In honor of THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride at the Galveston Railroad Museum, the hotel is creating a special “Polar Express” themed gingerbread house. You’ll have to see it to believe it. The gingerbread house is on public display in the lobby of the hotel. This display makes a perfect pre- or post-train ride stop for families.

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Every Monday (10am-10pm): Military Monday – Active Military members can visit Moody Gardens with half-off of the Value Pass every Monday. Tickets are just $30 (regular price $69.95).

Senior Tuesdays (10am-10pm): Senior Tuesday – Seniors 65 years old and above get half off a Value Pass to experience all of the great attractions like the Rainforest and Aquarium Pyramid.

Every Wednesday (10am-10pm): Mommy (or Daddy) Wednesday at Moody Gardens – Come and enjoy #MommyWednesday, where Moms or Dads can bring their toddlers 4-5 years old and enjoy all the exhibits for half-off per person. Explore the depth of the Aquarium Pyramid, see if you can find both sloths in the Rainforest Pyramid, and enjoy a 3D and 4D movie.

Moody Gardens is located at 1 Hope Blvd. in Galveston. For more info or tickets go to moodygardens.com.

Moody Gardens is located at 1 Hope Blvd. in Galveston. For more info or tickets go to moodygardens.com. 

Starting November 16th-January 12th, Holiday in the Gardens will take place. As the largest holiday destination in the Southwest, Moody Gardens offers more holiday attractions, activities, festive fun, dining and hotel packages than you can imagine.

The eight Holiday Attractions at Moody Gardens are Ice Land: Christmas Around the World, Festival of Lights, Cirque Joyeux, Holiday 3D Films, Rudolph 4D, Ice Skating, Arctic Slide, Train Rides, and Photos with Santa plus live entertainment, great food, group rates, hotel packages and more! 

There will also be ice skating, an arctic slide, photos with Santa, train rides and more.

Tickets are available in all kinds of combo packages as well as individual packages. Moody Gardens has SUPER Value Days for Bigger Discounts at Holiday in the Gardens! Admission starts at just $8.95 for Festival of Lights and $19.95 for ICE LAND with an additional $5 off for seniors and children at ICE LAND on these special days. For more information, including a calendar of Super Value Days, go to moodygardens.com/holiday_season/plan_your_visit.

Hours are 10am-10pm for Iceland daily. Festival of Lights is 6-10pm daily. Christmas day Iceland will open at 12 noon.

There is a live IceLand webcam set up at moodygardens.com/iceland_tent/ so that you can  see Ice Land: Christmas Around the World come to life.

Galveston Arts Center presents “Undercover,” a solo exhibition by Venezuelan-born and Houston-based artist Gerardo Rosales opening Saturday, October 12th, 6-9pm, with artist talk beginning at 6:30pm. Rosales explores issues of class, race, gender, and immigration to expose social inequalities experienced by immigrants coming from Latin America to the United States. Rosales appropriates ornamental aspects of folk art and geometric abstraction, infiltrated with elements that evoke adversity faced by these individuals looking for a better life, only to find themselves facing similar conditions of social and economic exclusion. His paintings include rich colors and patterns that juxtapose the harshness of the wilderness of the tropics with domestic imagery. His works mix conflict with playfulness as a means to exaggerate reality with irony. The exhibition will be on view through January 5th, 2020.

At GAC, Art Club lets creative kids in grades 3-8 (or about ages 9-14) build their skills in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and more.  Instructors focus on expanding students’ experience of art beyond the K-8 curriculum, introducing novel techniques, tools, concepts, and inspiration from the contemporary art world, including GAC’s rotating exhibitions. 

The Fall Semester cost is $180 or $150 for members which include 15-week course. The Spring Semester cost is $240 or $200 for GAC members for the 2-week course. Individual classes are available for $20 each – start at any time.

Every Tuesday (4:15-5:45pm): Art Club for Kids  is with Jessica Ninci. Every Wednesday (2:30-4pm): Art Club for Homeschooled Kids is with Amber Kaiser.

October 16th (4:30-6pm) and November 20th (4:30-6pm): Drop-In Virtual Reality – Kids and families are invited to step into the new world of virtual reality through the lenses of the Oculus Rift computer headset. Recommended Ages 6 and up.

November 6th, 13th and 20th  (5:30-7:30pm): Printmaking Studio – Taught by Amber Kaiser, these classes are for ages 14 to adults. In this three-week session, learn several ways to create a one-of-a-kind print, including how to manipulate ink directly on Plexiglass®, and run multiple prints over the same paper to create different combinations of designs. Bring sketches and/or reference material for the first session of each class. All basic materials are provided; advanced material recommendations come with instructions. All levels welcome; no experience necessary.  All techniques can be applied without advanced drawing skills. Class course is $75. 

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.