Tall Ships Are Bringing the Shock and Awe to Galveston: Towering Vessels Provide a Rare Window Into Another Time

It’s ships, ahoy like never before for Galveston. A fleet six tall ships strong is sailing swiftly to the port city this April. The colossal vessels will drop anchor from April 5 to April 8.

They are docking as part of Tall Ships Galveston, a maritime festival celebrating the first leg of the ships’ port-to-port race along the Gulf of Mexico. The Galveston Historical Foundation has teamed up with Tall Ships America to bring the spectacle to Galveston’s shore.

You can check out the port in this storm of family-friendly ship tours, special events, sail away excursions, live music, vendors, food and more from 10 am to 9 pm daily. Onboard tours are available from 10 am to 5 pm.

Tickets are $10 or $20 for admission plus onboard tours for adults, or $5 or $10, respectively, for children ages 7 to 12. Kids six and under get in free. Advance tickets are discounted 10 percent through April 1.

There’s a lot of appeal from a construction standpoint and historical standpoint. But in terms of sheer awe, you can’t deny that size matters. “When you get a couple of ships next to each other, the sheer size is impressive,” Galveston Historical Foundation’s director of communications and special events Will Wright tells PaperCity.

“People being able to walk on board those ships and really take part in an experience that you don’t get to anymore. It’s pretty awesome, pretty unique.”

The half-dozen ships range in stature, era and style, each with their own place in history. The United States’ own barque ELISSA, built in 1877, is participating. The Official Tall Ship of Texas is a floating museum of sorts, and one of three of her kind that actively sail. The beauty is also a National Historical Landmark. This testament to the Texas waterfront will help share Galveston’s story with the festivalgoers, Wright says.

“Before there were cars, before there were trains, there were ships,” Wright says. “Galveston’s history is directly tied to the harbor. It’s a very important piece of early Galveston history.”

Festivities launch on April 5 with the Parade of Sail down Seawall Boulevard. Ships in port will be open for public viewing, and most will feature dockside exhibitions and interactions with the crew. Each ship will promote its sailing missions and educational program.

Festival goers can watch the tall ships sail off into the sunset on April 8 at the Texas Seaport Museum’s Salute to Sunset Party. Tickets to the event are $50. Starting at 7 pm, guests can get access to tour one participating ship, complimentary St. Arnold’s beer, wine and light hors d’oeuvres.

Tall Ships Galveston will expose a whole host of guests to maritime history. It even goes to show that history repeats itself. As part of the race, the ELISSA will sail from Galveston to Pensacola, Florida —a path she chartered back in the late 1800s. Some things don’t just happen once in a lifetime.

But it’s possible Tall Ships Galveston goers will have the maritime of their lives.