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    The Strand Historic District

    4.0 (82 reviews)

    The Strand Historic District Photos

    Recommended Reviews - The Strand Historic District

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    Reviews With Photos - The Strand Historic District

    Shipping off. Safety first!
    Helene S.

    The Historic Strand District, or The Strand, is a fun place to spend a couple of hours in the heart of Galveston. Imagine living in Galveston in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Before the Great Hurricane of 1900 devastated Galveston killing more than 8,000 and leaving 10,000 homeless, Galveston rivaled many Victorian port cities. Many of the buildings that survived that storm are more than a century old. Their architectural detail and craftsmanship are so beautiful. Today, The Strand is an eclectic mix of antique shops, art galleries, souvenir shops, restaurants and even a Railroad Museum. Be sure to stop in at La King's Confectionery for an old-fashioned ice cream sundae or handmade chocolates. They have been making sweet treats like saltwater taffy since the 1920s. Fun to camp overnight on "The Elissa" with the Girl Scouts. The tall ship Elissa is a three-masted barque. She is the official tall ship of Texas and is one of the oldest ships sailing today, which first launched in 1877. The Strand is also the center of many Galveston festivals. The annual holiday celebration Dickens on the Strand is so cute. Fun to catch beads during Mardi Gras.

    Random giant trumpet
    Sarah G.

    My Uncle suggested coming here to walk around and check out the shops. Street parking was $2.25/hour on a weekday. I paid for 2 hours. As for the shops... many were the same ol' touristy souvenirs, some shops were really fancy, many sold alcohol you could walk around with, etc. One shop in particular, the girl in charge didn't even greet us. We walked around and looked at all the old, overpriced items. Upon leaving, again, workers didn't say a word to us. Very strange. luckily, most shops were friendly. We didn't buy anything but it was still fun to walk around.

    Mural
    Marissa G.

    3.5 My family and I decided to go for a walk down Strand Street. It's really cool to see the different art and murals painted around the area. The street has lines of shops, restaurants, sweet treat places, and bars. We went into a few shops to browse but didn't get anything. The shops have different trinkets and clothing items. We walked on both sides of the street and enjoyed our outside time. Unfortunately there aren't any public restrooms that we saw. It's an okay place to walk around outside with your family if you are looking for something to do.

    Great photo op space! Have your peeps stand in the turquoise area. Reminds me of "The Giving Tree."
    Sherri H.

    I love all the beautiful, colorful murals painted on some of the downtown Strand buildings. I'm sure there is a listing of them. I like to just be surprised when driving the area! But if you're looking for a specific mural I'm sure Google can direct you there.

    Live the stairs!
    Tanja N.

    The Strand is easily recognizable as the heart of the Galveston. With so many buildings that are resisting humidity and hurricane winds at the times for over 10 years, it is beautiful part of the town for a stroll in an early morning or late afternoons. There is something for everyone. Art galleries, restaurants, gift shops,antique stores.. Even if you don't need anything, it's fun to window shop and enjoy in craftsmanship of the buildings.

    Gas Light
    Anton K.

    The Strand is on the Register of Historic Places (1970) and a National Historic Landmark (1978). The 5 block section of downtown Galveston is showcased by Victorian architecture. Most structures commerical buildings, restaurants, retail, antiques, art galleries, historical exhibits, museums and night clubs. The Strand runs parallel to Galveston Bay where cruise ships await. Points of special interest include: the Texas Seaport Museum, Galveston County Museum, the 1894 Opera House, historical markers and horse & carriage rides. The pirate island of Jean Lafitte may interest some. Pier 21 has a daily showing of "The Great Storm of 1900", one of the most destructive and deadly flooding events in the history of this country. The Mardi Gras & Christmas festivals are held each year on The Strand and both draw large crowds.

    Horse named Drake waiting on a customer
    Donna T.

    We love coming to The Strand to walking and looking at all the different shops and places to eat. Basically just chillin'. It's somewhere different than staying at home and doing those dreaded chores. Some nights they have live music playing at some of the pub places. Parking is free on Sunday so that's s huge plus too. I added a few pictures of cute things I found along our visit.

    Love the Historic signs
    Michelle W.

    Cool spot to walk around and check out! I have seen the parties from the cruise terminals that they have here for Mardi Gras. Looks like a blast! I didn't get a chance to go downtown until now. I came on a Sunday so parking was great and free! Lots of people walking up and down the street. There are shops, restaurants, ice cream, candy, tourist shops, etc. Plenty of photo ops here too! The Galveston Island Trolley drives around here. I thought it was on the rail, but it's a cute little bus that looks like a trolley. I didn't go on for a ride since I was enjoying the historic signs showing the building and what it used to be. Cool piece of history here! Check this place out. It's lively and historic.

    The Strand
    Jai C.

    I really enjoy visiting the Strand in Galveston. There's just so much to see and do in this area... restaurants, shops, antiques, clubs and bars, etc. The people were really friendly and I almost always found someone from the area who wanted to suggest a really cool place to go to or try out. I went on the horse and buggy ride as a way to get some sort of 'introduction' to the strand. The driver pointed out all kinds of neat facts and historical marks along the way. As he did, I found myself completely engrossed in the rich history of not just the strand itself, but in Galveston in general. Although I had read a lot of stories about the Galveston Hurricane - he pointed out a watermark still left on at least one or two buildings from the flood - and wow! I couldn't believe how high the water really got! It's neat because if you've visited Galveston for the beach side of everything, then you really haven't seen Galveston for what it truly is. Beautiful.

    Excellent street food, part I
    Chris N.

    From the live music to the street food, from the cheap drinks to the cool people...and mostly, the awesome parades, what an on point Mardi Gras celebration. We will see you next year Galveston.

    Mardi Gras Galveston!
    Alice Y.

    Came here for Mardi Gras Galveston. I'm not sure if it's just because it was weekend one, or if because my friends and I were lame this year and made it a day trip rather than getting a hotel out here... but I wouldn't rate this higher than 3 stars. All of the food in the tents were sub-par, even by carnival/outdoor event standards. I got a Polish sausage sandwich with all the fixin's - cheese, sauerkraut, and such. It wasn't worth the caloric intake and $9. Other friends of mine splurged for corn dogs, street tacos, and gyros - none were satisfied. We're all very familiar with street food, but much of it was served cold, or just downright over-fried (turns out that there is such a thing). Now, the drinks. As expected, the drinks were standardly slightly overpriced - it was on average $3 for a bottle of water, $4 for any domestic beer, and $10 or so for a hurricane with the normal Nawlin's hurricane souvenir container. I mean, the bottled water and bottled beer tasted fine... but man.. if you're paying that much for a hurricane, at least have it be a good old fashioned delicious strong one. These pretty much tasted like watered down syrup with a small kick. Unimpressed. The actual Mardi Gras event was pretty fun. There were a few parades throughout the day, which were just okay. I've been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and the level of opulence and debauchery was definitely lackluster in comparison. But, if you've never been to a Mardis Gras celebration it's definitely worth a trip. After hours, there were a few sponsored electronic concerts/parties that started filling in with people around 10 or 11 PM. A lot of the crowd was fairly young, but the vibe was decent. All in all I had a fun time with friends, but if you want the real thing, make that trip out to the dirty French Quarter.

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    So many cute shops!! Everyone is so welcoming and such a variety of items to shop from

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    Ask the Community - The Strand Historic District

    Review Highlights - The Strand Historic District

    Be sure to stop in at La King's Confectionery for an old-fashioned ice cream sundae or handmade chocolates.

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    1900 Storm Memorial - Fort Crockett marker with the memorial in the background

    1900 Storm Memorial

    3.3(3 reviews)
    2.7 mi

    It's a unique sculpture at the part of the seawall near the Fort Crockett historical marker. The…read moresculptor (David Moore) created it based off of a Pompeo Coppini cast (or drawing) that was originally rejected back in 1904 for being too heartbreaking. It was of a grieving mother holding her baby while her other child is pulling on her skirt. He donated his works to the university, and they somehow lost them. What a shame! Fortunately, the bronze sculpture that you see today gives off that same emotion but with more of a feeling of resolution. The mother and child have risen to a peaceful & restful place after the devastating storm of 1900. That's how I'd like to interpret it. It looks even more spiritual at sunset. It's beautiful! The surrounding seawall built in the aftermath continues to protect Galveston Island. The structures have all risen to a safer level. We have early warning systems for hurricanes that they didn't have back then. It's a part of Galveston's history that is too difficult to forget. You just can't walk along the beach and not think of the 6,000 (also said to be 8000) lives lost. There are reminders everywhere including the historical seawall. It was a breezy & relaxing walk while staying at the San Luis Resort.

    The Storm of 1900 was one of the worst storms in recorded history, killing over 6,000 Texans in…read moreGalveston. This memorial was commissioned by the City of Galveston and the Galveston Commission for the Arts, and was completed in 2000. The artist is the talented David Moore, who used bronze to portray the victims of the storm, reaching out for aide. Before the storm, Galveston was poised to be one of the biggest port cities in the country. That fateful storm changed that forever. Since then, the citizens of Galveston built the seawall, a 12 foot barrier that keeps the sea out from the island during these terrible storms. When visiting this memorial, I feel sadness for the victims, but glad that we now have technology to warn us of these dangerous storms, so that we may do our best to prepare. The memorial is set in a beautiful place, right along the beach, with picturesque views of the Gulf of Mexico. It's a natural meeting spot, and a great place to people watch. Parking is easy, along Seawall Blvd., but you might have to technically pay to park.

    Photos
    1900 Storm Memorial - 1900 Storm Memorial

    1900 Storm Memorial

    1900 Storm Memorial - The 1900 Storm Memorial

    The 1900 Storm Memorial

    1900 Storm Memorial - 1900 Storm Memorial

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    1900 Storm Memorial

    Juneteenth Galveston - The Juneteenth Mural

    Juneteenth Galveston

    5.0(5 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    This was another incredible find when walking through the Strand Historic District on the way to…read morethe Railroad Museum. The "Absolute Equality" artwork was created by Reginald C. Adams as part of the Juneteenth Legacy Project. It's vibrant and large. It tells the step by step story visually and in writing. It's kind of difficult to capture the writing underneath it in photos unless you break it down into sections. It's easier to read in person. It also happens to be placed at the spot where Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3 at the former Osterman Building (now a paid parking lot) on the corner of 22nd Street and The Strand. Just watch out for cars pulling into the lot. I had no idea that the celebration of Juneteenth (Emancipation Day) started here in 1866. Just a year after the General Order was read. It has been an observed state holiday (now a federal holiday) in Texas since 1979. Amazing! It's a beautiful way to commemorate and memorialize this historical event. It's a must see mural! Don't miss it when in Galveston.

    I figured since I was in Galveston I would make a stop at an area that is tied to an important part…read moreof history. Juneteenth, starting in Galveston, is a notable area in the city to visit. I wanted to visit here and since we were already out, I decided to drag my friends this way so that we could see where the proclamation was read. As we approached the area, it didn't look like much, but that is probably because of the direction we were approaching. When we got to the site of the building the proclamation was read from we realized the original building was no longer there. However, take the time to read the plaque to give yourself some context to the moment. The area is a welcoming one. Some benches to sit on but the thing that catches your eye is the mural on the building. It depicts the historic moment and give a bit more context to the plaque. I got to see this place in the late evening hours, but I am sure that it is better to see during the daylight hours. It is still an amazing and historic place that you should put aside some time to see.

    Photos
    Juneteenth Galveston
    Juneteenth Galveston - A section of the mural

    A section of the mural

    Juneteenth Galveston - A section of the mural

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    A section of the mural

    The Strand Historic District - localflavor - Updated July 2026

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