Discover 20 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Galveston (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, Moody Gardens, and Bishop's Palace. Also, be sure to include Ashton Villa in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Galveston (Texas).
Table of Contents
Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier
Amusement park in Galveston, Texas. Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier is a pleasure pier in Galveston, Texas, United States. Opened in the summer of 2012, it has 1 roller coaster, 15 rides, carnival games and souvenir shops.[1]
Address: 2501 Seawall Blvd, 77550 Galveston
Moody Gardens
Amusement park with aquarium and hotel. Moody Gardens is an educational tourist destination, with a golf course and hotel in Galveston, Texas which opened in 1986. The non-profit destination uses nature to educate and excite visitors about conservation and wildlife.
Moody Gardens features three main pyramid attractions: the Aquarium Pyramid, which is one of the largest in the region and holds many species of fish and other marine animals; the Rainforest Pyramid, which contains tropical plants, animals, birds, butterflies, reptiles, and a variety of other rainforest animals including free-roaming monkeys and two-toed sloths; and the Discovery Pyramid, which focuses on science-oriented exhibits and activities.
Another major attraction at Moody Gardens is Palm Beach, a landscaped white sand beach mainly open in the summer, with a small water park for children, freshwater lagoons, a lazy river, tower slides, a hot tub, ziplines, and a splash pad play area for children. Moody Gardens also had at one time a RideFilm Theater with motion-based pod seating, the MG 3D Theater features the largest screen in the state of Texas, 4D Special FX Theater, paddlewheel cruise boat, a hotel, golf course and a convention center.
The complex attracts many local tourists from the city of Houston and its outlying suburbs. The owners commissioned a landscape design from Geoffrey Jellicoe. It is described in Gardens of the Mind: the Genius of Geoffrey Jellicoe by Michael Spens (Antique Collectors Club, 1992).[2]
Address: 1 Hope Blvd, 77554 Galveston
Bishop's Palace
Historical landmark in Galveston, Texas. The Bishop's Palace, also known as Gresham's Castle, is an ornate 19,082 square feet Victorian-style house, located on Broadway and 14th Street in the East End Historic District of Galveston, Texas.[3]
Address: 1402 Broadway St, 77550-4938 Galveston
Ashton Villa
Historical landmark in Galveston, Texas. Ashton Villa is a fully restored, historic home located on the corner of 24th and Broadway in Galveston, Texas, United States. Constructed in 1859, it was one of the first brick structures in Texas.[4]
Address: 2328 Broadway St, 77550-4642 Galveston
Seawolf Park
Museum in Galveston, Texas. Seawolf Park is a memorial to USS Seawolf, a United States Navy Sargo-class submarine mistakenly sunk by U.S. Navy forces in 1944 during World War II. It is located on Pelican Island, just north of Galveston, Texas, in the United States. The park has two museum ships, submarine and a destroyer escort, along with parts from three other vessels and offshore the remains of a former merchant ship. Other activities at the park include a picnic area and fishing.[5]
Address: 9500 Seawolf Parkway Blvd, 77554 Galveston
City National Bank
Museum in Galveston, Texas. The City National Bank was a bank, and the name of the historic building in Galveston, Texas, USA and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places NRHP). The bank was founded in December 1907 by William Lewis Moody Jr. and the building was completed in 1920. City National Bank renamed itself the Moody National Bank in 1953 to honor the founder. The downtown building served as the Galveston County Historical Museum until 2008 when it was badly damaged by Hurricane Ike, after which the museum's assets were moved to the Galveston County Courthouse. Since then the former CNB building has been unused.[6]
Elissa Ship
A 19th-century ship and maritime museum. The tall ship Elissa is a three-masted barque. She is based in Galveston, Texas, and is one of the oldest ships sailing today. Launched in 1877, she is now a museum ship at the Texas Seaport Museum. She was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990.[7]
Address: Pier 21, #8, 77550 Galveston
USS Stewart
Edsall-class destroyer escort. USS Stewart is an Edsall-class destroyer escort, the third United States Navy ship so named. This ship was named for Rear Admiral Charles Stewart, who commanded USS Constitution during the War of 1812. Stewart is one of only two preserved destroyer escorts in the U.S. and is the only Edsall-class vessel to be preserved. She is on display in Galveston TX as a museum ship and is open to the public.[8]
Moody Mansion
Building in Galveston, Texas. The Moody Mansion, also known as the Willis-Moody Mansion, is a historic residential building in Galveston, Texas located at 2618 Broadway Street. The thirty-one room Romanesque mansion was completed in 1895. The home is named for William Lewis Moody, Jr. an American financier and entrepreneur in the cotton business who bought the home from Galveston socialite Narcissa Willis. The mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 13, 1994. Tours are offered, and the facilities can be rented out for weddings and other events.[9]
Address: 2618 Broadway Avenue J, 77550-4427 Galveston
Saengerfest Park
Park in Galveston, Texas. Saengerfest Park is a small square park located on the corner of Tremont St and Strand St in the Strand Historic District of Galveston, Texas. The location includes a trolley stop, with a Fuddrucker's and a Yaga's Cafe nearby.
