Things to do in Galveston

Galveston is a great city for families to explore, and offers a variety of things to do based on your interests.

Galveston offers sunny beaches, great shopping, and family entertainment. The climate is mild year-round, making it a great place to visit.

My husband and I recently visited Galveston with a couple of friends and wanted to visit the Historic District. We spent some time scouring the beach, collected a couple of large seashells at Galveston State Park, and headed into town for lunch.

We stopped for lunch at Fish Tales, which is on the sea wall. The service was great and the food was terrific. Three of us ordered iced tea and it was served in fabulously tall glasses. I found the glasses online and am really tempted to order a set for myself.

My husband ordered a beer and felt left out since his drink wasn’t as fancy as ours were. He made a sad face to our waitress and she returned with a plastic shark on the rim of his glass. The rest of us were slightly jealous of his new toy!

When we got up to leave I asked my husband to watch my coat which was hanging on the back of my chair. I visited the ladies room and returned to our table. My husband was there but my coat was gone. The waitress thought I had left without it, and she ran downstairs and tried to find us outside. Now THAT is Great Customer Service!

We had several hours of daylight to burn, so we visited Strand Street in the historic area of Galveston. This area is known as The Strand because it is located in the northeast part of Galveston Island.

From an architectural standpoint, I was fascinated by the enormous doors on the shops and by the magnificent details on the exterior of the buildings. Most shops have a set of two doors that are about 15’ high with grand single panes of glass.

It is amazing that residents have been able to protect the enormous doors through so many hurricanes and tropical storms.

We had coffee at Starbucks and headed back to Strand Street to see what else we could find. My friend pointed out red brick pavers that peaked out from underneath the asphalt road.

It seems a shame to pave over the bricks with asphalt but some of the original brick is visible in some areas.

There are lots of fun and unique gift stores that carry beach wear, seashells, ice cream, salt-water taffy, candy, and even ice cream. We purchased various chocolate goodies at LaKing's, and my friend bought a really great hat across the street.

Our visit was cut short due to time demands, but we plan to return soon to do more exploring. There are many historic homes, a cruise ship terminal, fishing boat charters, and several museums to explore. It’s a good thing we only live an hour away because this will take several more trips, and I can hardly wait!

Galveston History and Museums

Lone Star Flight Museum is a non-profit aviation museum dedicated to preserving Texas aviation history and promoting STEM education. The museum houses a collection of historic aircraft and offers various educational programs, including warbird rides and hands-on learning experiences.

Ocean Star Museum strives to cultivate upcoming energy professionals through education, advocacy, and professional and technical engagement.

Galveston Railroad Museum was founded in 1983 to preserve the history of the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe railroad. The museum's collection includes historic rolling stock, dining car china, and model railroad layouts.

Galveston County Historical Museum offers free admission and the opportunity to step back in time to learn about the Histories Community, Photography, images of the 1900 storm, architecture and more.