Galveston Island
Beach Town · Galveston, Texas
A 27-mile barrier island an hour south of Houston that was the richest city in Texas until the 1900 hurricane killed thousands and ended that — the deadliest natural disaster in United States history. The city rebuilt behind a ten-mile seawall and physically raised itself out of the sand, and is now the state's busiest beach destination, a major cruise homeport, and the improbable holder of two intact Victorian districts that the storm and the twentieth century somehow left standing.
Seawall Boulevard, Galveston, Texas, 77550, United States
The island and its beaches are open year round. Seawall beaches free; some beach parks charge per vehicle. Bolivar Ferry runs free, 24 hours. Peak is summer weekends and Mardi Gras in February. Hurricane season June-November.
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