June 10, 2023 Came out today to participate in world ocean day. They had vendors, arts and crafts, music and, sandcastle lessons, and a drum circle I participated in poetry writing and painting a Roseate Spoonbill bird in water color. I stepped out of my comfort level and skill set today!! Local published poets, Naomi Shahib Nye and Jim Boone ran the group for poetry writing; Naomi read one of my poems to the crowd; they applauded and she told me to take a bow!! WOW! I was shocked I have a video of Naomi reading my poem to the crowd but video is too big to post on this forum ... also have a video of my friend playing in the drum circle Fun day! read more

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We were treated rudely there today. We were driving by on a beautiful birding day and a very nice person from Artist Boat opened her car window and said it would be alright to go in the gate and get good pictures of a pair of Sandhill Cranes. We went in and got some amazing pictures. Then a rude person who called himself the Executive Assistant of the Director came out and basically accused us of trespassing. He treated us as if we were interlopers and made it clear that no one can come in unless they are part of an institution and we were not welcome there. We would never have come in if we weren't invited. We're an older couple and didn't deserve to be treated so rudely. We've passed the building a lot of times and now will think of this rude individual and look away in the future. read more

I had a little one visiting for the summer and what better way to spend it then at Bucket Brigade. The ArtistBoat meets at multiple locations and we went to the East Beach Location. This program is an educational program that teaches children about marine biology in very interactive and fun ways. Our guide taught us how to use her sand plunger to pull up interesting critters in the sand and collect them in our buckets. We caught a small crab and a ghost shrimp. We used our nets to catch fish and learned about sand dunes. It was a beautiful day and this program is most needed to learn about our beautiful ecosystem. read more

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Took my parents kayaking for the first time and we are so glad we went with Kristen! She was the perfect balance of patient and empowering. She's a marine biologist as well so had super cool things to share about the wetlands and all the birds we were able to see. We learned a lot and made some great memories! read more

I loved everything about this 4 hours!!! Carissa was awesome and taught us so much about the birds- the wetlands- we all enjoyed the entire experience!!!! Will do it again. read more

My dad wanted to go kayaking for Father's Day so kayaking we went. Well Dad, Mother, Friend and Me. Rule number 1. of the Artist Boat is wear shoes. Did we listen? no. Did the primordial muck in Drum Bay instantly break the flip flops off my friend and my mom's feet? you betcha haha. really WEAR SHOES. They mean it. And wear cruddy clothes because you will get black inky gulf mud on you. Oyster shells can cut your flip flop feet to ribbons not to mention leftover Hurricane Ike ick that can be lurking in the muddy water. WEAR SHOES. Rule 2: Think sun and bug protection. Sunscreen beforehand and take it with you. It is inevitable you will get sopping wet while having fun and you will need to reapply your sunscreen at lunch time. Pack clean clothes, undergarments and flip flops to change into when you're all done frolicking. Rule 3: Pack your own lunch and try to make it as waterproof as possible. :) Rule 4: Leave your cell phone in the car. It would get soaking wet and nothing that important is going on that can't be put on hold to enjoy the scenery. I am a bit of a daredevil and took a camera but I wouldn't recommend it if you're not used to hanging off the side of something unstable taking pictures. Also you do run the risk of your camera getting soaked. Our tour guide Angel was friendly and efficient. We started off with learning how to hold our paddles correctly, the right form for using your core muscles and not wearing out your arms, we slapped on hats and sunscreen, We were chided into putting on our life vests and told not to take them off for any reason. Then we learned some paddling maneuvers. Then we took out into the water. Our particular trip was to Drum Bay but other trips are available. Depends on the schedule where they're going each day so check the website. Drum Bay is a rookery, a baby bird hatchery, that is only accessible really by kayak because the water is low with a lot of oyster reefs. Take tons of water. I drank four bottles that morning and was still dehydrated but it was totally worth going. The birds hang out in the grass growing on little dirt banks out in the bay. It was really very cool. Sometimes the birds would talk to you and you could just imagine the Daddy bird saying "HEY! Quit looking at my wife! What are you doing on my lawn!? Get outttttaaaa here... Don't make me open a can of whoop ass on you. Yeah I'm talking to YOU!" but its a little bird so there's nothing he can really do while you take his picture. (Daddy seagull picture is posted. He's quite photogenic). I liked the Pelicans the best. We saw a... ah its an Oyster breaker or something. Long orange crooked bill but I couldn't get a picture. Roseate Spoonbills that look like fat flamingos. All kinds of egret things and herons. If you're into birds, you'll be in heaven. We parked our boats in the grass for lunch and ate looking at the birds. After lunch and some more paddling, Angel asked how we were doing I replied "HOT!" I could see my mom's face turning pink and knew she was not ok and trying to be tough. That's ok Mom, I'll wuss out for you shamelessly. After some group discussion we decided since only two of us really wanted to learn watercolor that we would go back to shore and learn there. Angel demonstrated how to dip out some bay water into a cup, how to decide what panorama of the bay you wanted to try and how to mix up colors. I made a nice little painting of my dad in a kayak and gave it to him for Father's Day telling him I expected it to go on the refrigerator. (yeah i'm 35) Drum Bay is great to see once but not sure I'd want to do that particular excursion again because there is no shade and I'm a pale redhead. I was wearing 45 sportblock and still got pink knees and ankles. Angel mentioned her favorite excursion is the Cypress Swamp because you are under tree cover and get to see alligators. We had a great time and I totally recommend going on an excursion with artist boat. I would not take anyone younger than middle school out in the kayak. Next time I'd rather have an individual kayak than a tandem. I think the tandem was bulkier and harder to manage. read more

