Galveston Pleasure Pier--is it worth it

[sapete]

We're arriving Thursday afternoon for a Saturday cruise (driving to Galveston).  What are the Pleasure Pier plusses?  Minuses?  Is it worth it?  Same thing for Moody Gardens.  TIA!

[ssb]

Its all relative to who's asking and your interests !

 

There is so much to do .

galveston.com

visitgalveston.com

galvestonhistory.org

bryanmuseum.com

many more

[kelkel2]

Is there parking/what does it cost?

[ssb]

3 hours ago, kelkel2 said:

Is there parking/what does it cost?

YES - Street parking and another very large lot across the street.

[MujerIsla]

On 2/14/2023 at 5:47 PM, sapete said:

We're arriving Thursday afternoon for a Saturday cruise (driving to Galveston).  What are the Pleasure Pier plusses?  Minuses?  Is it worth it?  Same thing for Moody Gardens.  TIA!

Depends. Do you have kids? I think the cost is more than the value...they're aren't a ton of rides. But kids seem to enjoy it. So if you're cool spending money to give kids an experience, then it's worth it. (For small kids, there definitely aren't enough rides to justify the cost). If that doesn't describe your situation, there are way better things to do in Galveston. 

 

There's a paid parking lot, metered street parking, and a few, elusive side street parking spots dedicated to beach access that are free. But the free spots likely won't be available during peak times.

 

Moody Gardens is expensive, but there's much more to do there for all age groups and interests. I'd say it's worth it. Free parking there. 

Edited March 1, 2023 by MujerIsla

[kelkel2]

1 hour ago, MujerIsla said:

Depends. Do you have kids? I think the cost is more than the value...they're aren't a ton of rides. But kids seem to enjoy it. So if you're cool spending money to give kids an experience, then it's worth it. (For small kids, there definitely aren't enough rides to justify the cost). If that doesn't describe your situation, there are way better things to do in Galveston. 

 

There's a paid parking lot, metered street parking, and a few, elusive side street parking spots dedicated to beach access that are free. But the free spots likely won't be available during peak times.

 

Moody Gardens is expensive, but there's much more to do there for all age groups and interests. I'd say it's worth it. Free parking there. 

Thanks for the info! Our twins will be 5 when we go and I realize it’s expensive, but I feel like we are for sure paying for the experience. 
I know the majority of the big rides they won’t be able to ride. But I assume it’s a typical boardwalk with food and stuff too, right? 

[MujerIsla]

1 hour ago, kelkel2 said:

Thanks for the info! Our twins will be 5 when we go and I realize it’s expensive, but I feel like we are for sure paying for the experience. 
I know the majority of the big rides they won’t be able to ride. But I assume it’s a typical boardwalk with food and stuff too, right? 

Sorta. Depends on when you go. If it's the offseason (October through early March), there's not always a ton open. So, for instance, yes there's a whole midway for games, but there were no people staffing them in late October when we went. There's a little bit of food, but not much. Ice cream, pizza, stuff like that. Honestly, I live here and didn't even bother with it until my kids were 8 years old. I think 5 year olds would definitely enjoy Moody Gardens more. But that's just my preference. 

[kelkel2]

1 minute ago, MujerIsla said:

Sorta. Depends on when you go. If it's the offseason (October through early March), there's not always a ton open. So, for instance, yes there's a whole midway for games, but there were no people staffing them in late October when we went. There's a little bit of food, but not much. Ice cream, pizza, stuff like that. Honestly, I live here and didn't even bother with it until my kids were 8 years old. I think 5 year olds would definitely enjoy Moody Gardens more. But that's just my preference. 

I looked into Moody Gardens and I just don’t know if the hours work great for us. They close at 4pm from what the website says. And I just don’t think we’d get our money’s worth out of it. We would be going in June so I assume that’s peak season and would be to our benefit. 

[MujerIsla]

1 hour ago, kelkel2 said:

I looked into Moody Gardens and I just don’t know if the hours work great for us. They close at 4pm from what the website says. And I just don’t think we’d get our money’s worth out of it. We would be going in June so I assume that’s peak season and would be to our benefit. 

Yes, everything should be fully open in June. Fingers crossed!

[ssb]

19 hours ago, MujerIsla said:

Yes, everything should be fully open in June. Fingers crossed!

For sure