Ghosts of Galveston Sure to Spook This October

Founded in 1836, Galveston has a history as old and phantom-filled as the entire state of Texas . And this October, you won't wanna miss all the ghoulish fun, with events all month long.  

Galveston has been home to cannibalistic Indians, the Karankawas.  It has been visited by Spanish and French explorers in the 1500’s – 1700’s.  Pirate Jean Lafitte settled here in the early 1800’s and used Galveston as his home base for years, long before Texas became a Republic. 

There were downtown fires, yellow fever epidemics, and of course, the hurricanes.  The Great Storm of 1900, the worst recorded hurricane in America killed over 6,000 people and essentially swept parts of the island clean of all structures.  In the mid 1860’s, Galveston ’s harbor was the site of one of the most poignant sea battles of the Civil War, the Battle of Galveston.   So many people have lived and died here and some of the dead still reside here.  Would you like to visit the spirits first hand?

Wanna stay in a haunted hotel?  If so, the Hotel Galvez and The Tremont House are two of the islands most popular haunted hot spots.   Staff and guests have experienced many unexplained events, leading them to suspect that there are several ghostly residents. Stay either at The Hotel Galvez or The Tremont House and see for yourself!

Scheduled Events

For for details and schedules, as well as to import events into your own calendars, click links below.

• Ashton Villa’s" Are We Haunted?" Tours: Every Friday in October at 5pm, 7pm, & 9pm. Special tours October 31st at 3pm & 5pm. Is Ashton Villa haunted by the spirit of “Miss Bettie,” the daughter of the house’s first owner, James Moreau Brown? Maybe. Maybe not. Since 1975, when GHF opened the restored mansion to the public, legends and ghost stories have attached themselves to Ashton Villa. The one-hour tour shows the restoration in progress on the ground floor level, following damage by Hurricane Ike, then explores the undamaged second floor where ghostly memories still reside.
• Hotel Galvez Ghost Tours: Hotel Galvez has extended its ghost tour, typically reserved for guests, to the public on Thursdays beginning on Oct. 8 and continuing through Oct. 29. The tour lasts approximately one hour and begins at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for the tour are $10 per person and available in the hotel’s gift shop. Visitors should present their tickets at the concierge desk. Ticket holders will also receive a 20 percent discount at Bernardo’s Restaurant at Hotel Galvez.
• Haunted Harbor Tours Aboard Seagull II : Every Friday and Saturday in October at 4:30 p.m. Special tours October 30th and 31st at 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. The one-hour narrated excursion around Galveston’s harbor, aboard Texas Seaport Museum's Seagull II, stresses ghostly legends and lore based on the harbor's often tragic history.
• Galveston Ghost Tours: People looking to continue the Halloween festivities in October can join a Galveston Ghost Tour, with paranormal expert, Dash Beardsley, each Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30pm and Sundays at 6pm beginning at the front of the Railroad Museum, 25th and Strand.
• Movie on The Strand: "Psycho": October 3rd at 7:30pm. Movie goers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, a blanket and plan a date or night out with friends and relax at Saengerfest Park during the showing of this movie classic.
• Spooky Stories at Rosenberg Library: October 24th at 2:30pm, Rosenberg Library, 2310 Sealy.
• Ghostly Gardens: October 25th 2pm - 4pm. Join Moody Gardens for the free, spooktacular fun! Ghostly gardens will include trick-or-treating at various locations throughout the complex, creepy-crafts, and a costume contest for guests in the Garden Lobby with prizes for the best costume.
• Haunted Cemetery Tours: October 29th 6:30pm and 8pm | October 30th 6:30pm and 8pm | October 31st 6:30pm and 8pm. This guided dusk walking tour will come to life within the gates of the island’s historic Broadway Cemeteries. The markers in the seven named cemeteries can tell stories that textbooks do not. Each marker is a piece of Galveston and Texas history.
• Lone Star Motorcycle Rally: October 29th thru November 1st. Will feature vendors, multiple stages of entertainment, great food and drink, plus all the crazy biker fun you've come to expect from this annual Island festival.
• Pat Green in Concert: Island Star Performances is proud to present Pat Green live in concert at the Moody Gardens Outdoor Amphitheater. In conjunction with the 2009 Lone Star Rally, Texas superstar Pat Green will perform Friday, October 30th.
• Lynyrd Skynyrd in Concert: Island Star Performances is proud to present Lynyrd Skynyrd live in concert at the Moody Gardens Outdoor Amphitheater. In conjunction with the 2009 Lone Star Rally, legendary rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd will perform Saturday, October 31st.
• Colonel Paddlewheel Boat Dinner Cruise & Halloween Contest: October 31st beginning at 7pm. Costume Contest on the boat! Win a prize for the best costume! Plus, eat well, dance all night long and enjoy fresh night breezes on an authentic replica of an 1800-style Paddlewheeler around Galveston Offatts Bayou.
• Halloween Fun at The San Luis: Be a "Victim" at H2O and The San Luis Bar, Friday, October 30 & Saturday, October 31 for The San Luis Resort's "All Hallows Eve & Halloween Festivities." Featuring drink specials, wenches, & contests!

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