Galveston Archives

May 9, 2023

Galveston Is a Tourist Hot Spot Once Again

Its fortunes ebb and flow, but the historic island is experiencing a renaissance, with new hotels and renovations and a shiny new cruise terminal.

By Sarah Hepola

Where To Stay Now|

May 9, 2023

Where to Stay in Galveston

From glamorous resorts to a repurposed storage tank, options abound.

By Sarah Hepola

Travel & Outdoors|

February 8, 2023

Let the Good Times Roll at These Texas Mardi Gras Parties

Catch beads by the sea in Galveston, join the cowboy-themed festivities in Bandera, or watch a dog parade in McKinney.

By Nina Martinez

Florida Politicians Would Love To See More Drilling In Texas. Florida? Not So Much.

Politics & Policy|

February 1, 2023

Florida Politicians Would Love to See More Drilling in Texas. Florida? Not So Much.

Drill, baby, drill! But, uh, over there.

By

Style & Design|

December 14, 2022

Muggles Descend on Galveston’s Harry Potter–Themed Christmas Market

Locals kitted out in wizard robes to shop for wands, chocolate frogs, and Hogwarts-themed holiday ornaments.

By

Travel & Outdoors|

December 7, 2022

Four Strange Days Aboard the Biggest Cruise Ship to Sail From Texas

It's a colossal floating city with an ice rink, a zip line, and even piped-in birdsong.

By Pam LeBlanc

Fiction-Texas-The-Last-Karankawas-Kimberly-Garza-Galveston-Stewart-Beach-2

Books|

July 14, 2022

Why Are Texas Novelists So Fascinated by Galveston?

Kimberly Garza’s coastal debut, ‘The Last Karankawas,’ draws on her childhood memories of one of the city’s lesser-known ethnic enclaves.

By

The Stand Up Desk|

June 27, 2022

What Stephen Harrigan’s Late-’80s Reporting Prophesied for Galveston Bay

“Your article may be an epitaph,” the then-president of the Houston Audubon Society told the writer.

By

Hunting & Fishing|

June 3, 2022

You Can (And Should) Fish in Texas Without a License This Saturday

With Texas’s annual Free Fishing Day, you can cast your line without all the red tape. No license required!

By Amanda O'Donnell

Sarah Bird Excerpt Galveston Last Dance on the Starlight Pier

Books|

April 13, 2022

Organized crime! Illicit booze! The beach! In this exclusive excerpt from her new novel ‘Last Dance on the Starlight Pier,’ Sarah Bird explores Galveston at the end of the twenties, a setting she calls “a gift to a novelist.”

By Sarah Bird

Texas History|

March 25, 2022

The Surprising, Fraught History of the Texan Jewish Experience

Galveston was once the Ellis Island of the South. But Jewish arrivals had to navigate a society marked by racial and religious politics.

By Leah Binkovitz

Democratic Candidates for Texas Attorney General Jaworski Merritt Garza

Politics & Policy|

February 25, 2022

The Attorney General’s Race Is Texas Democrats’ Best Statewide Pickup Opportunity

With Republican incumbent Ken Paxton's legal troubles, Democrats have plenty of contenders this year.

By

Horses roam at the Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range, near Grand Junction, Colorado.

Art|

December 31, 2021

Our Favorite Photos of 2021

From Leon Bridges’s home in Fort Worth to a vibrant coral reef near Galveston, this year took our photographers to some truly unforgettable places.

By

Film & TV|

December 1, 2021

Sean Baker’s Provocative ‘Red Rocket’ Gets Down and Dirty in Texas City

The latest from the director of ‘The Florida Project’ sees a scheming former porn star wash up along Texas’s Gulf Coast.

By Sean O'Neal

Red Snapper caught in South Padre Island on June 8, 2021.

Hunting & Fishing|

November 9, 2021

Your Red Snapper Filet Might Have Been Caught by Drug Runners

Federal agencies have long struggled to stop illegal fishing and drug smuggling in the Gulf of Mexico. In recent years, it’s only gotten worse.

By John Burnett

Eerie photo of The Grand Galvez, with storm clouds and bird silhouettes above it.

Texas History|

October 5, 2021

Staffers at the Most Haunted Hotels in Texas Tell Their Spooooookiest Stories

Owners and employees of five haunted hotels describe their most unsettling encounters with less-than-corporeal guests.

By Madeleine Aggeler

A golf cart parked outside of a historic rental home in Galveston.

News & Politics|

September 30, 2021

Hurricanes Couldn’t Destroy Galveston’s Spirit. The Vacation Rental Boom Just Might.

The island's latest storm has no season.

By Peter Holley

BBQ Joint Reviews|

September 9, 2021

After a Long Hiatus, Smokin’ Z’s BBQ Finds Its Footing

The Bayou Vista food truck is back, with brisket kolaches, pork ribs that fall off the bone, and a local favorite known as the Cheese Champion.

