Let’s start with the Texas Star Flyer on Galveston Island’s

Now, your average swing ride at an amusement park takes a wooden seat from the 1950s, puts a bar across your midsection and safely spins you about 10 mph roughly 15 feet off the ground. The Texas Star Flyer, on the other hand, is what happens to a swing ride after it evolves for a century. Riders spin almost 100 feet off the ground at 43 mph. The ride also offers views of the Gulf of Mexico while you’re twisting in the breeze. It’s a stunning sight, though every few moments it’s interrupted by a rip-roaring sound that shakes the pier.

In those moments, the Iron Shark comes alive.

The Iron Shark coaster, opened in 2012, was the first of

Historic Pleasure Pier.

its kind in Texas. As a Euro-coaster, it’s distinguished by its daunting drops and tantalizing heights. At one point, the ride rises 230 feet above the Gulf.

“It’s a phenomenal view of the island,” says Joe Zdunek, the pier’s general manager. “From up there, you can see just about anything.”

And there’s a lot to see—particularly if you’re a thrill-seeker.

Galveston Island is revered for its beaches, but it’s also a must-see destination for visitors who love to get their adrenaline pumping. Each year, people from across the world travel to destinations like Schlitterbahn Waterpark and the Pleasure Pier, and while they’re here, they find a new favorite adventure via one of the Island’s many locallyowned attractions.

“We see people come from Europe all the time to check out the Island and ride some of the rides they’ve heard about through friends or online,” says Ayla Lambert, a spokeswoman for Galveston’s Schlitterbahn Waterpark. “While they’re here, they have so many other options to have a great time.”

Now it’s your turn to experience the adventures that have inspired visitors to traverse oceans. Here’s your guide to some of the thrilling attractions available to you on Galveston Island:

Adventures By Air

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to fly in a helicopter, this is your chance to find out. Located at the local airport (2115 Terminal Drive), Galveston Helicopter Tours offers a series of aerial adventure options for you and your fellow travelers.

If you’re seeking stellar views, the comprehensive “Around the Island” tour is true to its name. You’ll fly over 24 miles and see everything from the magnificent Moody Gardens to picturesque Pelican Island. Or if it’s romance you seek, just imagine how it’ll feel to glide through the sky at sunset with your significant other at your side and the beaches below as the sun recedes into the background: That’s the experience you can have via the “Sunset Tour.”

Of course, you may just want a classic helicopter experience. If so, the local business’ “Great Value” and “Sea Life” tours offer aerial adventures starting at just $50. And like the Texas Star Flyer, these tours give you an excellent opportunity to spot dolphins as they skip across the ocean— only this time, you’re flying hundreds of feet above the sea. If you’re a lover of great thrills and even better views, what can be better than that?

Well, jumping out of the plane, perhaps. For the die-hard thrillseekers reading this, the answer might be skydiving. Led by instructors with decorated military careers and thousands of jumps on their CVs, Skydive Galveston stands by its promise to deliver a lifechanging experience (though there won't be much standing involved).

Whether you are a veteran skydiver or a first-timer, this experienced crew will do everything they can to make your jump both safe and exhilarating. What's more, while you may be focused on the fact that you're plummeting toward the ground, the Skydive Galveston experience also offers stunning views of the ocean and all the Island's surrounding beauty. In short, it's the kind of adventure you'll cherish forever—and the most fun you'll ever have jumping out of an airplane. To get there, you'll simply hop over to Stewart Road, then hop off the aircraft roughly 14,000 feet in the sky.

Adventures By Sea

Speaking of air, have you ever been on an airboat?

Propelled by the sort of propeller you’d usually find on an aircraft, these boats can reach hair-raising speeds without the ecological damage caused by other boats. Plus, on Galveston Island, Hal Newsom’s Airboat Tours can reach parts of the marsh other watercraft simply cannot navigate.

“You can really fly on an airboat,” says Newsom, who offers tours to visitors throughout the year. He summarizes the distinctive experience like this: “If you've never been on an airboat, you've never been on an airboat. There’s really nothing else like it.”

Newsom’s experience has earned him the title of “master captain”; he’s been running airboats for over two decades.

Newsom has since commissioned custom-made boats from an outfit in Florida, and like Schlitterbahn, the experiences he leads have thrilled families from across the world. In fact, younger visitors can even get a crash course in boating from the master captain himself (see sidebar). Newsom’s airboat tours are also a perfect way to immerse yourself in the sea life and marshlands of Galveston Island.

But airboat tours are far from the only waterbound thrill available to adrenaline lovers during their time on the

Experiences for Young Thrill-Seekers

While many of the adventures in this story are fit for the whole family, it’s worth noting that Galveston offers plenty more exciting activities appropriate for younger thrill-seekers (see our “Things to Do” section for more details). If your children aren’t quite ready for gargantuan slides or the crazy curves of a ride in a slingshot, they may enjoy the mini thrills of Schlitterbahn's Bahnzai Pipeline or the Guada Loopy. Both rides can be enjoyed by two visitors, so your kiddos will have company as they scoot down the slide. Likewise, your youngsters will enjoy the Pleasure Pier’s plentiful offerings of kid-friendly attractions, including the Frog Hopper bouncer for younger riders and bumper cars for those who want something a little more competitive.

