From the author of the book comes a wonderful tour and a riveting journey through the forgotten parts of downtown Galveston that were once bustling with wild parties and generous offerings of hourly love.

Join renowned author and speaker Kimber Fountain as she brings to life the tales – both tragic and triumphant – of Galveston’s Red Light District: A History of The Line.

Known today as a colorful resort destination featuring family-friendly entertainment and a thriving arts district, Galveston was once notorious for its flourishing vice economy of illegal liquor and gambling and an infamous red light district called simply, “The Line.”

This unassuming five blocks of Postoffice Street came to life every night and remained a stubborn mainstay of the island cityscape for nearly seventy years. In the late 1950s, the era was known as the “Free State of Galveston” finally came to an end, and today, almost all that remains of its history has been sensationalized and marginalized.

Galveston was more than just a city of “gangsters” and lewd women,  and Kimber Fountain pursues the authentic, sequestered story of women who wanted to make their own rules and the city that wanted to let them.

Tours are every Wednesday-Saturday starting at 7pm. Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased online at redlightdistricttoursofgalveston.com in advance or at the start of the tour (cash only).

Reservations are required for cash/onsite tickets, and both online ticket purchases and cash reservations must be made by 5pm the day of the tour.

The tour meets on the north steps of the old Galveston Post Office at 601 25th Street (corner of 25th and Church St.). Meet at the north steps located on Church Street side.

Tours begin promptly at 7pm. Please arrive at least 5-10 minutes early to ensure ample time to park and/or purchase onsite tickets. Due to mature content, this tour is strongly recommended for adults and older teens only. Tour content will not be censored for younger audiences, and teens and children must be accompanied by an adult.

Signed copies of Kimber’s books  Galveston’s Red Light District: A History of The Line and Galveston Seawall Chronicles  will be available for purchase (cash or credit) at the conclusion of the tour.

For more info go to redlightdistricttoursofgalveston.com, email GalvestonRedLightTours@gmail.com, call or text (409)526-6883. Reservations required.

Attention budding builders – sandcastle builders, that is. Starting June 1st, 8am-4pm, Galveston will host a free family-friendly event to help beachgoers create spectacular sandcastles with tips from the pros.

Visitors to Stewart Beach can participate in “Sandcastle Days” events to receive free sandcastle building lessons from a professional sandcastle builder. The events will take place each Saturday this summer from June 1st thru August 17th.

Each event will begin with an instructor building a sandcastle from 8-11am followed by lessons at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Equipment will be provided on a limited basis and participants are encouraged to bring their own sand buckets and shovels.

Registration is not required. The lessons will take place on the sand near the Stewart Beach Pavilion.

Stewart Beach is located at 201 Seawall Blvd. It is home to helicopter tours, a pavilion, volleyball courts, a children’s playground, restrooms, showers, chair and umbrella rentals and concessions. Parking at Stewart Beach costs $15 per car during Sandcastle Days events.

For more information, visit galvestonbeachinfo.com.

The Gulf Coast Volleyball Association (GCVA) is the largest outdoor volleyball association on the Gulf Coast and has been rated the #1 outdoor volleyball organization by Outdoor Volleyball USA.

The GCVA features an array of high-flying scheduled tournaments at Stewart Beach and East Beach, two of Galveston Island’s premier beach parks. Don’t miss out on the fun!

You do not have to be a GCVA member to participate. Check-in at East Beach is at 8:30am with tournaments beginning promptly at 9am. For most tournaments, the first 100 players checking in at the beach will receive a free GCVA t-shirt. The entry fees are $25 per person, $50 per team.

You are playing on a REAL BEACH on the Gulf of Mexico and are subject at all times to Mother Nature. The GCVA Recorder at (832)928-4120 is updated by 5am Tournament Day, and earlier if possible. 

For more info and to register for any of the tournaments go to gcva.net.

• May 11th: Bring Your Mom to the Beach Day
• May 18th: Qualifier JR Beach National Qualifier
• May 25th: Memorial Madness Tournament
• June 2nd: East Beach Classic
• June 8th: Spalding’s School’s Out Beach Party
• June 15th: ESPN 97.5 & Yahoo Sports Radio 1560 Super Fun Sunfest
• June 29th: Galveston Open
• July 6th: Red, White, ‘N Volleyball
• August 4th: Hot as Hell Classic
• August 31st: GCVA Labor Day Classic
• September 22nd: GCVA Season Closer

Bucket Brigade Interpretive Beach Tours are free for the public, last approximately 45 minutes, and are offered at Stewart Beach in Galveston. Join the Bucket Brigade in exploring the creatures and features that make Galveston beaches unique. Hands-on activities investigate topics including Galveston’s turbid water, marine debris, Sargassum landings, and more.

