Strand Historical District

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Strolling the historic Strand District will give you an appreciation of Galveston's glory days in the late-19th century. Commercial horse-drawn carriages clip-clop over historic trolley tracks, and past elaborate brick facades fronting Victorian-era buildings that now contain shops and restaurants. Informative markers identify various structures; look for the Grand 1894 Opera House, still in operation.

The former dock area just north of Harborside Dr has been converted to hold waterfront restaurants and museums.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Apollo Era Mission Control Center, NASA Space Center Houston, Johnson Space Center.

    Space Center Houston

    24.91 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…

  • Bishop's Palace in Galveston, located in the East End Historic District.

    Bishop's Palace

    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…

  • Bishop's Palace in Galveston, located in the East End Historic District.

    East End Historic District

    0.58 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…

  • KP2X0H Bryan Museum, Galveston island, Gulf of Mexico, Texas, United States of America, North America.

    Bryan Museum

    0.74 MILES

    Housed in the 1895 Galveston Orphans' Home, this excellent museum displays documents and artifacts from the Bryan family's collection, covering state and…

  • Rocket Park

    Rocket Park

    24.84 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…

  • View of a boardwalk leading to East Beach Galveston Island Texas.

    East Beach

    3.92 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

    Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

    28.38 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…

  • East End Lagoon

    East End Lagoon

    3.46 MILES

    The last stretch of untouched coastal prairie on Galveston's East End, this 684-acre tract has been set aside for conservation purposes and is open to…

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Nearby attractions

1. Galveston Arts Center

0.05 MILES

Right on the Strand, this two-floor gallery showcases contemporary artwork primarily from local artists or artists focused on local themes. It also…

2. Frost Bank

0.14 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…

3. Texas Seaport Museum & Tall Ship Elissa

0.15 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…

4. Galveston Railroad Museum

0.2 MILES

Housed in Galveston’s beautiful former Santa Fe Railroad Station, this little museum holds exhibits on train history and old rail cars as well as model…

7. Ashton Villa

0.5 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.

8. East End Historic District

0.58 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…