guarantee you'll find a spot to yourself) and more than 5,000 affordable hotel rooms (almost all of which face the Gulf of Mexico); Moody Gardens and The Pleasure Pier provide more than enough interactive entertainment to fill a long weekend; and there's The Strand historic district for visitors who want to enjoy slightly more sedate activities (only slightly, mind you). Halloween is the perfect time of year to visit — the beach is still warm and inviting, and the island's ghost tours are in full swing (all those sea wrecks and hurricanes, not to mention good old-fashioned only-in-Texas murders, have reportedly made for plenty of ghosts on the island).