“All of the kid-friendly rides are at the front of the pier,” says general manager Joe Zdunek. “You can spend hours near the entrance watching your kids sample all kinds of rides.”

Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that Hal Newsom gives his young patrons a chance to captain the boat during airboat tours.

“I'll show them how to do it, and it’s completely safe for everyone on board,” Newsom says. “All the kids who give it a try have the biggest ear-to-ear grins you’ll ever see.”

Island. If you and your family want some good old-fashioned high-octane thrills, look no further than the jet boat thrill rides from Galveston Water Adventures. For 25 thrilling minutes, you and your crew can feel as if you’re in a highspeed boat chase straight out of a Bond film. Each boat holds up to 11 passengers, and every trip features enough speedy spins and tight turns to satisfy thrill-seekers of every age. This experience also includes the famed “Hamilton Spin,” a move in which a boat splints 360 degrees on its axis, simultaneously throwing a cascade of water into the air. All that’s missing is the Bond villain giving pursuit (which is probably a good thing.)

And no rundown of water adventures would be complete without mentioning the joys of jet skiing. On that front, Galveston Island has plenty of options for veterans and novices alike—including Galveston Jet Ski Rentals, which can deliver jet skis and ski boats to the front door of your rental or any lake or bay in the Galveston area. You’ve already pictured what it’s like to soar in a copter with the ocean far below; now imagine this: The wind is in your hair, the sea is right beneath you, and you’re gliding through the water on a craft of your command. You decide where to go and how fast to get there. The Island, in essence, is your playground.

Adventures By Land

After you’ve tried your hand at jet skiing, you may be craving a land-bound thrill to match the fun you felt at sea. Look no further than Galveston Slingshot Rentals. Slingshots are sleek, three-wheeled motorcycles with vibrant colors and low seating perfect for any speedy journey. Automatic and manual rides are available, and you can rent a ride to coast around town at your leisure. These nifty speedsters are available to rent for two, four, six, 10 or even 24 hours.

Thus, if your quick spin manages to ignite within you a love of slingshot riding (spoiler alert: it almost definitely will), you can return to Galveston Slingshot Rentals and re-up the ride for a daylong adventure. Or, maybe you can slingshot your way to Schlitterbahn Waterpark.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention all of the splashy, sun-soaked fun that awaits you at the revered waterpark’s Galveston location. If you’re reading this, you may be familiar with the Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels. But don’t make the mistake of thinking both parks are exactly alike—not when the park in Galveston is home to a ride that was, at one point, the world’s largest water coaster.

The aptly named MASSIV Monster Blaster (pronounced “mass-eve,” in the traditional German style) opened in 2016 to much fanfare. Lambert, the park’s spokeswoman, says waterpark “enthusiasts” traveled from across the world to climb the 123 steps it takes to get to the top of this intimidating attraction. After your ascension, you’ll speed down a twisty, turny slide that is 926 feet long—or roughly the distance of three football fields.

“The ride gives you a strong start and a strong finish,” Lambert says. “There are no lulls, and there’s not another water coaster like that in the world.”

As if that weren’t exciting enough, Schlitterbahn also added a ride called Rohr! to its Galveston location. This drop isn’t for the faint of heart. In fact, some might feel faint merely watching riders plunge down the steep vertical drop that has made this ride another fan favorite.

Rohr! is topped by an imposing 70-foot tower, and after falling from that height (with no floatie, mind you), riders can reach up to 30 mph.

“Because of TikTok, people from Germany have seen videos of the speeds people can reach on Rohr!” Lambert says. “There’s a growing community of waterpark enthusiasts, and there’s a lot of people that want to experience the fun a park like ours can offer after three years of a pandemic. We’re here for anyone who wants an adventure.”

YOUR

ADVENTURE ’ S FINAL CHAPTER

After you’ve experienced an airboat, jumped out of an airplane, plunged down precipitous heights and slingshotted your way across Galveston, you might like to end your day watching the sun set at Pleasure Pier.

According to Zdunek, the pier is “the quintessential beach town experience.” You might even see the general manager and his 2 -year-old daughter enjoying the pier’s elephant ride, which is currently her favorite. (“That will probably change by the time this runs, though,” Zdunek notes.)

But before that big Texas sun goes down, you might be tempted to see what all that joyful shouting is about. In other words, you might find yourself drawn to the Iron Shark, perhaps for the second or third time. And as the sky turns from blue to orange to black, you might find yourself having the time of your life.

“TOP 10 BEACHES FOR FAMILIES”

Family Vacation Critic

Located where Broadway Avenue meets the Seawall, Stewart Beach is Galveston’s premier family-friendly beach park. Stewart Beach offers all you need for a day of fun, including umbrella & chair rentals, playground, beach supplies and snack shop, outdoor showers, ADA-accessible restrooms, and free beach wheelchair rentals. Beach Season runs March through October.

$50