Galveston is an old city with a rich history, qualities that make touring a very popular activity. Tours are a great way to learn about a new city or to better know your own home town. Whether you’re a history buff or in search of Galveston ghosts, there are dozens of tours to choose from. By boot or by bus, Galveston tours offer something for all ages, interests, and abilities. 

 Galveston tour guides are passionate and well-versed in all areas of the city’s history. Through tales of survival and death, they bring Galveston’s past to life. You might even say one of them wrote the book on historic Galveston and its ghosts, literally. Like Author Kathleen Maca, whose fifth book about the city is scheduled for release in early 2024. 

 All of our featured tours give strong attention to detail and feature real people, actual stories, and historic, and sometimes haunted, buildings. Most of the tours are interactive where input from guests is welcome while others are informative lectures. 

 All of them are family oriented and budget friendly. All but one of our featured tours are walking tours and guides guarantee those are slow paced with ample stops. 

 In many cases, ticket sales boost fundraising efforts for historic buildings or non-profit organizations so you’ll be getting an education and giving back at the same time. 

 Galveston tours are given by locals. These are folks that live and breathe all things Galveston. They’re familiar with the citizens, the landmarks, the storms, the famous, and the far out. And, with Halloween around the corner, there are plenty of spooktacular options to enjoy the holiday. 

 

 Ghost Tours of the Grand Galvez by Melissa Hall, The Ghostess of Galveston, Ltd.
Long ago dubbed the ‘Queen of the Gulf,’ Galveston’s Grand Galvez luxury hotel has been intertwined with the island’s history since opening in 1911. Tour guide and former Galvez concierge, Melissa Hall, has an intimate knowledge of the building and its dearly departed residents and she revels in sharing their stories. 

 “Galvez spirits have always been active but even more so since the recent renovations,” Hall said. She has learned about the hotel’s spirits from first-hand experiences through feeling, touching, and seeing. There is also photographic evidence. 

 Expect to examine many pictures taken by guests and employees. Some of the stories have been retold for generations, and photographs have been passed down from other long-time employees, like hotel ambassador and tour guide “Mr. Bobby” Lee Hilton, who passed away in 2019. 

 Hall has dozens of hair-raising photos of what she calls the “spiritual residents.” Hall collects whatever intimate details she can about the attire and practices of the ghost’s era in question, giving spine-tingling accuracy to her narrative.

 Hall says a little boy named Robert often follows her around, sometimes tugging on her clothes to get attention. “It’s the little ones that I love the most. The spirits of many children that were victims of the 1900 Storm have taken up residence here. I have found them to be harmless but curious like most of our visitors,” Hall said. 

 She says there are some areas of the hotel that are more spirited than others. “I would warn you to be careful what you wish for while staying in room 501 in particular. If you call the spirits out to play, you may get more than you bargained for,” she said. Fan favorites of this tour involve the legendary fifth floor which was frequently occupied by local gangsters in the 1920s and ‘30s and the spirits from the Coast Guard occupancy of the hotel during World War II. 

 For more information, or to book a tour with Melissa Hall, visit Ghostess of Galveston on Facebook and click on the Eventbrite link, or call 817.992.9424. This is a 90-minute walking tour and costs $30 per person. 

 

 Tours with Author Kathleen Maca
An accomplished author, Kathleen Maca has published four books on the history and ghosts of Galveston and her fifth is due out next year. She offers several island excursions including cemetery tours, ghost tours on The Strand, and historic neighborhood tours. An avid historian, Maca has gathered hundreds of ghost stories over the years and confirming historic facts is an important part of her storytelling. 

 “Beyond appreciating the stories as folklore, which is an important part of our local culture, many of them involve very specific chapters in island history. I gather birth, marriage, and death certificates, census records, newspaper accounts, and police records. All of the same things I would look for when researching someone’s family tree,” Maca said. 

 She has been studying and documenting historic cemeteries for 50 years and has been a genealogist for the same length of time. She is a member of the Association for Gravestone Studies and has been trained in preservation and restoration of historic cemeteries. 

 “I love sharing the stories behind the stones and showing people that cemeteries can be a place to enjoy when done respectfully. They are a unique connection to our past and the people who made Galveston what it is today,” she said. 

 “For example, every senior class of Ball High takes my cemetery tour. They read about these folks in a history book. But, when they tour the cemetery in person, they see the markers and statues and it gives life to the city’s ancestors. I see the cemetery as a big storybook. Knowing the history helps me tell a story in a more intentional way.” 

 Maca will tell you when it is the best time to take photos. She will also let you peek into the windows of buildings of interest. Maca likes to give ghost tours on The Strand during the “witching hour” when most businesses are closed and folks have gone home for the evening. 

 She says Galveston has such a colorful history there isn’t any need to make things up. “The truth is fascinating as it is; no need to flourish with fake facts,” she said. 

 Tours are 90 minutes to two hours long and cost $35 per person. She also provides private, historic cemetery tours for the visually impaired. Be sure to look for tours offered specifically for Halloween. For more information, visit www.kathleenmaca.com and click on the ‘Tours’ tab. 

 

 Spooky Ghost Tours with Gina Keel
Gina Keel runs daily tours featuring the history of Galveston and spooky tours that highlight Galveston’s ghosts. She started as a tour guide working for Dash Beardsley almost ten years ago and branched off to do other tours until he retired earlier this year and sold her his business. 

