Galveston’'s mild weather allows residents and visitors to enjoy the beautiful outdoors year-round, and there’s always a Gulf breeze. The Island offers wonderful Gulf beaches, golfing, fishing, volleyball and horseback riding. Beach and umbrella concessionaires provide their services in many areas of the beach, areas that are designated by the City Council as alcohol-free. Children and adults alike enjoy playing in the sand.

Galveston’s East Beach (also called R.A. Apffel Park) on the city’s far east end and next to the future site of the East End Lagoon Nature Preserve is where bird watchers can catch a glimpse of their favorite local species. This is the only beach park where alcohol is allowed.

Seawolf Park, located on Pelican Island via Seawolf Parkway (51st Street), was built on an immigration station site and offers a three-story pavilion with a view of Galveston Harbor, picnic sites, playground area and fishing pier. The U.S.S. Cavalla, a World War II submarine, the U.S.S. Stewart, a destroyer escort, and other military hardware are on display at Seawolf Park and open for tours. The Galveston Island State Park, bayside, is open for day visits with nature trails and locations for kayaking and canoeing, and open beachside for camping.

Discover how the offshore industry of the Gulf Coast operates by visiting the Ocean Star Oil Rig and Museum at Pier 19. Take a trip with Galveston Harbor Tours at Pier 21 to delight in the dolphin-watch tour and learn how the harbor operates.

You can get into nature and the beauty of our world at Moody Gardens; a lush, tropical setting for a world-class educational and recreational complex. The 10-story glass Rainforest Pyramid houses thousands of exotic tropical plants, animals, birds, fish, turtles, waterfalls, caverns and more, representing the rainforests of Asia, Africa and the Americas. Moody Gardens features one of America’s largest aquariums, as well as the Discovery Pyramid’s traveling science exhibits and Ridefilm Theater. View exciting movies in the 4D Theater and the MG3D Theater on the largest screen in Texas, and dine in the Garden Restaurant overlooking sparkling Galveston Bay. Relax among the beautiful, soft white sands and cool freshwater lagoons, and experience a new lazy-river at Palm Beach where children can enjoy the Splash Pad and Interactive Water Features

Docked at Moody Gardens, the Colonel, a 750-passenger replica of a 1800s paddle wheeler, offers a unique view of the gardens and an enjoyable cruise. Whether you’re in town for business or pleasure, the Moody Gardens Hotel offers spectacular views of the entire Island.

With its huge array of awesome aquatic adventures, Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark can be your personal happy place! During the summer season, the park offers more than 33 amazing rides and attractions, including uphill water coasters, thrilling speed slides, kid’s water playgrounds, whitewater rapids, relaxing hot tubs, family raft rides and the Boogie Bahn surf ride. The heated indoor season, October through mid-April, features more than a dozen heated attractions in a tropical indoor oasis.

The Texas Seaport Museum, home of the official tall ship of Texas, Elissa, features Galveston’s and the Texas Gulf Coast’s maritime history through exhibits and multimedia shows. Visitors can tour the 1877 iron barque and learn about the shrimping industry on Santa Maria. Others can search a computer database containing 130,000 entries for ancestors who may have immigrated to the U.S. through the Port of Galveston. Galveston Island was one of the major ports of entry for immigrants to the U.S. By 2013, the Galveston Historical Foundation will introduce a larger permanent exhibit on immigration at the museum.

The new Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier arrived in summer 2012, bringing a new standard of waterfront fun to the Gulf Coast. The $60 million destination boasts a theme park of family attractions, with 16 rides, games of chance and skill, entertainment, great food venues and retail shops.

The Texas-sized Pier, 120 feet wide and 1,130 feet long, thrusts boldly into the Gulf of Mexico from 25th Street at the famous Galveston seawall, welcoming guests 363 days a year for dining and 266 days for rides and games. Rides from thrilling to gentle line the long pier perimeter, creating an exciting sensation of being suspended above the water. All rides start 30 feet above the waves, many go much higher. Texas Star Flyer, the state’s highest swing ride, lifts guest 230 feet over the sea for an awesome view of the Gulf

10102017