Galveston Island Tour: Exploring Mob History
4.7
12 Ratings
Galveston
Step back in time and explore the fascinating mob history of Galveston Island. Discover the glamorous era of world-class entertainers, casinos, and the infamous mob rules that governed the island.
Duration:
1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Antique Warehouse - Originally the Oleander Hotel in 1913. Listed in the Green Book as safe haven in the Jim Crow south. A place where the African American travelers could stay their journey to Galveston.
- Maceo Spice & Import Company - The starting point of the Mace Empire. Formally Sam and Rosarrio first barber shop where they bootlegged wine and spirits for their thirsty guest.
- Island Carriages - Formally the home of Molly Waters. One of the most famous houses on the island. Molly is Galveston’s most infamous Madam as she retired a millionaire. The house is currently being restored.
- Galveston Railroad Museum - At the height of the Red Light district, the railroad brought in 40,000 men a day all looking for love.
What's Included
- Experienced Tour Guide
Additional Information
Travel back to a period when the mafia ruled Galveston, and their patrons were valued like kin. Crossing the bridge, you entered ‘The Free State of Galveston,’ a place governed solely by mob law. The luminaries of the time were top-tier performers invited to entertain in the casinos, such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin. Everyone was living their own version of a ‘Vegas Dream,’ right in Galveston.
Location
2711 Market St
Market Street
We will meet outside of Gypsy Joynt Restaurant.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(12 Ratings)
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Jamespx3066tx
Nov 29, 2023
Excellent introduction to Galveston awesome history. - Excellent experience Tour guide was fun and incredibly knowledgeable. Everybody in our group had a great time. Highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anne
Mar 8, 2023
Great experience! - Tour guide was very informative and great answering questions. He was able to provide historical information as well as current updates. Definitely recommended 👍
Review provided by Tripadvisor
M7558wapatriciag
Oct 16, 2022
Galveston and Red light tour. - I thought this was a ghost tour. It was a history tour, but I really enjoyed it, regardless. Rob was great as a tour guide . He was very funny , friendly and made the experience a wonderful experience. Definitely will book another tour whenever I make another trip to Galveston. I recommend it. It was fun and interesting. Keep up the great work Rob.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Calapumur
Aug 30, 2022
Awesome tour - Awesome tour that ı ever been :) I got really good experience about Galveston. The guide was so nice and management was very helpful.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Celilisik
Aug 30, 2022
Exciting! - It was a great experiance!!! This is the best way for knowing galvestones history… You must take this tour!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
852bedirhan_
Aug 30, 2022
Great Tour - It was an amazing tour. I really enjoyed. So professional guides. If you thinking about to come here, dont miss this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Q7998qujulieo
Jun 1, 2022
Educational - This was a walking tour. The weather was perfect. No rain and not to hot with no bugs. This tour was very interesting. I knew somewhat about the red light district but not the behind the scenes. It was interesting listening to what went on. Little disappointed that we had to stay outside and the tour guide told us about inside the buildings. Would be nice to go inside and get a visual of what went on. I guess during the day on the weekend you can go in and the owner will give you a tour. But we were passing threw and will not be there for the weekend. It was nice she had some pictures of what things looked like inside.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dernh2021
Apr 6, 2022
Amazing - My wife and I are visiting for our honeymoon and we decided to experience some chills while we're chilling on the beautiful island of Galveston, we did the Dark of the Moon tour in the red light district with Noelle and she was so fun and knowledgeable about the history of Galveston. But we just couldn't get enough so we also did the Cemetery tour with Annette and her stories about the people buried there were to die for. Historic Galveston Ghost Tours rocks!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Devonr894
Feb 16, 2022
Fantastic tour - We had the best time on this tour. well spoken. Absolutely amazing detail really enjoy it highly recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brian_k
Jan 16, 2023
No show - Tour guide never showed up at the meeting point. There was also no contact information besides an email address. Still waiting for refund.
Review provided by Viator
