The oldest and best known organized ghost tour in Galveston is Dash Beardsley's Ghost Tours of Galveston, which he began in 1999. In 2010, this 1-1/2 to 2 hour, wheelchair-friendly walking tour costs $15 for adults and $10 for children, and the regular tour includes a reportedly haunted railroad museum, a bank building, an old infirmary and several other spooky locations. Ghost Tours of Galveston also occasionally offers special tours, such as a tour of "The Old City Cemetery." The Ghost Tours of Galveston website recommends that you call or email for tour times and details, as these can change.
Ghost Tours of Galveston
25th and Strand Streets
Galveston, TX 77550
(832) 892-7419
ghosttoursofgalvestonisland.com
Every October, the Galveston Historical Foundation presents "Haunted Happenings," which features ghost tours of Ashton Villa (a house built in 1959 that survived both the great hurricane of 1900 and Hurricane Ike), a Haunted Harbor water excursion and a cemetery tour. The themes of the tours typically change each year. The Ashton Villa tour theme in 2009 was "Are We Haunted?" and cost $20 per person. This hour-long tour visited through the former family home, which is said to be haunted by the spirit of the original owner's daughter, Miss Bettie. The hour-long boat tour cost $15 in 2009, and featured stories about the activities of Jean Lafitte the pirate, who settled in Galveston, and the devastation caused by the storm of 1900 and Hurricane Ike. The cemetery tour, "Spirits of the Past," was added in the fall of 2009, when the cost was $12 per person. This walking tour visits the Broadway cemetery where some infamous Galvestonians are laid to rest.
Galveston Historical Foundation
502 20th Street
Galveston, TX 77550
(409) 765-7834
galvestonhistory.org
The Hotel Galvez, on the waterfront, opened in 1911. It has reportedly been the site of quite a bit of ghostly activity. The television show Ghost Lab filmed an episode at the hotel that aired in 2009 on The Discovery Channel. Room 500 is said to be the most haunted room of the hotel-- it is said that many years ago a woman hung herself in that room. The staff will not share this information unless you ask them specifically. (Room 500 is assigned to guests just like any other room.) The ladies room in the downstairs lobby is said to be the haunt of a noisy ghost who rattles the doors and flushes the toilets randomly. During the month of October, the hotel offers the "Ghosts of Galvez" two-night package that, in 2009, cost $525 on Friday and Saturday nights, or $325 on Sunday through Thursday. It includes a ghost tour, but the hotel does not guarantee that you will get Room 500.
Hotel Galvez
2024 Seawall Blvd
Galveston, TX 77550
(409) 765-7721
galveston.com/galvez
The palace was build by Colonel Walter Gresham between 1886 and 1892 and is now managed by the Galveston Historical Foundation. As of February 2010, it costs $10 (for adults) to tour the house. It is not billed as a "ghost tour." Nevertheless, Dash Beardsley of Ghost Tours of Galveston says, "This very haunted Texas Building is said to be the most haunted and often the first stop for any Ghost Hunter searching the paranormal trappings in Galveston, Texas.
Bishop's Palace
1402 Broadway
Galveston, TX 77550
(409) 762-2475
galveston.com/bishopspalace
