Guides · Galveston
Galveston
30 places · 6 areas · a free route, then $4.99 for the whole city · offline map 1.4 MB
The free route
Free in the app, permanently, before you pay anything. 8 stops, 1 day, about 2.4 km, planned by the app's own engine.
Day 1 · ~2.4 km
1
Trinity Episcopal Church
22nd St and Ave G; Gothic brick church of 1857, jacked up 4.5 feet in 1925
Look at the brick Gothic front, then find the Eaton Memorial Chapel beside it, a Nicholas Clayton design of 1882.
2
St. Mary's Cathedral
2011 Church St; 1847 Gothic basilica of Belgian brick, cathedral of the Galveston-Houston archdiocese
Look up at the statue of Mary, Star of the Sea on the tower, then step inside if the doors are open.
3
Old Galveston Customhouse
502 20th St; 1861 Classical Revival customhouse with cast-iron columns, tied to General Order No. 3
Look at the cast-iron columns and balustrades from the corner of 20th and Avenue E; it is a working office building, so this is an outside stop.
4
Grand 1894 Opera House
Postoffice St near 21st St; Romanesque Revival theater of 1894, the Official Opera House of Texas
Stop at the Postoffice Street facade to take in the stone arches, and check the program if you want to see the gilded hall on a show night.
5
The Strand Historic District
Strand and Mechanic, 20th to 26th Sts; Victorian iron-front business district, a National Historic Landmark
Walk the Strand from 20th Street to 25th Street, then come back along Mechanic Street one block south, looking up at the cast-iron fronts and the cornices above the shop signs.
6
Absolute Equality Mural and Juneteenth Marker
2211 Strand, east wall; 5,000-square-foot Juneteenth mural beside the marker for Granger's 1865 headquarters
Stand back across the parking lot to take in the whole wall, then read the historical marker at its foot before moving on to the Customhouse.
7
Texas Seaport Museum
Pier 21 and 22 off Harborside Dr; home port of the 1877 barque Elissa, official tall ship of Texas
Walk the decks of Elissa, go below to the officers' quarters and galley, then spend time in the museum's immigration gallery and search the arrival database.
8
Galveston Railroad Museum
123 Rosenberg Ave; 1932 Art Deco Santa Fe depot with more than 40 locomotives and railcars
Walk through the restored 1932 depot, then go out to the tracks behind it and climb into the old passenger and sleeper cars.
More of the top sights
A few of the 30 places in the full guide. Each one has its own written guide in the app: what to do, what to notice, the history, and why it hits.
Galveston Seawall
Seawall Blvd; 17-foot wall begun in 1902 after the great storm, with a 10.3-mile walk on top
Bishop's Palace
1402 Broadway; Nicholas Clayton's stone mansion of 1892, open for tours
Areas
The Strand · Harborside · Broadway · East End and Silk Stocking · Seawall · Beyond Downtown
Illustrations are drawn for the app. Place descriptions are written by hand and checked against a primary source; facts draw on Wikidata (CC0) and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors.