Galveston Museum Day: How to make the most of the event's freebies, discounts

Shown is the Bishop's Palace, a home that survived killer storm of 1900, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, in Galveston, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

GALVESTON, Texas – Saturday might be the day to visit Galveston if you’re looking for a little – or a lot – of museum fun. 

On Galveston’s Museum Day, free admission will be offered at 1892 Bishop’s Palace, Hotel Galvez's Hall of History, the Galveston Arts Center, Rosenberg Library, and the Texas Seaport Museum. 

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A number of other Galveston-area museums are also offering discounts. 

Museum Day officials remind people to request a Galveston Museum Day passport (pdf) from the first museum visited and get it stamped at every location throughout the day so you can be entered for a chance to win a one-night stay at Hotel Galvez and VIP attraction passes.

FREEBIES AND DISCOUNTS:

  • 1892 Bishop’s Palace – FREE ADMISSION - 1402 Broadway Ave - Tour one of the island’s most popular mansions built of stone and steel, designed by Nicholas Clayton, Galveston’s premier Victorian-era architect.
  • Galveston Arts Center – FREE ADMISSION AND ART MAKING ACTIVITY - 2127 Strand St - Explore the Galveston Arts Center – an independent nonprofit organization and art museum that presents pacesetting contemporary art in a historic building on Galveston’s Strand.
  • Galveston Children’s Museum – BUY ONE GET ONE FREE ADMISSION - Bring the family out and enjoy this unique, hands-on museum filled with fun and entertaining interactive exhibits for ages 18 months to 12 years. Current exhibits include: Our Town, Building Zone, A Stroke of Genius, Kid’s Clinic, Tinker Workshop, Explore and Discover, Room to Grow and Now Starring You.
  • Galveston Naval Museum – BUY ONE GET ONE FREE ADMISSION - 100 Seawolf Park Blvd - Tour the WWII submarine, the USS Cavalla, and the WWII destroyer escort, the USS Stewart – one of only two escorts remaining in the United States.
  • Galveston Railroad Museum – BUY ONE GET ONE FREE ADMISSION - 2602 Santa Fe Pl - Explore locomotive history with one of the largest restored railroad collections in the United States.
  • Moody Gardens – DISCOUNT DAY PASS FOR $30 PER PERSON - 1 Hope Blvd - Explore the Aquarium, Rainforest and Discovery Pyramids plus 3D and 4D theaters, the Colonel Paddlewheel Boat, ropes course and zip line.
  • 1895 Moody Mansion – BUY ONE GET ONE FREE ADMISSION - 2618 Broadway Ave -View opulent furnishings and heirlooms from one of Texas’ most powerful families.
  • Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum – BUY ONE GET ONE FREE ADMISSION - 2002 Wharf Rd - Take a leisurely, self-guided tour through the retired Ocean Star jack-up rig which now serves as a museum and educational facility.
  • Rosenberg Library – FREE ADMISSION + SCAVENGER HUNT WITH PRIZES - 2310 Sealy St - Come and explore the oldest public library in Texas in continuous operation. Here you’ll find historical artifacts pertaining to Galveston, paintings of Galveston subjects and more.
  • Texas City Museum - $2 OFF ADMISSION UP TO 4 PEOPLE - 409 6th St N, Texas City, TX  - Discover this regional history museum featuring artifacts from the naval ferryboat, the USS Westfield (including a real Civil War cannon), plus exhibits on the founding of Texas City and the 1947 Disaster, Children’s Discovery Room and model train layouts.
  • Texas Seaport Museum – FREE ADMISSION - 2200 Harborside Dr - Explore Galveston’s history of seaborne commerce and immigration and tour the 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA, the official tall ship of Texas.
  • The Bryan Museum – BUY ONE GET ONE FREE ADMISSION - 1315 21st St - Experience a taste of edible Texas history. Tasty treats – matching each historical period showcased in the museum – will be available for you to eat in our galleries from 2 to 5 p.m. A special program, the Traditional Art of Gunsmithing, will be offered from 1 to 4 p.m. Museum tours are scheduled at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Located in the historic Galveston Orphans Home, the museum showcases one of the world’s largest collections of historical artifact, documents and artwork relating to the American West.
  • The Grand 1894 Opera House – 25 percent off the performance of Something Rotten (use code 'MUSEUM' at checkout) - 2020 Postoffice St - Experience this hilarious Broadway smash at the official opera house of Texas, which is one of the few remaining theatres of its era and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Hotel Galvez's Hall of History is always free to the public. Download their FREE history and ghost audio tour for smartphones.

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