Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier

Originally built in the late 1940s as recreation for the military, the now named Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier was given to the city after World War II. For decades, the historic Pleasure Pier drew in waves tourism as an iconic family destination on Galveston’s Seawall Boulevard and the Texas Gulf Coast until 1961 when Hurricane Carla hit Texas, destroying everything on the pier. In 1965, the Flagship Hotel, then the country’s only hotel built entirely over the water, opened on the site, but that was irreparably damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008. In 2012, Landry’s invested to transform the Pleasure Pier into a nostalgically themed amusement park, which has returned glory to the pier. Today, the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier rivals similar attractions like Chicago’s Navy Pier, the Santa Monica Pier and Coney Island’s Luna Park. In 2013, the Pleasure Pier was recognized by Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards as one of the world’s Top 5 seaside parks. The 1,130-foot pier extends out over the Gulf of Mexico at 25th Street and Seawall Boulevard and is home to Texas’ first Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant, various shops, entertaining midway games and 16 rides, exhilarating coasters for thrill seekers.

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