In June and July tours are available Wednesday-Sunday, weather permitting. Starting in August, tours are offered Friday-Sunday. Participants can sign up on location near the Beach Patrol Tower #6 at Stewart Beach. Tours are scheduled to start at 9:30am, 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, and 3:30pm.

Artist Boat’s purpose is protecting our Gulf Coast through land conservation and with fun, educational, inspiring adventures that spark creativity, awareness, and action.

Since its inception, over 100,000 participants have helped bring 40,000 students to estuaries by kayak, foot, or vessel; created over 50+ public artworks; conserved over 600+ acres on west Galveston Island forming the Coastal Heritage Preserve and creating a place for the future Gulf Coast Environmental Education Center; restored over 50 acres of dunes and prairies to assure recovery of these ecosystems following Hurricane Ike; formed the Bucket Brigade comprised of a Marine Debris Task Force; conducted interpretive tours; and beautified buckets for trash, recycle centers, and more on Galveston beaches.

For more info call (409)770-0722, email residency@artistboat.org, or go to artistboat.org.

Hunt for coastal treasures with state park naturalists.

Beach Exploration hikes start at the park’s Day Use Beach boardwalk (adjacent to the restrooms and parking lot.)

Get a close-up look at the many critters and birds that inhabit the sand, surf and seaweed. This Saturday tour includes hands-on seining, searching for ghost crabs and beachcombing under the guidance of Friends of Galveston Island State Park (FoGISP) volunteers.

Favorite reads shared aloud in the Children’s Department on the first Saturday of every month.

Favorite reads shared aloud in the Children’s Department on the first Saturday of every month.

This goes to 10:20am.

Guests to Galveston Historical Foundation’s Texas Seaport Museum could find themselves with even more to experience this summer. As part of their “Summer at the Seaport” series, Texas Seaport Museum will be offering specially created classes through August 3rd. These classes begin at 10:30am and are located at Pier 22 and Harborside in Galveston. Classes are free with general admission.

The courses will give youth participants a hands-on opportunity to interact with the 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA, the official Tall Ship of Texas, while learning various aspects of seamanship and preservation of the historic vessel. Admission is free with paid general admission to the Texas Seaport Museum. Advance registrations are required. For more info, call (409)765-3432 or email susan.vanderford@galvestonhistory.org. Classes are:

• July 6th: Sing like a sailor! (30 min) –Working as a team and pulling lines together was an important part of being a 19th-century sailor and music kept the beat! As a group, you will learn some traditional sea shanties and how they were used aboard ships throughout the ages.
• July 13th: “Around Cape Horn” Irving Johnson (40 min) – Come to the Texas Seaport Museum for a special viewing of the famous film “Around Cape Horn,” a simple but brilliant production of Irving Johnson’s time aboard the PEKING in 1929. During his voyage on the big German windjammer, Johnson compiled unequaled footage of the crew’s daily activities, and spectacular images of a wild storm as the ship made the dangerous passage around.
• July 20th: Set a Sail (Max 15, 45 min) –Ever wonder what life was like for a sailor in the 19th century? Join Texas Seaport Museum’s volunteer crew in setting a sail at dock on the 1877 Iron Barque ELISSA! Participants will learn the language of seafaring, how to work together as a group and what it took to make it out on the high seas!
• July 27th: Let’s Talk Trash (1hr) – As a member of the ocean sailing community, ELISSA and her crew are supporters of the North American Marine Environment Protection Association’s PLASTIC PLEDGE! This program will briefly discuss marine debris and how you can help save our oceans from more pollution. Attendees will be making reusable recycled T-shirt bags for you to take home. Please bring an old adult-sized T-shirt. Take the pledge!
• August 3rd: Dolphin Discovery (1hr) –Join us at the Texas Seaport Museum as we learn about our local marine mammal…the bottle-nosed dolphin! Our Marine Biologist will discuss the anatomy, behaviors, and lifestyles of our local dolphin pods through interactive games and crafts. For an added experience, take our 11:30 am dolphin tour aboard the SEAGULL II, a 1 hour historic and dolphin-friendly tour. (Tickets must be purchased separately; $10 for adults, $8 for youths and 5 and under are free. Tour is subject to weather.)