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As a first time kayaker, I thought the easy excursion was great. It is very easy, so if you have some experience you might not enjoy it as well - I found that even I wanted to go ahead of the group a couple of times. However, our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable, and made sure to keep the entire group together. She was great about pointing out wildlife and talked a lot about Galveston Bay, the Wetlands, and the importance of conservation. We also stopped for about 20 minutes for a watercolor painting lesson, which was unexpected and fun! I'd recommend bringing lots of water and sunscreen, and possibly a snack. read more

I did this kayak excursion today and it was awesome! I dont think you need much instruction so I dont know what the other previous reviewer is so upset about. I had never kayaked before and I got along just fine with the quick and sweet intro in paddling they give. The views are insane. I have lived in Galveston for years and I never knew the little canals were so accessible. The instructor let me talk her ear off about how to buy a kayak myself, if it was safe to come out alone, etc. All in all kayaking was awesome exercise and gave you rare views of the marshlands that you cant even get to by a traditional boat. I'll prob go back next week. 2 thumbs up! read more

My friend and I did the Coastal Preserve tour with Karissa and had a great time! We were somehow the only 2 signed up so we had a private tour! Karissa showed us the site and about the optimistic future of Artist Boat. This organization is incredible and has a lot of big goals for the ecosystem and community. The kayaking was a blast and the equipment was in great shape. Karissa was very knowledgeable about the ecosystem and about art as well. We got to do our water colors in a very peaceful spot. We had a great time with Artist Boat and will be sure to do another tour soon! read more

Tbh great place for beginners!! I would recommend this place to anyone wanting to try this place out if you're new to kayaking. My boyfriend and i were extremely new to kayaking and we had fun with our friends that we're more experienced thAn us. They gave us a tour and let us try out what Galveston had. In store. Christin was super chill and super lenient with our group and it was awesome. Amanda and Christin made my group of 5 feel comfortable. I learned alot about about Galveston and about kayaking. I can't wait to try out the 4 hour tour or just kayaking in general read more

I never realized this place existed. Aly was our tour guide and was so great! Had the best morning exploring the waters and even tasting the vegetation that she pulled us over for. I'd give 10 stars if I could. Will definitely be back! read more

