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Welcome to Galveston Attractions!There are so many marvelous things to do in Galveston. No matter what your age you are sure to find lots of fun activities to make your vacation one of the best ever. Step back in time on the Galveston Island trolleys, they are reminiscent of those used from the 1800s to 1938. Their six mile journey will transport you through a myriad of points of interest. One of the biggest tourist attractions in Galveston is Moody Gardens' Rainforest Pyramid, a 10 story high glass structure that replicates rainforests in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Stroll all or part of the extra wide 8 mile long sidewalk that follows along the seawall, one of the longest beach walkways in the United States. Visit Galveston's historic homes; from a three-story mansion, the former home of one of the richest businessmen in Texas, to the fully restored Grand 1894 Opera House in all its Victorian grandeur. Stop by the 12 block Strand Historic District famed as one of the best collections of iron front Victorian homes in the country. From a museum that pays tribute to the Mardi Gras with its brilliant display of vivid costumes, masks, and scepters to a railroad museum that features life like sculptures of passengers from the 1930 Galveston Island has it all. Let hotelsonline.com show you some of our favorite places to stay and to play.
Mary Moody Northen
Amphitheater Moody Gardens The Seawall Historic Ashton Villa Bishop's Palace East End Historic
District Grand 1894 Opera
House John Sydnor's
1847 Powhatan House Moody Mansion Museum The Strand Historic
District Museums Galveston County
Historical Museum Lone Star Flight
Museum Mardi Gras Museum Railroad Museum Texas Seaport Museum
Parks Big Reef Nature
Park Galveston Island
State Park |
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The
Galveston Island trolleys, fixed rail trolleys reminiscent of those used
from the 1800s to 1938, run from the Seawall to the Strand Landmark Historic
District and Pier 21. Several points of interest are highlighted along
the trolleys' six-mile route. The trolley fare is $1 for adults,
50 cents for seniors age 65 and older, and 50 cents for children. The
trolleys run approximately every 40 minutes. Contact Galveston Island
Trolley at (409) 797-3900 for information about its schedule and pick-up
areas. 
The
Mary Moody Northen Amphitheater, which accommodates 1,700 people, hosts
Galveston Island Outdoor Musicals from June through August. Broadway musicals
are alternated nightly during this summer season, with the exception of
Sundays. The shows play to over 45,000 people annually. The Mary Moody
Northen Amphitheater is located off of FM 3005 in Galveston Island State
Park. Call Galveston Island Outdoor Musicals at (409) 737-1744 for information
about show schedules and tickets. 
Galveston's
biggest tourist attraction is Moody Gardens' Rainforest Pyramid,
a 10-story, glass structure that replicates rainforests in Asia, Africa,
and the Americas. Over 2,000 species of flora and fauna are contained
within the pyramid, including tropical plants, exotic fish, birds, and
1,000 to 2,000 butterflies. Guests can watch the pyramid's butterflies
emerge from their cocoons at the Butterfly Hatching Hut. Moody Gardens
also has a Discovery Pyramid (with NASA-inspired exhibits and a Ridefilm
Theater), a 1.5-million gallon Aquarium, an IMAX 3-D Theater, and man-made
Palm Beach. Call Moody Gardens at (800) 582-4673 for information about
its hours and admission rates. It is located at 1 Hope Blvd. 
The
Seawall was built in Galveston to protect the city from hurricane devastation.
Beyond the seawall is beach, and before it is a thriving tourist area.
A broad eight-mile sidewalk runs along the seawall, making it one of the
longest beach walkways in the country. Hotels and beach condos congregate
on Seawall Boulevard, putting vacationers within walking distance of restaurants
and swimsuit, souvenir and rental shops. Surfboards, skateboards, and
skates are just some of the recreational equipment available for rent.
Ashton
Villa, built for James Moreau Brown in 1859, is a three-story Victorian
Italianate mansion. James Moreau Brown was one of Texas' wealthiest
businessmen, and his residence set the standard for mansions in the surrounding
neighborhood. The house, located at 2328 Broadway, features antiques,
family heirlooms, and original artwork. A guided tour of the mansion,
provided by the Galveston Historical Society, discusses the home's
role in the 1900 storm and its aftermath. Call (409) 762-3933 for information
about Ashton Villa's hours, admission fees, and guided tours. 
Bishop's
Palace is listed with the U.S. Library of Congress as one of 14 structures
most representative of the Victorian age of architecture, and as one of
America's 100 most significant buildings by the American Institute
of Architects. This ornate building, located at 1402 Broadway in the East
End Historic District, was completed in 1886 for $250,000; it is currently
worth $5.5 million. The building was designed by famed Galveston architect
Nicholas Clayton for Col. Walter Gresham. The exterior is made of red
sandstone, white limestone, and pink granite; the interior features period
furnishings, a spiral staircase of fine hardwoods, and 14 fireplaces.
Call Bishop's Palace, which hosts tours every 30 minutes, at (409)
762-2475 for information about its hours and admission fees. 
The
East End Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic
Places, features a collection of 19th-century homes. Most of the homes
date from 1875 to 1900. Bishop's Palace is perhaps the most impressive
of the collection. The 40-block district, once an upscale residential
area, is bounded by 11th, 19th, Market, and Broadway. The Strand Visitors
Center, 2016 Strand, offers tourists a walking- and driving- tour map
of the district. 