It was created in the early 1990s by George and Cynthia Mitchell. A relatively small urban park, Saengerfest is most known for having a large, playable chess set. The park also features a large compass which can be used as a seat, as well as other wooden benches, and old-fashioned London-style phone booths, which are red and relatively small. A stage is available for bands to perform on, and vendors are allowed to set up tents in the park and sell trinkets.[10]
Address: 2300 Strand St., 77550 Galveston
Grand 1894 Opera House
Theatre in Galveston, Texas. The Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston, Texas is currently operated as a not-for-profit performing arts theatre. The Romanesque Revival style Opera House is located at 2020 Post Office Street in Galveston's Historic Downtown Cultural Arts District. It was named "The Official Opera House of Texas" in 1993 by the 73rd Texas Legislature. It has a seating capacity of 1,040.[11]
Address: 2020 Post Office St, 77550-2022 Galveston
Texas Heroes Monument
Sculpture by Louis Amateis. The Texas Heroes Monument is located in Galveston, Texas, and was commissioned by Henry Rosenberg to commemorate the brave people who fought during the Texas Revolution. The monument was built by New England Granite Works using Concord, New Hampshire, granite and bronze. The total cost was $50,000, and it was shipped before June 4, 1899. The sculptor of the monument was Louis Amateis. It is located at the intersection of Broadway and Rosenberg Avenue. It was unveiled on April 22, 1900.[12]
St. Mary Cathedral Basilica
Cathedral in Galveston, Texas. St. Mary Cathedral Basilica, also known as St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica, is a Roman Catholic place of worship situated in Galveston, Texas. It is the primary cathedral of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and the mother church of the Catholic Church in Texas, as well as a minor basilica. Along with the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston, St. Mary's serves more than 1.5 million Catholics living in the Archdiocese.[13]
Address: 2011 Church St, 77550 Galveston
Grace Episcopal Church
Religious organization in Galveston, Texas. Grace Episcopal Church is a historic church at 1115 36th Street in Galveston, Texas.
It was built in 1894 and added to the National Register in 1975.[14]
Address: 1115 36th St, 77550-4113 Galveston
Congregation B'nai Israel
Reform synagogue in Galveston, Texas. Congregation B'nai Israel is a Jewish synagogue located in Galveston, Texas, USA. Organized by German Jewish immigrants in 1868, it is the oldest Jewish Reform congregation and the second chartered Jewish congregation in the state.
By the Galveston Movement, from 1907 to 1914, it helped attract thousands of eastern European Jewish immigrants to the city, Gulf Coast, and the middle region of the United States.[15]
Address: 3008 Avenue O, 77550-6848 Galveston
First Presbyterian Church
Church building in Galveston, Texas. First Presbyterian Church is a historic church building at 1903 Church Street in Galveston, Texas. The Presbyterian congregation was organized in 1840 with the assistance of missionaries from the United States, and it met in a wooden church building from 1843 to 1872, the first church building in Galveston. The current Romanesque building was constructed in 1872 and is considered one of the best examples of Norman architecture in the region. It was designed by Nicholas J. Clayton, a prominent early Texas architect. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Currently, the congregation is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, the Synod of the Sun, and of New Covenant Presbytery.[16]
Address: 1903 Church St, 77550 Galveston
Congregation Beth Jacob
Synagogue in Galveston, Texas. Congregation Beth Jacob is a Conservative Jewish synagogue located in Galveston, Texas. The present synagogue was built by Austrian, Russian and Hungarian immigrants in 1931.
The congregation is small, but still very active in the Galveston Community. It is currently led Rabbi Todd Doctor. Rabbi Jimmy Kessler, of Galveston's reform synagogue Congregation B'nai Israel, previously assisted the congregation with religious functions such as marriages and funerals.[17]
Address: 2401 Avenue K, 77550-4403 Galveston
Galveston Causeway
Girder bridge in Galveston, Texas. The George and Cynthia Mitchell Memorial Causeway is a set of causeways in Galveston, Texas, United States. Two of the routes carry the southbound and northbound traffic of Interstate 45, while the original causeway is restricted to rail traffic. It is the main roadway access point to Galveston Island. The second access point is Bolivar Ferry.
The causeway carries traffic over Galveston Bay and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. The original causeway was built in 1912 and carried both rail and auto traffic. The auto traffic was transferred to new causeways built to the west in 1939, leaving the original bridge for rail traffic. The original route was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[18]
Reedy Chapel-AME Church
Methodist church in Galveston, Texas. Reedy Chapel-AME Church is a historic church at 2013 Broadway in Galveston, Texas.
The church was built in 1886 and added to the National Register in 1984.[19]
Address: 2013 Broadway Avenue J, 77550-4635 Galveston
Saints Constantine and Helen Church
Church in Galveston, Texas. The Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church is a Serbian Orthodox church located in Galveston, Texas, United States. It is a parish of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of New Gracanica - Midwestern America.[20]
Address: 4109 Avenue L, 77550 Galveston