My friends and I did this excursion thru "Groupon". My friend and I have kayaked before, another girl had never been, another not in 8 yrs. So there was a mish-mash of experience. We decided to go on the easy excursion. I didn't much care for the instructor. She gave less than minimal instruction, if that is possible. She thought she was pretty clever but in reality she acted plain bored and fake-hipster, very impressed with herself. She ran thru the basic of basics on how to paddle (I've been thru this before, so I know how and what needs to be explained) but she did not explain very much at all and make the customers comfortable with what they were doing- maybe she used 5 -8 minutes in total and most of it was, yeah cool.. Um....me me me...... . She did not explain how to get into the kayak, NOT ONE WORD about the feet adjustments, she set the backrests and assumed they were set correctly for everyone - they were way too erect for me and my backrest was painful. My left leg was numb within minutes because of the footrests, again no hint of help on instructor's part. She handed us our life jackets and as we put them on, they were all WAY too small. as for a child, and she just laughed and expected us to figure out how to make them bigger, come on now, there are several adjustments to be made and I had never used this type of life jacket before. This girl did not give individual attention at all and there were only four of us. She could have shown one of us and had the others watch. She didn't take a life jacket and show us anything, there are adjustments here, here, and here....nothing. She spoke directions to us, casually , and didn't really 'show' us. She got in the kayak herself and ignored the rest of us - didn't really show anyone or tell anyone how to do it. Again, she was very casual even though she knew 2 out of the 4 were novices. We paddled about an hour. She went on ahead and always left either 1 or 2 paddlers behind. Wasn't interested in teaching us. Just called out some stuff about birds and the ecosystem to one tandem boat, and if the other boats missed what she said, well too bad. That was her attitude. We stopped to paint. That was fun. We were supposed to paint the landscape and there was literally NO landscape to paint, as if we were on Mars. But we made the best of it. My paddle had its drip thingy on backwards and the left side dripped on me the entire time. I knew I was going to get wet but this is a minor thing and a minor irritation that grew into a major irritation....like a dripping faucet or a running toilet. Make sure you take something to drink, a little snack bar, and yes, wear some water sandals that will rinse off easily (NOT TENNIS SHOES!!! your feet will be wet all day). I wore my everyday Tevas and they worked great. Great excuse for a pedicure later. On the way back, she led us thru "the maze". She told me to go on ahead first thru this maze that I had never been thru before, and the maze thru the grasses was so tight, that I sort of got stuck. I was able to wrangle myself free of the grasses but it made me a little mad that she told me to go first ahead of her, and I didn't really know where I was going, and it was a very, very tight space. I felt she should have foraged her way first and not send a customer ahead who had never kayaked thru marsh grasses before. I won't do this trip again with Artist Boat although we were taken to a good place to kayak for beginners. Very open marsh, flat water, nothing much to look at, some egrets and other birds, mullets that jump up and sometimes into your boat. Scenery couldn't get much more boring. But if you are new to kayaking, the water at Galveston State Park put-off is only about 2-3 feet deep. Very safe and calm place to kayak. So,no, I wouldn't recommend the Artist Boat. Instructor said the paint would wash out of my clothes - it didn't. If you go, make sure you wear something you don't mind getting stained, all four of us kayakers had black spots all over our clothes and assumed it was from the paint. It might have been from oily muddy bay water splashing on us. Remember you are in Galveston Bay, in the Carcinogenic Coast. read more

I enjoy every aspect of the outings with Artist Boat. Their wetland "eco-art-educators" are friendly, creative and knowledgable and they lead a great afternoon or evening with fellow adventurers. I enjoy both the outdoors and art so this is a fun opportunity to integrate both of these passions in a fun way --through kayaking and painting! What more could you ask for? While you're out there you'll learn about the surrounding ecology and experience nature up-close. You may even make a few friends out on the bayou or the bay :). This local, non-profit organization is a fun way to celebrate nature, art and to get outdoors. Highly recommended read more

Recently did a two hour trip and really enjoyed it. Janna was guide and she did a great job. She seemed knowledgeable and passionate. Good balance of information and just enjoying the environment. Definitely recommend. read more

My daughter and I had a wonderful time on our kayak tour of the lagoon. Our guide Sam was amazing - knowledgeable, friendly, and obviously passionate about sharing the beauty of Galveston's nature and wildlife. This was my first time to kayak. The orientation was thorough, and I felt very safe heading out onto the water. This was an easy level of physical exertion, with several breaks. We saw so many birds up close! Also fish, crabs, snails ... Sam shared interesting information about them all, and also about the vegetation. I'm glad I wore a hat, old shoes, sunscreen, and bug spray, and brought water along. I was slightly nervous about trying a two hour trip the first time I kayaked - but it was easy. Our time on the tour was my favorite part of our vacation. Truly magical! Highly recommend! read more

WOW! This was a perfect 2hour outing. Our guide Kristen had a WEALTH of information to share. First she gave us the short & sweet lowdown on safe kayaking. We ventured out into the preserve where we saw all sorts of wildlife. I actually got excited about grass! I learned about and saw all kinds of birds, grass, even snails that do their own farming!!! I highly recommend this as a day trip with a little exercise, a LOT education and a LOADS of fun!! read more

This makes for an awesome little day trip with the family or friends. I took my daughter, 6 at the time, and we had a blast. Educational and a great introduction to kayaking for novices. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and made the whole trip interesting. I also appreciate the mission behind this business -- conservation and education! read more

