We went to Elissa as part of the Dickens on the Strand festival and it was our favorite part of the…read morefestival! Of course it's open other times too. It was clean, amazingly fun to see all the spaces. If you have a baby you'll want to baby wear them. Strollers can't go below deck because it's stairs. We took kids 2+ years old and it was possible and functional for them. Some of the stairs are tight or small spaces but you don't have to take the smallest stair you can take one main stair down and then back up. The crew were so kind and helpful! The atmosphere was light and jolly. We have a delightful time. There is a bathroom in their gift shop and benches by the gift shop for anyone who needs to sit. There is also parking just there near it, paid is what we used, not sure about unpaid. Worth every penny!

While visiting Galveston I decided to take this harbor tour for the first time thinking it would be…read moreinteresting and it was. An adult ticket for the one hour boat tour is $17 and you can add another tour of the adjacent sailing ship Elissa for another $8 to make it a combo price of $25 total. Tickets can be purchased online or at the ticket booth at Pier 22 between Fisherman's Wharf restaurant and Willie G's restaurant. This tour is conducted on a 50' boat with twin inboard motors. The boat has a lower deck that is covered with open sides and another deck upstairs that is open air and provides the best seats for viewing as long as the weather is good. All seats are general admission so if you want a topside seat board early. The tour makes one loop of the inner harbor along with venturing just outside near the shipping channel and on the other side of Pelican Island. There you pass by the Naval Museum that includes a destroyer escort and submarine from WW II both on land and a little further you will see the remains of the old SS Selma freighter that was scuttled there. It was a ship that was built of concrete during WW I and then scuttled shortly thereafter. For some reason, my tour only got with about 250 yards of it and no closer. Also during the boat ride you will numerous dolphins that are native to the area. There are other tours advertised as dolphin watching tours and I'm not sure how they are different from this one because my tour saw many on our ride. An added treat was being able to cruise by Battleship Texas which is currently in dry dock on the other side of the harbor and fully exposed from the stern for great viewing. The tour returned on time. The only reason I don't give 4 stars is because we should have gotten closer to the Selma for viewing and pictures and the audio speakers topside were very weak and made it hard to hear the live narration of the sites we saw passing by. If you visit the island and want to get out on the water and see the sights this is a good diversion to consider.

Check in was super quick. They had offered to lock up your phone but I felt better hanging onto it…read more You also have to remove your shoes cause you will get wet regardless of where you sit. It was an overcast day but muggy. So the water and the occasional breeze felt refreshing. Austin was a great guide. We did maybe 8 loops? And even managed to catch sight of some dolphins up against one of the large cargo ships. Would recommend.

I would highly recommend the sunset cruise. It was so romantic. The crew spotted dolphins and…read morewatched for 15 minutes on our way to watch the sun set. So relaxing.

We enjoyed the duck tour. I expected more history but received less than expected. The drive around…read morewas still enjoyable. And the history of the duck itself was interesting old WWII units.

Loved it. Out tour guide gave us a lot of history of Galveston and my son completely loves the tour…read moreand going into the water.

It's the famous pier with great views of the Galveston Channel, Battleship Texas, and the…read morewaterfront. You'll see all kinds of seabirds sunbathing on rocks, as well as dolphins frolicking around the ships. They also have dolphin and scenic boat tours that leave from here as well. There are many photo opportunities including the whimsical "High Tide" sculpture by Charles Parks. It's very uplifting. This is also where you can find the 1877 Tall Ship Elissa Museum and the Ocean Star Oil Drilling Rig Museum. Many people stay at the Harbor House Hotel on the waterfront so that they can walk to the Strand Historic District. There are many good restaurants on the pier including Katie's Seafood House where you'll see the mosquito fleet of shrimp boats. We mainly enjoyed watching the wildlife while walking along the pier. It was a cool & breezy day. It was fun seeing the birds carrying around their fresh catch of the day. I totally recommend stopping here at some point while you're in town. It's a great start or end to a day of touring Galveston.

Very cool and a safe space for a stroll There are some restaurants and a hotel near by. There is a…read morecool public art piece here. A young man reaching upward toward a flock of seagulls. By artist: Charles Parks. Not much to see here honestly.

