Nine miles west of town, storms and winter waves scatter the beach with murex, zebra periwinkles, shark’s eyes, scallops and more. This “pocket park” is an ideal place to lose yourself in your thoughts (and find a pailful of souvenirs). 

The pyramids at Moody Gardens, Galveston’s gargantuan nonprofit theme park, would turn the pharaohs green with envy: One contains a 1.5-million-gallon aquarium, another is home to endangered plants and animals from rainforests all over the world, and the third will soon feature more than 60 life-size inventions designed by Leonardo da Vinci.

This three-masted beauty is one of the oldest ships still sailing today. Built in 1877 and moored at the Texas Seaport Museum, Elissa is a floating National Historic Landmark.

Architecture buffs swoon over the 70-plus blocks of historical buildings built along Galveston’s waterfront. (Those who swoon on the long walk can hail a horse-drawn carriage.)