Galveston's family-friendly beach offers summer weekend activities like sandcastle-building contests, as well as a snack bar, chair rental and the all-important bath house with restrooms. Per-vehicle admission is discounted weekdays and during the off season.
Stewart Beach
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
26.1 MILES
Dream of landing on the moon? You can’t get closer than the visitor center/museum alongside NASA's Johnson Space Center, where interactive displays…
0.78 MILES
This sumptuous Gothic mansion, built in the 1880s for the Gresham family, became home to the Catholic bishop of neighboring Sacred Heart Church in 1923…
0.91 MILES
Bordering the Strand, the residential East End Historic District has scores of pretty old houses, from simple cottages to Greek Revival mansions, some of…
1.3 MILES
Housed in the 1895 Galveston Orphans' Home, this excellent museum displays documents and artifacts from the Bryan family's collection, covering state and…
26.02 MILES
It's as impressive as it is sad: this never-used Saturn V rocket, a specimen of the most powerful rocket ever used by the US, which took astronauts to the…
2.7 MILES
Also called Apffel Park, this vast expanse of hard-packed sand is at the very far northeastern end of the island. On summer weekends, it hosts live…
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge
27.75 MILES
Of the three national wildlife refuges along the Gulf Coast from Galveston to Louisiana, the 34,000-acre Anahuac has the best access – 50 miles northwest…
1.49 MILES
Strolling the historic Strand District will give you an appreciation of Galveston's glory days in the late-19th century. Commercial horse-drawn carriages…
Nearby attractions
0.78 MILES
This sumptuous Gothic mansion, built in the 1880s for the Gresham family, became home to the Catholic bishop of neighboring Sacred Heart Church in 1923…
0.91 MILES
Bordering the Strand, the residential East End Historic District has scores of pretty old houses, from simple cottages to Greek Revival mansions, some of…
1.3 MILES
Housed in the 1895 Galveston Orphans' Home, this excellent museum displays documents and artifacts from the Bryan family's collection, covering state and…
4. Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum
1.39 MILES
From 1969 to 1984, this offshore rig drilled for oil in up to 173ft of water out in the gulf. Now moored off the end of 19th St, it has been converted…
1.41 MILES
This 1874 bank building has undergone several name changes over the years, and the name on the marquee still belongs to the 1923 'United States National…
6. Texas Seaport Museum & Tall Ship Elissa
1.42 MILES
This vast museum explains every facet of life around Galveston's port during its heyday in the 19th century. Outside, clamber aboard to tour the Elissa, a…
1.44 MILES
Right on the Strand, this two-floor gallery showcases contemporary artwork primarily from local artists or artists focused on local themes. It also…
1.45 MILES
The Galveston Island Visitors Center occupies most of the ground floor of this 1858 Italianate villa, while the remainder is reserved for private events.