Galveston Island offers everything in a resort destination – beautiful accommodations, entertainment, shopping and 32 miles of Gulf Coast beaches. Galveston’s festivals, special events and attractions are enjoyable for Islanders and tourists alike. One bit of advice – if you live here, don’t wait until you have out-of-town visitors to tour the Island’s many attractions.

Perhaps Galveston's greatest attraction in recent years has been the advent of cruising. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Princess Cruise Lines have all found a home at the Port of Galveston in recent years. These premier cruise ships will take passengers to various stops in Mexico, the Caribbean and more. For information about departure dates, times and itineraries, visit GalvestonCruises.com.

Galveston Island Ferry, located on Hwy 87 (Ferry Road), continues to be one of Galveston's most popular attractions. Riders can park and ride the ferry or drive their vehicle aboard the ferry. Ferries run approximately every fifteen to twenty minutes and are free.

Fixed rail trolley cars can be boarded at the Galveston Island Trolley stops located 2100 Seawall, 2016 Strand, and at The University of Texas Medical Branch. Built in a turn of the century style similar to those used in Galveston from the late 1800's to 1938, the trolleys provide a unique mode of transportation from Galveston's Seawall to The Strand Landmark Historic District, Postoffice Street Arts & Entertainment District and Pier 21.

The Great Storm, a multimedia presentation at the Pier 21 Theater, gives visitors a glimpse of the devastating 1900 Storm through a multi-image documentary experience. The 27-minute story gives actual accounts from diaries and letters of survivors during and after the storm.

One of Galveston's most popular attractions is Moody Gardens, One Hope Boulevard. Work or play, this tropical destination is ideal for families and groups alike. Water your imagination and travel the oceans of the world at the Aquarium Pyramid. Step into the Rainforest Pyramid with thousands of tropical plants, exotic fish and birds. Explore the mysteries of science at the Discovery Pyramid, and take a rocking and rolling ride through the universe at the Ridefilm Theater. Get in the middle of the action at the 4D Special FX Theater. See spectacular images leap from the screen of the six-story IMAX 3D Theater and visit beautiful Palm Beach (seasonal) and the newly expanded Moody Gardens Hotel.

Docked at Moody Gardens, the Colonel, a 750-passenger, 19th-century-style sternwheeler, offers a unique view of the Gardens and an enjoyable cruise. And 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 can be your personal happy place! During the summer season, the park offers over 32 amazing rides and attractions, including a large wave pool, uphill water coasters, thrilling speed slides, kid's water playgrounds, whitewater rapids, relaxing hot tubs, family raft rides, the Boogie Bahn surf ride and the exclusive Transportainment river system. Relax in steaming warm waters and enjoy summer fun all year long at Texas’ first and only heated, indoor waterpark. (Both the air and water are always in the 80s!)  The Wasserfest Heated Indoor Season, October through mid-April, features more than a dozen heated attractions in a tropical, heated indoor oasis. 

The Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum, located at Pier 19, gives visitors an opportunity to step aboard an offshore rig and experience how oil and gas is produced offshore. Videos, interactive displays and models take patrons to offshore locations all over the world.

Seawolf Park, 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, a playground area and a lighted fishing pier. A World War II submarine (the USS Cavalla), a destroyer escort (the USS Stewart), and other military hardware are open for tours.

Of course, no visit to Galveston is complete without a savoring the Island's historic homes and museums, which give visitors a glimpse of an era featuring both wealth and prosperity, as well as disaster and change.