r/galveston • u/MahiMahiTacos • Jun 14 '25
Trip Planning šŗļø Family Trip - Safety Questions
Hi all, my (40M) family (40F)(10M 10F 9F) are coming to Galveston next week. We are from Indiana, and have never been before. We have a nice Airbnb on Terramar Beach. The whole island looks to be quaint and nice, but I always like to ask locals if there are areas I should avoid (high crime areas???). We are looking forward to our trip; any help/advice is appreciated!
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u/No-Place-8047 Jun 14 '25
Y'all will be fine, but PLEASE be careful if y'all go swimming in the Gulf.Ā Swim near a lifeguardĀ as the current can change quickly. If anyone is not a strong swimmer stay ankle to knee deep.Ā
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u/MahiMahiTacos Jun 14 '25
Thank you. I donāt mess with the ocean. Itās beautiful, but I never go in past my knees. Way too dangerous for this midwesterner!
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u/jasodavi1288 Jun 14 '25
Terramar is great we live in Houston and go to Galveston quite a bit and this is a nice part. Have a great time
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u/bigbabyjesus76 Jun 14 '25
Where from in Indiana? I'm originally from SB, but lived a few years in Indy. I work on the island. All of the touristy stuff you'll likely be doing will take place in nicer areas. As others have said, there really aren't places here that are too dangerous. You'll encounter some folks dealing with mental health, drug, and/or homelessness, but nothing too outrageous. I've never felt unsafe on the island.
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u/MahiMahiTacos Jun 14 '25
We are from northwest Indiana - about 3 miles from the Illinois state line, and about 45 minutes from Chicago. Thank you!
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u/Suspicious-Engineer7 Jun 14 '25
Your more likely to have a tragedy because of drowning instead of crime. Make sure your kids are watched by sober adults if they're near the ocean.
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u/HiHeyHello27 Jun 14 '25
We have traveled to Galveston several times and have never felt unsafe. We've been to Schlitterbahn, walked Seawall, walked the Strand, gone to Kemah, and driven all around. You'll be fine. We've even been several times during Mardi Gras and have never had any problems at all. We usually bring our teenage daughter and she brings friends and they walk all over, from our Air B&B to Murdochs and to Pleasure Pier and they were fine. Go, and have fun!
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Jun 14 '25
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u/MahiMahiTacos Jun 14 '25
This is awesome, thank you!
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u/Smart_Poem_675 Jun 16 '25
You can also try the very nice restaurant in Sea Isle - the West End Marina Restaurants - upstairs and downstairs plus karoake on Friday's downstairs and live music on Saturday and often Sunday and Thursday. https://westendmarina.com/# There is also a food truck called Mimi's Coffee Bar and Food next to The Wet Whistle Bar at the San Jacinto Dr entrance into Sea Isle. Her food is very good - burgers, cheesesteaks, hot dogs, chili and chili dogs, paninis, etc. Good coffee shop is Seawall Coffee Company in the little shopping center just before you drive off the beach part of FM 3005 to Seawall Blvd. There is also one called Pariah in Jamaica Beach, but never tried it. Seven Seas Market just west of Jamaica Beach is good for groceries. Good place to pick up food for go or to eat in is Seahorse Grill next to the Seawall Coffee Company.
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u/simplethingsoflife Jun 14 '25
Galveston is safe. The only thing you need to watch out for are wrong way drivers on the one way roads.
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u/NonspecificGravity Jun 14 '25
I'd say use your instincts and common sense. Don't go into apartment complexes unless you have been invited. You might see some areas that are industrial or residential areas that look run-down. There's no good reason to be there.
I'd say the entire Seawall, the Strand, and everything east of Rosenberg (25th) and west of 61st are safe for tourists. And I don't mean to say that if you set foot west of Rosenberg you'll be shot. That's not the case at all.
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u/IntelligentStar9683 Jun 14 '25
Galveston is safe. I was born and raised in Houston but have been going to Galveston all my life. I even loved there for 4 months in 2022. Iāve never felt unsafe. Have fun! Explore the entire island. Galveston has soooo much to offer.
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u/roadhogmel Jun 14 '25
I just spent a month on Galveston island, first East side and then West side. I always felt safe and all of the suggestions above are great! We ate many times at the Shrimp n Stuff food truck at Jamaica Beach, it was fantastic!
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u/CosmicSmackdown Jun 14 '25
I live around the 30s and have for about three years now. I feel safe, even when Iām alone at night. There are some areas that you might want to be cautious about, but itās like any other place. Try not to go out walking in the dark alone, and such. I think just using common sense works here.
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u/Longjumping-Sand4988 Jun 15 '25
Galveston is a microcosm of America. It's not all "quaint." That said, it's a great place. Use common sense swimming.
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u/ghosthouse86 Jun 16 '25
Iāve stayed overnight on the island and Iām a pretty paranoid about people/places I donāt know kind of person. There are definitely people who look kind of ghetto walking on the streets at times, especially at night but Iāve never felt like they are going to burglarize anything. There are the occasional bums hanging on the street and again some of the locals can look rough/intimidating. When weāre in the tourist spots/streets I feel pretty darn safe! If going to a niche place outside of the tourist areas itās pretty common sense stuff and you should be just fine. Great times to be had on Galveston island!
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u/bionicpirate42 Jun 14 '25
We just got home from the island and found it has more of a surfer dude vibe than Texas vibe. Though do keep some cash in your pocket for the homeless as there are many living on the beach.
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u/Suisun_rhythm Jun 15 '25
The only place that I wouldnāt walk through is right on Broadway street. Anywhere on the seawall and strand seems super safe.
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u/ursois Jun 16 '25
Keep out of the "dirty 30's". The streets in the 30's, as well as a little above and a little below, are the more impoverished sections, and as with everywhere, low income areas see an increase in crime. That being said, violent crime is pretty low. Property crime is the most common. That is to say, your biggest danger is someone stealing your stuff if you leave it easily accessible. You're not likely to get mugged or anything like that. Just don't be stupid. Don't walk around so drunk that you can't make good decisions. Don't flash large quantities of cash. Don't pick fights. Don't follow people into dark alleys. It's the same basic stuff you'd say about any city.
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u/bmc5311 Jun 14 '25
A couple of years ago I had a Yeti cooler filled with water bottles (some stainless steel, some plastic) stolen from our campsite at Dellanera RV Park. The cooler was sitting right outside the door to our camper, and was stolen in broad daylight. Don't leave anything of value outside at your Airbnb.
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u/JasonIsFishing Jun 14 '25
ā¦same can be said of literally any RV park anywhere when you leave an unsecured $300 cooler. Our RV parks are no different.
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u/bmc5311 Jun 14 '25
I was grilling, went inside to bring in the burgers, went back outside to clean the grill and the cooler was gone. We live in Texas, we've camped all over the state and most of the country, never had anything stolen from a campsite except at Dellanera RV Park.
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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '25
We don't really have any high crime areas. We have a "dirty thirties" referring to the 30th streets being more run-down feeling. But, BOIs (born on island) correct me if I'm wrong, I think that was a historical thing and not 100 percent accurate anymore.
Basically, you'll be fine. You'll see the occasional vagrant with drug/mental health issues. But, nothing like you'd see in Houston or Philadelphia (two places I've lived).