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The best laid plans . . . just might have to be “adjusted” due to unexpected weather. If you’re in Galveston on vacation and the clouds try to rain on your parade – don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to entertain yourself, your friends and family inside. Here are a few ideas to consider.
As always, be sure to call ahead to confirm location hours and if they are open as the weather may be a factor to their site as well.
Paid parking on the island is handled through the “paybyphone” app, and you’ll simplify your visit by setting it up ahead of time. Download the app, set it up with your license plate and credit card number and you’re good to go!
GALVESTON RAILROAD MUSEUM
2602 Santa Fe Place, 409-765-5700
Open Daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission
Free parking in the rear lot; app-paid street parking and paid lot parking alongside building.
Interesting museum about the history of rail travel. Covered walkways between railcars outside. Explore open rail cars from different eras, including the historic Bonnie Brook Rail Car once owned by comedian/actor Jackie Gleason.
OCEAN STAR OFFSHORE DRILLING RIG & MUSEUM
20th Street & Harborside, 409-766-7827
Open Daily (except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve & Christmas Day) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission
Paid parking lots, or app-paid street parking along the Strand
The Ocean Star is retired jack-up drilling rig that operated in the Gulf of Mexico from 1969 to 1984 and drilled over 200 wells during that timeframe. In 1995, the OEC purchased the Ocean Star, and after lengthy refurbishment, opened it as a museum in 1997.
The museum is designed to be a self-guided facility with videos, information, interactive exhibits throughout, and takes most visitors about 1.5 hours to tour completely.
BRYAN MUSEUM
1315 21st Street, 409-632-7685
Closed Monday & Tuesday. Other days open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Thursdays until 7 p.m.)
Admission
Free onsite parking for visitors off Avenue M, and street parking surrounding museum.
The Bryan Collection is the home of one of the world’s largest collections of historical artifacts, documents, and artwork relating to Texas and the American West.
AXECADE
2217 The Strand, Second Floor
Open every day, 12 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Axe throwing, video games & more.
1892 BISHOP’S PALACE
1402 Broadway, 409-762-2475
Self-guided tours daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last ticket sold at 4 p.m.)
Admission
Free street parking available
Formerly the home of the Gresham family and later owned by the Catholic diocese, it’s one of the most significant Victorian residences in the country.
MOODY MANSION / CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
2618 Broadway, 409-762-7668
Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last tickets sold at 4 p.m.)
Admission
One of the attractions I most often recommend on the island, this beautiful mansion is fully furnished and gives a clear impression of what life for the wealthy was like in Galveston’s Gilded Age.
Be sure to check out the antique car collection on site.
CLAY CUP STUDIOS
2219 Postoffice Street, 409-762-CLAY
Check website for days and hours, as they vary.
In addition to walk-in-and-choose projects at this paint-your-own pottery studio, be sure to check their schedule for special classes.
LA KING’S CONFECTIONERY
2323 Strand, 409-762-6100
Sunday through Thursday, 11:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Friday 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Saturday 11:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Old-fashioned candy counter and ice cream parlor. They’re famous for their salt water taffy. Check their website and Facebook page for time of their free taffy pulling demonstrations, using a machine over 100 years old. See something interesting in the candy case? Ask for a free sample. Ice cream is made from Galveston’s original Purity ice cream recipe.
GALVESTON COUNTY MUSEUM
722 21st Street in the courthouse, 409-766-2340
Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Free admission.
A small but fascinating collection with artifacts from Galveston’s past.
Open for private tours on Tuesday and Thursday – or better yet, schedule a session of their Lockbox Mystery activity, and explore the mystery while solving a puzzling challenge. Ages 8+
ROSENBERG LIBRARY MUSEUM
1900 Storm Exhibit
2310 Sealy Avenue
Monday, Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday closed.Parking is free behind the library and across the street on Sealy Avenue.
A curated gathering of photographs of the aftermath of the 1900 Storm, as well as audio recordings of interviews with storm survivors.
ESCAPE THE ISLAND (Escape Room)
910 21st Street, 409-443-5092
Visit their website to book a time. Five different themed escape rooms to choose from will keep your family or group entertained for an hour or so of interactive fun.
SCHLITTERBAHN WATER PARK (indoor section)
2109 Gene Lucas Blvd. (next to Moody Gardens), 409-770-9283
Admission
Check website for dates and hours
Indoor portion of park is great even on rainy days. Free parking.
MOODY GARDENS RAINFOREST / AQUARIUM / 3D MOVIE THEATER
One Hope Blvd., 409-744-4673
Admission
Free Parking
Check website for hours and special events, which change seasonally. Fascinating for all ages, their year-round attractions are usually open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
GALVESTON BOOKSHOP
317 23rd Street, 409-750-8200
Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Street parking available (pay on parking app, see information above)
Wandering through a fully-stocked bookshop is one of my favorite rainy day activities, and this one has selections for everyone in the family. Special section of titles about Galveston, too (including all four of my books). Many local authors like me make sure their books at the GB are personally signed, so they make nice souvenirs and gifts as well.
My books are carried there, too!
GRAND GALVEZ HOTEL GHOST TOUR (all indoor tour)
2024 Seawall, Call ahead to make reservations. 409-765-7721, option 1
Thursdays at 5 p.m. and Fridays at 4 p.m.
Fee.