By

Gus Allen's Cafe Lost Restaurants of Galveston's African American Community

Books|

August 25, 2021

A Joyful New Read Celebrates Galveston’s Bygone Black-Owned Restaurants

Part historical text, part recipe book, ‘Lost Restaurants’ memorializes the self-made entrepreneurs who uplifted the island during its years of segregation.

By Cynthia J. Drake

A reef butterfly fish tucked into a crevice in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary on June 14, 2021.

Travel & Outdoors|

August 16, 2021

Behind the Fight to Save the Gulf’s Spectacular Coral Reefs

Some of the healthiest coral communities in the world beckon off the Texas coast. Can unlikely allies save this undersea paradise?

By Juli Berwald

Absolute Equality mural, depicting various important events that led to the abolition of slavery.

Art|

June 16, 2021

Meet the Artist Behind Galveston’s New Juneteenth Mural

Reginald Adams led the team that designed ‘Absolute Equality,’ a landmark mural marking the spot where slavery was abolished in Texas.

By Brooke Lewis

News & Politics|

March 31, 2021

Were the Texas Blackouts a Crime?

The February power outages were a deadly man-made disaster, but punishing those responsible may prove elusive.

By Jonathan Tilove

richardson pipes burst water main breaks

News & Politics|

February 19, 2021

One of Texas’s Busiest Plumbers Explains What to Do if Your Pipes Burst

Galveston’s Terry Fisher on where to find your water meter, what to do when pipes thaw, and when to call a professional.

By Andrea Zelinski

News|

May 25, 2020

“If People Want to Take a Chance, It’s Their Prerogative”: Inside One Bar on the First Day of Reopening

Over Memorial Day weekend, locals and tourists flocked to the Poop Deck in Galveston as Governor Greg Abbott allowed Texas bars to open at limited capacity.

By Brittney Martin

A street cleaner pushes a cart along an empty stretch of downtown Houston

News & Politics|

April 15, 2020

Haunting Scenes of a Pandemic-Induced Standstill

Images from across the state capture our eerily historic moment.

By Texas Monthly

BBQ|

January 23, 2020

BBQ News Roundup: Vegan Barbecue in Houston, 2020 Predictions, and Buck’s Closes in Galveston

Plus, a barbecue event at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas.

By

News & Politics|

January 22, 2020

The Galveston Monkey Saga Is the Weirdest Story of 2020 Thus Far

Lilly the capuchin monkey got loose following a burglary at home—and there are conflicting reports on her fate.

By

Passengers swim in the carnival cruise ship deck pool

Travel & Outdoors|

January 22, 2020

How I Found True Joy on a Four-Day Carnival Cruise

Austin-based novelist Amanda Eyre Ward discovers that sometimes, you need to go way, way out at sea to gaining a clearer perspective.

By Amanda Eyre Ward

Libations|

November 20, 2019

At Galveston’s Daiquiri Time Out, Rum Goes Retro

The coastal hot spot features a menu of midcentury island-time sippers, perfect for any time of the year.

By

BBQ|

September 10, 2019

Buck’s Moves Its Inventive Barbecue From Houston to Galveston

And there’s much on their menu now that Jim and Colleen Buchanan have taken over a beloved restaurant on the island.

By

BBQ|

September 5, 2019

Pennie’s Tex Mex Take Out Brings New Life to a Galveston Institution

Louis and Iris Moreno reopen a beloved, shuttered meat market serving barbacoa, tamales, and a full barbecue menu.

By

Books|

August 20, 2019

A Filipino Family’s Journey to Texas

A New York Times reporter pushes back against xenophobia with an intimate portrait of a Galveston clan.

By Siddhartha Mahanta

News & Politics|

May 24, 2019

Despite Jeep Weekend Chaos, Crystal Beach Locals Defend Their Libertarian Paradise

Everyone agrees that the recent event—full of drunken fights and scores of wrecks—escalated dangerously. But many Bolivar Peninsula residents will be damned if they’ll accept new rules to curtail the anarchy.

By John Nova Lomax

Critters|

January 15, 2019

Extinct Red Wolf DNA Discovered in Pack of Galveston Strays

Long live the red wolf.

By Leif Reigstad

Travel & Outdoors|

June 11, 2018

First Look: Galveston’s Historic Carr Mansion Goes Glam in New Remodel

The estate, built in 1866, reopens in July with a complete redesign by Austin interior designer Shannon Eddings.

By Lauren Smith Ford

Style & Design|

July 11, 2017

12 Gulf Coast Getaways

Hankering for a little beach time? Here are a few of our favorite sandy spots to escape to this summer.

By Lauren Smith Ford

The Wanderer|

June 12, 2017

Trip Guide: Galveston

Neither shifting sands nor fluctuating fortunes can erode this island town’s indomitable spirit.

By Jordan Breal

Books|

February 23, 2017

They Came From the Sky

In this exclusive excerpt from Stephen Harrigan’s forthcoming history of Texas, the first Spanish conquistadors arrive on our shores, starving, haggard, and in no mood for conquest.

By Stephen Harrigan