A colorful history of the island city on Texas’s Gulf Coast and its survival through times of piracy, plague, civil war, and devastating natural disaster. On the Gulf edge of Texas between land and sea stands Galveston Island. Shaped continually by wind and water, it is one of earth’s ongoing creations, where time is forever new. Here, on the shoreline, embraced by the waves, a person can still feel the heartbeat of nature. And yet, for all the idyllic possibilities, Galveston’s history has been anything but tranquil. Across Galveston’s sands have walked Indians, pirates, revolutionaries, the richest men of nineteenth-century Texas, soldiers, sailors, bootleggers, gamblers, prostitutes, physicians, entertainers, engineers, and preservationists. Major events in the island’s past include hurricanes, yellow fever, smuggling, vice, the Civil War, the building of a medical school and port, raids by the Texas Rangers, and, always, the struggle to live in a precarious location. Galveston: A History is an engrossing account that also explores the role of technology and the often contradictory relationship between technology and the city, providing a guide to both Galveston history and the dynamics of urban development.

When fourteen-year-old Abby Kate boards the train in Austin to spend three weeks with her grandmother in Galveston, she's full of excitement--about the train ride and the prospect of days on the beach, exploring Galveston with her cousin Jane, family picnics, and her grandmother's good food. But things go wrong even before she gets to her grandmother's house. Abby Kate gets off the train briefly in Houston--and the train leaves without her. Stranded in the railroad station, she is befriended by a man traveling with his two sons and eventually reaches Galveston safely. Then word comes that Abby Kate's young brother, Will, has diphtheria, and she will have to stay in Galveston indefinitely. Abby Kate is still in Galveston on September 8 when a massive hurricane strikes the city. At first the prospect of a storm is exciting. But as Abby Kate takes an ill-advised trip to watch the waves crash on the beach, the storm turns into a terrifying monster. Unable to make it back to Grandmother Linden's house, Abby Kate, her older cousin Ellen, and Ellen's friend Ian take refuge in the home of one of Ian's teachers. When the house falls apart, Abby Kate is on her own, clinging to a plank in swirling waters with the wind howling around her head. With vivid descriptions, Julie Lake plunges the reader into the storm right along with Abby Kate. The Galveston hurricane of September 8, 1900, remains the worst national disaster to hit the United States. And Abby Kate? She's spunky, mischievous, kind and caring, courageous when she has to be, and absolutely irresistible!

For more than a hundred years, Galveston has lured visitors with the therapeutic effects of her warm Gulf waters. Today, Galveston is much more than just a beach, and with so many appealing year-round attractions, it's hard to know where to begin your adventure. With 100 Things to Do in Galveston Before You Die as your guide, you won't miss any of the history, art, festivals, and dining that bring visitors in droves and keep locals happy. Step inside Bishop's Palace, considered one of the best examples of Victorian architecture in the United States. Visit Katie's Seafood for a fresh Gulf catch or Gaido's Seafood Restaurant, but make sure to save room for its amazing Pecan Crunch Pie. Nurture your love for history and the arts by catching a show at The Grand 1894 Opera House. Take the kids to Moody Gardens to meet a penguin. And no visit to Galveston would be complete without getting some sand between your toes at Texas' most popular beach. Local co-authors Christine Ruiz Hopkins and Heidi Lutz bring their expert insiders' perspectives to this jam-packed guide full of hidden gems and top picks. You'll get the most from an island stay in Galveston by checking their carefully curated suggestions off your list.

Join Pepe the Travelling Penguin as he goes on a new adventure and finds himself in Galveston, Texas with his human friend Leo. Pepe has never seen the ocean, spent time on a beach or met other penguins. Will this be the adventure to experience all these great things? Come along and find out!

In this witty, thoughtful, and clear-eyed look at a place that has engaged the imaginations and energies of generations of Galvestonians, Texans, and others, writer M. Jimmie Killingsworth and photographer Geoff Winningham reflect on the various Galvestons—virtual and real, natural and artificial—that compete and overlap to create a location, a destination, and the defining experiences associated with “going to Galveston.” From the tepid, still waters and steamy beaches of the Texas Gulf Coast to the computerized, air-conditioned seductions of places like Moody Gardens and the Rainforest Café, Galveston offers a wide array of opportunities for observation of the frequently ironic interplay of human and natural history. Killingsworth’s affectionate, wry prose and Winningham’s distinctive, surprising images offer a unique tribute to Galveston’s past, present, and future: a barrier island that once hosted native peoples, shipwrecked Spaniards, and buccaneers; a birding hotspot that draws nature watchers from all over the world to its estuarine and bay habitats; a hurricane-buffeted city built for tourism, with a storied—sometimes shady—nightlife, a restored historic downtown district, and a trucked-in beach. Going Back to Galveston is a deeply personal meditation on why and how people relate to the places they love. With Killingsworth and Winningham as your guides, explore the multisensory realities: bays and beaches, birding and fishing; grand hotels and Victorian mansions alongside tumbledown docks and sleazy bars; glitzy, modern palaces of recreation and posh eateries competing with fast-food joints and vendors of tourist trinkets. Going Back to Galveston is an excursion you can carry in your hand—one you’ll want to take again and again.

After being diagnosed with lung cancer, Roy Cady kills the men hired by his loan shark boss to kill him, and flees to Galveston, Texas, with a prostitute and her young sister, where they face more problems.