Led by long time Galvez concierge Melissa Hall, who has gathered stories from staff and guests for years. 90-minute family friendly tour.
GRAND 1894 OPERA HOUSE
2020 Postoffice Street, 409-765-1894
Self-guided and guided tours of an exquisite theater from the turn of the last century. Call for details. $5
TOUJOUSE BAR at TREMONT HOUSE
2300 Ships Mechanic Row,409-763-0300
Paid valet parking available. Paid (via app – details above) street parking, free after 6 p.m.
Sit at a beautifully carved mahogany bar whose history reaches back over a century, and enjoy hand-crafted cocktails. Occasional live music. Call for further details.
PIRATES, LEGENDS OF THE GULF COAST/HAUNTED MAYFIELD MANOR
2313 Harborside Drive, 409-762-6677
Year-round haunted house with live actors, and a pirate museum (separate attractions.) Admission.
GALVESTON ARTS CENTER
2127 Strand, 409-763-2403
Wednesday through Sunday, Noon to 5 p.m. (Closed on federal holidays)
Free admission
Exhibits a diverse array of artwork in all mediums. Family friendly. Check their website and Facebook page for occasional workshops.
GRAND GALVEZ DAY SPA
2024 Seawall, 409-515-2154
Treat yourself to a little (or a lot of) pampering at Galveston’s “Queen of the Gulf.”
ANTIQUING! Days and hours of antique shops on the island vary widely. Please call each shop or visit their website for specifics.
Antique Warehouse
423 25th Street, 409-762-8620
Somewhere in Time
124 20 (at Strand), 409-6844
Big House Antiques
2212 Mechanic, 409-762-0559
St. John Antiques
2001 Postoffice, 409-443-5366
Antiques Pavilion
2222 Postoffice, 409-443-5500
TROLLEY RIDES
$1 for adults, accompanied minors free
You can still see some of the sights around the Island – rain or not – on a fun ride along a Seawall Loop, Downtown Loop or Historic Rail Trolley.
Check website for route, times and days, which vary by season.
And of course … if it’s a stormy night on the island, it’s a great time to curl up with my book “Ghosts of Galveston” for some tales of those who’ve never quite left the shores. The version I wrote for middle school readers, “Ghostly Tales of Galveston” is a good choice for families. (Available at the Galveston Bookshop, Tina’s on the Strand, The Admiralty and amazon.com)
When the weather clears, I hope you’ll join me for one of my walking tours. Information on those HERE.
Happy New Year! Heading into 2022 I’m looking forward to hitting the open road again.
I’ve been having a great time working on travel itineraries for the next few months. Some fun adventures are in the works – near and far, new and repeat collaborations and a few openings for spontaneous trips as well.
What kind of trips are calling to you?
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week-long vacation
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weekend getaway
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mother/daughter trip
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hometown tourist
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second honeymoon
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besties roadtrip
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solo adventure
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“me and my dog” trip
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art lovers tour
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culinary exploration
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something else
Share your travel wishlist for 2022 in the comments! I’d love to hear about it.
The further you travel into west Texas, the more you realize that any friends who warned you about spotty cell phone coverage and lack of wifi…weren’t exaggerating.
But that can actually be a good thing! Lack of text notifications, calls or temptations to hop online “for just a sec” aren’t an issue. And you can blissfully focus your full attention on your travel partner, family or just yourself without the distractions that take up too much of our time.
So please take my advice, and print out any maps, hotel contact and reservation information or anything else you would normally look up on your phone before you leave.
I keep all of my road trip info in a folder sorted in order of arrival: accommodation reservations/contact numbers/addresses, maps of routes I’ll take locally once I arrive in each town, and I pre-list out my “bucket list” of places that I want to see with some back ups in case I end up with extra time, or some of my top choices don’t work out. Then I check off items as they are visited, or fold down pages as we leave one town to visit the next. I don’t always need all of the information, but it has sure saved us on a few occasions over the years, and on a recent trip to Big Bend we relied on it pretty heavily.
The convenience of being able to ask your phone for directions is great, but I confess that I have a weakness for old fashioned maps, and experience with them can sure come in handy. If you just can’t manage working with all the papers, take screenshots of any maps and information you’ll need. As long as you keep your phone powered, you’ll be able to pull them up for reference.
Also, be sure to give a “heads up” to any family members who may try to contact you during travel days when your cell phone might not cooperate. Land lines DO work fine, of course, so they can always go old school and call the hotel office where you are staying to leave a message. Remember when that was the only way? No? Nevermind.
If any of the locations you are staying in are remote or a bit out-dated, you’ll want to make sure you keep any necessary items charged whenever possible. I’ve stayed in some old hotels (which I love) and found that they might only have one outlet…being used by the only light! That’s a bit of a challenge since we’ve all become so dependent on electronics.
On our trip to west Texas, my husband and I tried out a small power pack and were very impressed. This particular portable power station from NinjaBatt was so lightweight and worked like a charm. We used it to power our computers when we were uploading and editing photos at night, and to keep our phones charged for emergencies (on the chance we could get 
a signal). He also used it to power some of his portable ham radio equipment and liked how reliable and easy it was to use. I think he might end up stealing it from me. (It’s model SGR-PPS300-5 if you want to check it out.) It has enough outlets to power just about anything you’re carrying along, and even has its own light.
With a little preparation, challenges with your electronics won’t bother you a bit. And the trade off is worth it, because oh those wide open space views!