The
Grand 1894 Opera House, restored to it Victorian-era splendor, currently
hosts a variety of performances - from opera to rock. No seat within
the opera house is farther than 70 feet from the stage. Historic performers
include Sarah Bernhardt and the Marx Brothers. The Grand 1894 Opera House,
located at 2020 Post Office, is open for self-guided tours from 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Tours cost $2 for adults, and nothing for children younger than age 6.
Call the Grand 1894 Opera House at (409) 765-1894 for current schedule
information.
John
Sydnor's 1847 Powhatan House, maintained by the Galveston Garden
Club, is an excellent example of restored Greek Revival architecture.
The two-story house, located at 3427 Avenue O, features period furnishings
and 24-foot-high Doric columns. Self-guided tours are available year-round
from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays through Mondays. Admission costs $2 for
adults and $1 for students and seniors. Call (409) 763-0077 for additional
information about the historic house. 
The
Moody Mansion, a 19th-century Romanesque structure located at 2618 Broadway,
was acquired by William L. Moody Jr. after Galveston's 1900 hurricane.
Moody descendants resided in the mansion until 1983. The house opened
to the public in 1991, after eight years of restoration. The mansion's
archival documents and objects, dating mostly from the early 19th century,
relate to the prominent Moody family and the historical era in which they
lived. Contact the Moody Mansion Museum at (409) 762-7668 for information
about its tours and admission fees. 
The
Strand Historic District comprises 12 blocks between 20th and 25th streets.
It contains one of the best collections of iron-front Victorian homes
in the nation. The Strand, once known as the Wall Street of the Southwest,
serves as the centerpiece of the district. Today, The Strand's historic
buildings house restaurants, shops, and other businesses. Two of Galveston's
most popular annual events, Mardi Gras and Dickens on The Strand, are
held on The Strand. 
The
Galveston County Historical Museum building, one of the most impressive
features of the museum, was the site of Galveston's City National
Bank in the early 1900s. The museum's permanent exhibits allow guests
to meander through the island's history, starting with Galveston's
early Karankawa Indian inhabitation and working up to the 1947 port explosions.
Those interested in learning about the island's 1900 hurricane disaster
and subsequent seawall construction will find an abundance of information
here. The museum, located at 2219 Market St., charges no admission fee.
Call the museum at (409) 766-2340 for information about its hours and
to prearrange a group tour. 
The
Lone Star Flight Museum, housed in a large aircraft hangar at 2002 Terminal
Drive, is dedicated to educating the public about their aviation heritage.
The museum restores and preserves aircraft that represent the evolution
of aviation. Artifacts and memorabilia, such as historic photographs,
also showcase aviation's development. Admission to the museum costs
$6 for adults, $4.50 for seniors, $5 for students ages 13 to 17, $4 for
children age 12 and younger, and nothing for children younger than age
5. Contact the museum at (409) 740-7722 for information about its hours
and special events.
The
Mardi Gras Museum, located on the third floor of Old Galveston Square
at 2211 Strand, features Mardi Gras memorabilia such as costumes, masks,
crowns, and scepters. Gowns made of velvet, tulle, sequins, and rhinestones
are among the historical Mardi Gras costumes displayed. The museum's
rotating exhibit area highlights each year's Mardi Gras theme. Visitors
will find the gift shop, filled with beads, masks, doubloons, and books,
hard to resist. Admission to the Mardi Gras museum costs $2 for adults,
$1 for students, and nothing for children younger than age 6. Call the
museum at (409) 763-1133 for information about its hours. 
The
Texas Seaport Museum's exhibits explore the island's history
of maritime commerce and immigration. A 17-minute film titled "Passage
to Galveston: The Story of Elissa," which runs on the hour and half-hour,
introduces visitors to the museum's main attraction. Elissa is a
three-mast, iron-hulled sailing ship built in 1877. Guests can walk aboard
this fully functional vessel, dubbed an American Treasure by the National
Trust for Historic Preservation. Call the Texas Seaport Museum at (409)
763-1877 for information about its hours and admission rates. It is located
at Pier 21 at Harborside Drive.
Big
Reef Nature Park, located off of Boddekker Drive on the east end of Galveston
Island, is ideal for bird-watching, nature studying, walking, and fishing.
Walkers will enjoy the East Lagoon Nature Trail, which meanders through
uplands and wetlands. Birders should travel along the same trail until
they reach the tidal pond - a favorite feeding spot for various
species. Bird-watchers are encouraged to pick up a birding brochure at
the Galveston Island Visitor Center, located at 25th and Seawall; it provides
directions to prime birding spots and a checklist of birds found in the
area. 
Popular
activities at Galveston Island State Park are bird-watching, wildlife
viewing, beach or surf fishing, camping, hiking, and mountain biking.
The park features four miles of multiuse trails and a .25-mile self-guided
nature trail. Trail hikers might spot raccoons, armadillos, or marsh rabbits.
Beach or surf anglers could catch a spotted seatrout, sandtrout, redfish,
black drum, croaker, or flounder. Galveston Island State Park, located
west of 13 Mile Road off of FM 3005, is open year-round. Contact the park
at (409) 737-1222 for information about its fees and hours. 
Seawolf
Park, located on Pelican Island in Galveston Bay, is dedicated to the
3,505 U.S. Navy submarine servicemen who lost their lives during World
War II. The USS Cavalla, a World War II submarine, and the USS Stewart,
one of three destroyer escorts in the world, are the park's military
exhibits. Seawolf Park also features a three-story pavilion with food,
beverages, and an observation deck. A fishing pier, picnic sites, and
playground area are also available. Call (409) 797-5114 for information
about park fees and hours.