Nearby Attractions
Islander East (map) is just minutes from the seawall and the historic Strand disrict
The Gresham mansion was made all of stone, and was sturdy enough to withstand the great hurricane of 1900. The Greshams welcomed hundreds of survivors of the hurricane into their home.[3]
The house was built between 1887 and 1893 by Galveston architect Nicholas J. Clayton for lawyer and politician Walter Gresham, his wife Josephine, and their nine children. In 1923 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston purchased the house, and, situated across the street from the Sacred Heart Church, it served as the residence for Bishop Christopher E. Byrne.[4] After the diocesan offices were moved to Houston, the diocese opened the mansion to the public in 1963, with proceeds from tours being used to help fund the Newman Center, operating in the basement, serving Catholic students at the nearby University of Texas Medical Branch.
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 has 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).
Fishing Galveston TX offers highly productive deep sea fishing charters. On our Galveston deep sea fishing charters anglers can target Mahi Mahi, Sharks, Red Snapper, King Mackerel, Amberjack, Wahoo, Sailfish, Grouper, and Tarpon. You’ll climb aboard our 30 foot Fountain equipped with Suzuki twin engines, GPS plotter, Depth Finder, Marine Weather Radio, Radar, EPIRB, Safety Equipment to US Coast Guard Standards. Our Galveston charter fishing boat also has a 30 gallon livewell with custom Oxygen Response System to keep our live bait LIVE and a porta-potty. We’ve even got an iPod hookup, so that you can enjoy your favorite tunes on your way out to our deep sea fishing spot.
For more than 50 years, NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston has led our nation and the world on a continuing adventure of human exploration, discovery and achievement. The center has played a vital role in powering our country into the 21st century through technological innovations and scientific discoveries.
The dedicated professionals who work at JSC have made advances in science, technology, engineering and medicine that enable us to explore our world and universe as never before, and to derive unparalleled benefits from that exploration.
The Johnson Space Center was established in 1961 as the Manned Spaceflight Center, the home and Mission Control Center for the U.S. human space flight program. In 1973, it was renamed in honor of the late President, and Texas native, Lyndon B. Johnson.
The Johnson Center’s $1.5 billion complex occupies 1,620 acres southeast of downtown Houston, in the Clear Lake area.
In 1894, Henry Greenwall (often spelled Greenwald) raised $100,000 for construction of The Grand Opera House and Hotel in Galveston. It opened on January 3, 1895 with a live performance of the play, The Daughters of Eve.
The Grand has stood through notable hurricanes, including the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, Galveston Hurricane of 1915, Hurricane Carla, and Hurricane Ike. The Grand began as a major, live performing arts theatre but after passing through a Vaudeville phase, it slowly evolved into a movie house. The movie house closed in 1974 and was purchased the same year by the Galveston County Cultural Arts Council. They transformed the movie house back into a theatre and then renovated and restored it to its former beauty. The restoration included volunteer efforts and support from private foundations. The theatre was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as “1894 Grand Opera House” in 1974.[1] The Galveston County Cultural Arts Council owned the Opera House until 1986, when it became a stand-alone organization known as 1894, Inc. Maureen M. Patton is The Grand’s Executive Director, having served as Director under the Arts Council beginning in 1981. Hurricane Ike hit Galveston Island on September 13, 2008, but The Grand was reopened on January 3, 2009 on its 114th anniversary. All of the damage that the hurricane and the flood had caused was repaired with only 92 days of construction.
The Strand Historic District, also known as the Strand District, in downtown Galveston, Texas (USA), is a National Historic Landmark District of mainly Victorian era buildings that now house restaurants, antique stores, and curio shops. The area is a major tourist attraction for the island city and also plays host to two very popular seasonal festivals. It is widely considered the island’s shopping and entertainment center. The district includes properties along the south side of Harborside Drive (Avenue A) and both sides of The Strand (Avenue B) and Mechanic Street (Avenue C) from 20th Street westward to 26th Street.
The street labeled “The Strand” is actually named Avenue B, which runs parallel to Galveston Bay.[2]
The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976 for its unparalleled collection of commercial Victorian architecture in Texas, and its role as the state’s major port in the 19th century.[3][4]
Today “the Strand” is generally used to refer to the entire five-block business district between 20th and 25th streets in downtown Galveston, very close to the city’s wharf.
Opened in 2015, The Bryan Museum, located in the historic Galveston Orphans Home[1] in Galveston, Texas, US, houses The Bryan Collection, one of the world’s largest collections of historical artifacts, documents, and artwork relating to Texas and the American West. Assembled by J.P. and Mary Jon Bryan, the collection spans more than 12,000 years, with pieces ranging from ancient Native American cultural artifacts to modern twenty-first century objects.
With approximately 70,000 items in total, the collection includes 20,000 rare books; more than 30,000 documents in Spanish, German, French, and English; three dozen saddles; over 250 antique firearms; several hundred spurs; a large collection of fine art, religious art, folk art, and portraits; exceedingly rare maps and artifacts, such as “cowboy” chaps; Native American stone tools and arrowheads; and a Spanish mission bell.
The Bryan Museum presents a chronological history of Texas and the American West with a special emphasis on the Spanish influences in the region. In addition to its permanent galleries, the Museum also includes space for rotating special exhibits, a library, and an archive.
This house might not look like much, says Kimber Fountain, as she stands in front of a faded white Victorian home with sunken corners and battered shutters, but it’s a perfect example of this part of Galveston’s history.
“Welcome to The Line,” she says to a group of about 20 people, who have followed her here, to this stretch of mostly bulldozed space lining Post Office Street.
The Houston Chronicle reports it was nearly sunset on a recent breezy Wednesday night, and Fountain was leading her new walking tour around what used to be the island city’s Red Light District — a place that, according to Fountain’s research for her recent book on the topic, was once home to more than 55 houses that offered prostitution and 569 taverns, and flourished for nearly 70 years.
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 has 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.
Celebrity Rock Star, Musician & Paranormal Ghost Investigator
Welcome to Ghost Tours of Galveston, the Original Ghost Tour of the Island’s paranormal investigations…
Legendary Dash Beardsley has over 20 years of Island history of ghostly phenomenons of actual sightings and legends.
With Walking Tours, he details the ghostly stories and shows the actual places of the sightings with other merchants whom have witnessed these events