 She now runs the longest running ghost tour company in the city. She is a knowledgeable, energetic tour guide that loves to share a good ghost story. 

 Keel is a certified Tourism Ambassador and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas A&M with a concentration on tourism and coastal community development. She offers a variety of tours that are fun and entertaining ways to learn about Galveston’s colorful past. 

 “History should always be remembered. Every story matters,” Keel said.

 Fan favorites of her tours include ghost hunting and visiting haunted historic buildings. While Keel is a true believer in ghosts, she says she cannot produce ghost sightings on demand. “I can’t summon a ghost for guests but I promise to give you the best opportunity there is to find them.” 

 “Folks will leave my tour with a greater appreciation for the city and a desire to learn more. I will tell you that I have made many a believer out of naysayers,” she said. 

 Tours are generally 90 minutes to two hours long. Wear comfortable shoes as Keel’s tours are all walking tours. The price for most tours is $30 per person for adults and $15 for children under 12. Her special Vampire Tour is $40 per person, for all ages. Group rates and private tours are also available. 

 Keel is offering several special tours in October. Portions of the proceeds of select tours are donated to non-profit organizations like the League-Kempner Mansion and the Galveston County Museum. 

 All tours are booked through her websites www.Ghosttoursofgalvestonisland.com and www.spookygalveston.com. It is best to book early as reservations are limited and sell out quickly. 

 Galveston Hurricane Tours with Hal Needham
“Hurricane Hal” Needham began his tours about Galveston Island in 2017, right before Hurricane Harvey hit the area. “Galveston has a unique and important story. It’s not just about the disasters that befell it but about the survival and resurrection of the city and its people.” Needham believes Galveston is the most resilient city in the world. “Galveston’s story is more than death and destruction,” he said. 

 “It’s a story that includes the biggest grading and raising of a city ever. And the building of the Seawall, from 1903 to 1910, was one of the largest civil engineering projects in the world.” 

 Needham earned his doctorate in Geography with a focus on Hurricane Climate Science and a Ph.D. from LSU. He has done field work in 19 hurricanes in the U.S. and Mexico and has extensive experience in “living through active hurricanes.” His tour is an “inspirational adventure, where history meets science.” 

 “We live in a high-risk, high-reward environment,” Neeham said of the Texas Gulf Coast.

 “Discussing the past directly ties into current-day issues. In recent years, there have been a lot of storms that are rapidly intensifying just before landfall and not giving us the opportunity to evacuate. This will cause us to shelter in place, as we need a minimum of 48 hours to evacuate. This is similar to what happened during the Great Storm of 1900. There was no warning system in place. Hurricane preparedness is important to anyone who lives in the area. And this is just one reason to study the past,” he said. 

 The tour is not just about weather, however. He talks a lot about human interest stories that are related to extreme storms. Needham recants his favorite romantic story about a 23-year-old Galveston teacher and medical student that defied all odds at survival. You’ll have to take the tour to hear it, though. 

 You can find and follow Hurricane Hal on Facebook or listen to him on the GeoTrek podcasts about natural disasters and the impacts of extreme weather, wherever you currently listen to podcasts.

 Needham offers a two-mile walking tour that runs from 6 to 9:30pm, with a one-hour dinner break at Little Daddy’s Gumbo Bar, where each guest is presented with a complimentary beignet. Meals may be purchased at an additional price. 

 There are several tours per month at the cost of $30 per person and a portion of the proceeds go to Manna Express, a non-for-profit organization the feeds hot meals to disaster victims.

 Reservations are required and tour groups are intentionally kept small. Group rates are offered to schools with students in fifth through tenth grades. For more information or to book a tour, visit his website: www.galvestonhurricanetour.com. 

 Baywatch Island Tours by Craig Corbell
Craig Corbell owns the island’s premier bus tour company and recently celebrated his first anniversary of operation. Two brand new, 24-seat, air-conditioned and heated buses, run daily from Pier 21 in the heart of historic downtown Galveston. 

 The Corbell family has owned homes on Galveston for generations, and Craig started his touring company in an effort to preserve the city’s rich history.

 “Some folks are here for a week and they only see the beach and the Seawall. Many of them don’t have any idea that historic downtown exists or how far back the narrative of Galveston goes,” he said.

 Corbell says he wants to inform visitors, and even residents, about the history of the city that they may not be aware of.

 “Most folks don’t realize that Galveston was the second largest immigration port in the U.S., behind Ellis Island. Or the history of important families that shaped Galveston like the Moodys, Menards, or Kempners or about the Karankawa Indians that lived here in the 16th century,” he said to name a few examples. 

 Corbell splits his time between his homes in Houston and Galveston. He employs locals to give tours because “they are uniquely invested in the city’s history.” 

 Different things resonate with different people, he says when asked about fan favorites.

 “Some people are interested in the 1900 Storm, some about the construction of the Seawall or they want to hear about our haunted historical buildings. Others are intrigued by Tilman Fertitta and his contributions. We try to give them a little something about everything. Heck, even I learn something new every week,” he said. 

 Baywatch operates the only air-conditioned and heated bus tour on island, seven days a week, 365 days a year, from 10am until 4pm, with longer hours in summer. Tours are 45 minutes long and cost $25 for adults and $15 for children. 

 He also operates a sister company, Baywatch Dolphin Tours, which explores the bay and gives a history of the harbor.

 All Baywatch tours pick up and drop off on Pier 21. For more information, or to book a tour, call 832.859.4557 or book online at www.baywatchislandtours.com.