I came on a Dolphin tour with my GS troup over the summer, and this tour was a highlight of the…read moretrip. Baywatch Dolphin Tours is one of the most popular dolphin excursions on the island, taking guests out onto the Galveston Harbor on a fleet of four different pontoon boats with shaded seating and open sides for sightseeing. Dolphins often swim through Galveston Bay and are easy to spot on wildlife-watching outings from Pier 21, and as such, a dolphin-watching trip is a perfect excursion while staying at your Galveston. The outings last 45 minutes and cover 3 miles of waterfront, so they're easy to squeeze in on a busy day of sightseeing in the Downtown Historic Strand Seaport Area. On this tour, you'll be able to see Galveston's waterfront attractions, like Pier 21, 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA, and the S.S.Selma while learning about some of the harbor's history. As a veteran, I was most impressed with the history of the S.S. Selma. Fun facts: The Selma is a 7500 ton reinforced concrete tanker built in Mobile, Alabama, was launched on June 28, 1919. The ship was one of several concrete ships conceived and designed during World War 1. Construction was not completed until the war ended. The ship had a length 420 ft., a beam of 54 ft. and a draft with full cargo of 26 ft.. and loaded displacement was 13,000 tons. This vessel marked the first use of shale aggregate expanded in rotary kilns for lightweight structural concrete. The tour guides were both entertaining and knowledgeable. If in the area, this tour is definitely one to go on as it's for all ages and can please those like me who like to learn historical facts on trips, for those who love nature (the dolphins were very active during our tour) and for all those in between. * Tours happen rain or shine

Had a great tour around the island. Appreciated the humor and knowledge that our driver/tour guide…read moreshared. I learned lots of new information about the island.

Highly recommend Galveston Sea Ventures for any type saltwater fishing near Galveston. We took the…read more6-hour offshore trip and caught fish constantly; King mackerel, Jack Crevalle, Red Snapper, Gag Grouper, trigger fish and a shark all in the same 6-hour trip. Incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about his business. Not only for finding the fish but in regard to all marine life and the science behind it all. Top notch boat and setup; maybe the cleanest guide boat I've ever been on with lots of room. We plan to be back soon - thanks for a great time GSV!!

Thanks to the aMMMMMMazing Captain Shane for one of our best memories as a family…read more Everything about this is well-organized - communication is beyond compare. The boat is perfect (and we had 5 people) for the hour-roundabout and it is a terrific way to do a dolphin/marine wildlife/harbor tour without dozens of other people on a massive boat! We loved it.

4 fish $600! Should have done a 20$ dolphin tour. Lg was nice, but not worth the money! Could have…read moredone just as well without a guide

From the owner: We specialize in bay fishing for trout and redfish or the Galveston beachfront for sharks and…read moreTarpon.

Galveston Party Boats was a great deep sea fishing experience! I was very surprised that some…read moreothers didn't have the same experience. The 12 hr fishing trip starts at 0730 and ends at 1930. Some people in our group had gone before and they recommended showing up at 0530 to get checked in, and make sure we were one of the first people in line to get a prime table in the inside cabin of the boat. Just fyi there's only so much space indoors, if you're late, you'll most likely be sitting on the outside deck where's it's definitely hot during the summer. We went during the end of July and from what I've heard this is prime RED SNAPPER season. Just know that federal law limits red snapper to 2 per person with a minimum length of 16" to keep it. Other fish, for the most part are unlimited depending on their size and type of fish you catch, like vermilion snapper for example. As far as the experience goes, expect a 4 hr boat ride out to sea, 4 hrs of fishing, then 4 hr boat ride back to Galveston. This is a full day event. They let you bring food and non alcoholic drinks on board as long as you use a small soft cooler or backpack only. No big hard coolers or alcohol allowed. Luckily they also have a grill onboard with a variety of snacks, burgers, hot dogs, quesadillas, drinks, and beer for sale. That double bacon cheeseburger was SO GOOD! After you get back to Galveston, there are guys waiting to clean/filet your fish for a small price if you want as well. Enjoy, I'll definitely be back again!

We arrived for the 4 hour fishing trip. It's only here in the bay and jetty area. Our experience…read morewas lack luster due to the fishing being daily dead. Overall I rate th boats comfort a 7/10. Has some seating inside along with grill which did smell great. Overalll fishing was dead. I would try it again because the price was very affordable