Dare To Visit The Haunted Side of Galveston
Galveston, Texas - home to the deadliest storm in U.S. history - welcomes thrill seekers this spooky season.
The season for thrills and chills is here and Galveston Island’s ghostly history makes it one of the top destinations in the country for “haunted” travel. From an over a century old “haunted” hotel to Galveston’s storied harbor, cemeteries and Victorian mansions, this October the island will be bustling with visitors seeking to be spooked by numerous ghost stories that stem from the country’s deadliest natural disaster and other tragedies.
I once doubted the haunted nature of Galveston. Surely, ghosts don’t roam island streets and hotel hallways. All that changed one recent afternoon during lunch at what is now the Grand Galvez. While among some writers and some hotel staff, I noticed the knife on my bread plate vibrating out of control. I checked for shaking legs under the table. Nope. I checked overhead to see if the fan could cause this movement. Nope. And, our conversation at the time centered around the haunted stories that abound at this site. So, now I’m a believer.
Galveston holds a long reputation for ghost stories and historic haunts, including an 1867 building that once served as a temporary morgue after the devastating 1900 Storm. For years, that space housed Haunted Mayfield Manor , a theatrical haunted house experience inspired by the building’s eerie past. The attraction will close permanently in September 2025, but there’s still time to walk through its spine-chilling halls before the doors shut for good. Its legacy remains part of Galveston’s ghost-filled lore, with haunted tours and historic sites across the island keeping the island’s supernatural stories alive.
The Galveston Historical Foundation, which manages many of the island’s well-preserved historical sites and Victorian mansions, also offers ghost tours throughout October. Many of the island’s historic places have ghost stories attached to them as Galveston has been home to epidemics of disease, war, fires, storms and many merciless pirates, including the infamous Jean Laffite whose lavish and lawless den of thieves was the island’s first European settlement. This year, visitors can enjoy Haunted Harbor Tours in Galveston Bay and Galveston Ghost Stories in the city’s oldest home, the 1838 Menard House.
Many, many people have lived and died by these waters, and perhaps some of the dead still reside here. We invite our guests to listen to the stories and decide for themselves. But you don't have to believe in ghosts to know that the dead are a presence on this island.Dwayne Jones Executive Director of the Galveston Historical Foundation
