What to do on Galveston Island, Texas

Galveston Island, a Gulf Coast barrier island 50 miles from Houston, Texas, has an old-world charm to it.

It seems to hark back to simpler times with its pleasure pier of traditional seaside attractions, vintage trams, and colonial architecture. But don’t be fooled by its lazy appearance.

It may be quaint and cute, but Galveston also has a range of activities and experiences that make up the perfect bucket list.

Our advice? Begin your visit by viewing the entire island from a helicopter in one of Galveston’s helicopter island tours. It’s the ideal way to get a complete overview of the island before you start exploring on the ground, and probably one of the most inexpensive helicopter rides you’ll ever come across!

This is a very personal tour as the helicopter only takes 3 guests, so you’ll get a more intimate experience. You’ll see the whole island, all 24 miles, from the seawall to Pelican Island, and you’ll hover over Moody Gardens and the Seawolf Park.

After you’ve seen the island from the skies, get back down on the ground and walk or cycle the US’s longest continuous sidewalk! The 10-mile sidewalk at Galveston is unique in its length, and it’s the perfect place to hire a bike and cycle along the shoreline.

If you’re still looking for thrills, why not take a ride on the world’s second-tallest water coaster in Galveston’s waterpark, Schlitterbahn, where you’ll whoosh down over 1,000 feet.

This incredible waterslide is 26 metres tall and is simply named ‘Massiv’. It was created for the park’s tenth anniversary and is a bucket list experience you literally can’t do anywhere else in the world.

When you feel hungry, stop and eat a muffaletta at one of Galveston’s many cafes and restaurants. The mighty muffaletta is a sandwich made of a Sicilian sesame bread with a filling of salami and cheese. The sandwich often contains salad or olives and artichokes, too.

It originated in Louisiana when Italian immigrants baked their muffaletta bread and began filling it, but it’s so popular in Galveston that it’s become something of an island speciality. They are vast, so make sure to work up an appetite before tackling one!

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To round off a day of action-packed activities in Galveston, take it easy on the beach and get a lesson from a professional sandcastle builder.

Sandy Feet Sandcastle Services will show you how to build the kind of sandcastles that are works of art. This isn’t a bucket and spade kind of deal, this is a castle fit for a king and queen.

The lessons start at newbie level, but if you’ve taken a sandcastle lesson before you can move up to immediate or even advanced sandcastling. Who knew?

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