I have taken two trips with Artist Boat and can say they were really, really great adventures. We saw some sights that one can't see outside of nature magazines. The guides - Rani, Emily, and Nicole - were awesome!! They were extremely helpful, safety conscious, and knowledgeable about the Galveston Bay estuary!! read more

On Memorial Day I did a kayaking trip in Galveston offered by Artist Boat. I was running a few minutes late because I got lost and felt bad about this. However, Alli, our guide, and the other kayakers were gracious and kind about my tardiness when I arrived. Alli was terrific at giving directions to us, especially how to easily get in and out of the kayak without flipping. We saw and learned about some birds, enjoyed our conversations, got in a good upper body workout, and more. This kayaking experience was a blast and I will be back for another kayaking experience with you, Artist Boat. Thank you! read more

My son and I wanted to spend a couple hours sightseeing and relaxing on the water and this trip was perfect. We are both fairly experienced kayakers, but even novices could have handled this trip. Our guide was fun, helpful and knowledgeable about the eco system and the area. We look forward to another trip. read more

i booked an 'easy' trip with artist boat that offered a 45 min stop to do a watercolor painting, as i was bringing two 11-year old girls and the idea of doing a painting got them very excited about the trip. i later received a confirmation email and itinerary showing the evening events, including the painting. however, at some point, artist boat decided to change the itinerary to another more difficult 'moderate' trip that did not include the painting, and i was not notified of the change. this meant a lot of disappointment right at the end, when we realized the painting was not going to happen. in addition, i had two very worn out and upset girls from having paddled much farther than was originally intended. i contacted artist boat the following day to explain how changing the trip really let me down, and they said they would look into it and get back to me later that week. i never heard back, so i emailed them, hoping that maybe they would try to make up for this by offering to put us in the trip i had originally booked. simply explaining what had happened and an apology would have sufficed... but i never received any response at all. the fact that no one from artist boat could be bothered to contact me and explain what happened has really put me off. i often have people come to visit me from canada, and thought this would be a great thing to do with guests, but after having been treated this way, i have no interest in dealing with artist boat again. read more

I love Kayaking, this excursion is ok but I've had way better. My brother got us a spot for my bday celebration, we were really excited about this but to begin with it took us forever to find the place, they didn't have any kind of directions or signs that i was aware of, still that didn't really bother us, we got there, the instructors are really nice but they don't pair up people according to experience or willingness to learn. Kayaking is a sport people, not a spot to look pretty and take pictures to put them up on Facebook, the reason i say that is because i got paired up with a dude that didn't want to paddle and wanted me to do all the work, my brother switched with me so that i could have a good time but poor thing he had too do all paddling himself for at least 2 hours if not more with a 200 lbs load on his kayak that wouldn't paddle and when he did he would paddle in the wrong direction making it harder for my brother, on top of that the instructors decided to try a "new route' only to get lost and had to use the old way to get to the kayak trailer, don't expect to get the Pinot's Palette experience with the painting, it's just a cardboard with watercolor paint, something you probably did in Pre-k. still we enjoyed it, what else can you do for $50 a pop, i had fun and so did the other boat, i just wish my brother wouldn't have had such a hard time with that dude that wanted pictures on the boat and holding the paddles after the excursion. I understand they take anyone for the money, since they are a non-profit organization and we gladly pay $50 for a GOOD experience, not to babysit, also they should organize excursions for beginners, it's really not that hard but if you don't want to paddle for hours you're definitely in the wrong place, I would do it again with the right team, bring an extra change of clothes and shoes to kayak, plenty of water and snacks because you'll be hungry! read more

I took my fifteen year old daughter and her friend on a kayaking trip with Artist Boat one Friday in May of 2010. I had a little bit trouble finding the tour group near Drum Bay but once that was done, we had an adventure well worth our time and money. How often do city folks get to see roseate spoonbills and other waterfowl as well as receive instruction and practice in kayaking and watercoloring? It was a great bonding time. Now, I just need to get those watercolor paintings and a few photos framed. read more

I discovered Artist Boat about 4 years ago, and try to schedule at least two trips a year. My goal is to complete every excursion offered. East End Lagoon and Galveston Island State Park are best for beginners. Armand Bayou, Smiths Point and Cypress Swamps are best for more advanced paddlers. See previous comments. Pack a lunch, plenty of water as well as sun screen. read more