Galveston Naval Museum
Galveston Naval Museum
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Welcome Aboard! The Galveston Naval Museum is home to two Historic Naval Ships listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Touring both the USS Cavalla and the USS Stewart, you'll learn what sailors and submariners ate, where they slept and how they worked together as a fighting force during World War II. We are more than a WWII museum. We are an educational center and unique venue for Ship Sleepovers, private events and special occasions. Our Mission: To PRESERVE the historic integrity and authenticity of our ships. To REMEMBER and HONOR our Greatest Generation who sacrificed so much for our enduring freedom. To EDUCATE all generations about American history, U.S. Navy heritage and innovation, and the courage of our military heroes and their families.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • JohnnyBoy J
    Wisconsin199 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great little museum visit.
    This was our first time taking a tour of this type. It was self guided, so we took our time and explored both vessels. The sub was a very tight squeeze for my 6’ 3” frame. I wouldn’t have made a good sub-mariner. Watch your head. The destroyer was roomier. Both were being maintained passionately. Some stuff on the grounds to also enjoy. Worth the trip. Also, a good looking kids playground in the park if you bring a picnic lunch and make it an afternoon.
    Visited April 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written April 5, 2023
  • Sue C
    10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing ships, amazing men who served on them.
    A friend and I went to the naval museum in February of 2023. There weren't many people there, and it was nice to have the time to slowly go through the sub. Seeing the submarine quarters really brings home just how brave the men were who sailed in that ship. And to think of it being under attack is just plain frightening. My friend had always wanted to see the interior of a sub, so I was happy to help him complete that item on his bucket list. We then signed up to do the Hard-Hat Tour of the destroyer escort ship. That was also very interesting. I chickened out partway through the tour--it was just one small hatch where I had to reach with my feet for the ladder too many. But that's just me, I have a little vertigo and I don't do well with heights. The parts of the ship I did get to explore were fascinating. Especially the HUGE diesel engines! Amazing feats of engineering. This is a trip that almost anyone would enjoy. The displays throughout the sub and the destroyer escort help explain things, and seeing a couple of WWII veterans there and hearing them describe their experiences was really quite something. The staff of the facility is friendly, helpful, and were very understanding when I chickened out of the tour. We had a really enjoyable time, and I would go again if anyone from my family wanted to see the exhibits.
    Visited February 2023
    Written April 13, 2023
  • Terry G
    Fort Worth, Texas68 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great WWII Historical Gem at Seawolf Park
    This is a great place to see history! Two WWII vessels are there to tour. The USS Cavalla (submarine) and the USS Stewart DE-238 (destroyer escort). You can go inside the submarine and see how the crew lived and worked in a very tight space. It IS air conditioned inside so easy to take your time. After you tour Cavalla, it’s a quick walk to the Stewart. Once again, this gives great insight as to how our sailors lived and worked. Thank them ALL for their service.
    Visited April 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written April 20, 2023
  • craigcorbell
    Houston, Texas7 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great thing to do
    We had no idea it one time. Galveston ‘s pelican Island was the second largest immigration court next to Ellis island in New York. They’ve got two spectacular vessels, there, a submarine, and a ship. We learn so much and it’s hard to believe I have not spent much time there before.
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written May 20, 2023
  • P H
    202 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A beautiful, sobering treasure
    The USS Stewart and Cabala - Escort Destroyer and submarine ARE the museum. You’re free to walk about and explore. If you have any imagination at all - this is quite impressive. A cadre of volunteers were there scraping rust and painting to keep the ship in, well, ship-shape!
    Visited April 2023
    Written May 31, 2023
  • Magic Man Mike
    Lake Charles, Louisiana163 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    All aboard
    Parking for the museum cost you $6 not including the ticket prices. We toured the ship and submarine on our own. Both tours were self guided or you can pick a time for a guided tour. It took us about 1 1/2 hours for the tour through both the ship and submarine. First time to visit these naval units and enjoyed our walking tour.
    Visited July 2023
    Written July 29, 2023
  • 404HappyTraveller
    Saskatchewan, Canada496 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Tour through an actual submarine and a destroyer!
    This is a unique museum, as it has both an actual submarine, and a destroyer escort. Both have been adapted somewhat to allow for touring through them, but still retain all of the original atmosphere of when they were carrying out their missions. Most every area of both vessels are open, and touring through gives you a good view into life onboard for officers and crew. I never thought I would stand on the deck of an actual destroyer, or walk through a submarine, but now I’ve done both. As well, there is a good display that is mostly reading and photography telling the stories of the essential parts that women had in WW II. Very enlightening.
    Visited March 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 6, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles677 reviews
Excellent
344
Very good
215
Average
87
Poor
19
Terrible
12

EFW2014
Woolwich, ME1,173 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Couples
Wasn’t a great visit, was suppose to be free while restoration work was going on. The girl running the booth tried to make us pay, I explained what the web page stated and she then quickly changed her story to we still got to pay $6 for parking!

We didn’t get a great vibe, we feel she tried to take us, we opted to not park or visit. To bad I was looking forward to the visit.

Her customer service needs work, she was trying to put her hair back in a ponytail at the same time as talking to us, rude!
Written March 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am so sorry for your terrible experience. The Cavalla Historical Foundation manages the Ships and the Galveston Park Board operates Seawolf Park and the booth. I hope you will let the Seawolf Park know about your experience. The Museum's Foundation and the Park Board are currently in a spat over management of the ships and unfortunately, your experience is the result. We hope you will come back once the museum has reopened. We still don't have a date for that, but we would be happy to have you back as our guests. Please be sure to call us at the Museum's Phone number on the website and we will get you all set up. Please be sure to reference this message and me, Urs Schmid (Board Member). Again, so sorry for the inconvenience. -Urs Schmid
Written March 10, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Redbootz1
Uk3 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2020 • Family
We actually loved visiting here. We came two days in a row as my daughter was so excited. The first day was good and everyone was in masks and being respectful to others. And I would have given five stars.

We came again today and we didn’t see many people, we put our masks on. We didn’t realise two people were in front of us below in the submarine and they had masks below there nose and then two other delinquents came with no masks at all. So we were stuck in the middle of complete and utter disrespectful idiots. Now I know some are not that educated and clearly they lacked any common sense but people need to realise the lack of ventilation on an enclosed submarine! I am furious I made a massive point and yet they failed to put on a mask and got even closer. And they wonder why so many in this county are sick. Yes we took a risk but we respected the regulations and put the mask on and kept them on as to be respectful and to keep safe.

I feel staff should be at be top of the submarine to enforce masks when entering and having a limit to how and when people can enter. This wasn’t even a busy day. They need a staff member below in the submarine to enforce mask wearing. It’s not hard.

Also one man on the gate for parking etc his mask was not a mask again a safety issue which on the first day we did not encounter. I am very disappointed and now we will have to isolate for two weeks and pray we did not get anything off these pillocks!
Written December 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sonopete
Bogota, Colombia826 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
It's a self guided tour. The whole tour can be done in about 45 minutes. Please note that in addition to the ticket, you will be charged parking. Friendly staff. Clean grounds.  

This may be a small museum, but it is very interesting to see. You will be able to climb aboard the Historic WWII Submarine USS Cavalla and WWII Destroyer Escort USS Stewart.

There is fishing at the same park as well.
Written January 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Magic Man Mike
Lake Charles, LA163 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023
Parking for the museum cost you $6 not including the ticket prices. We toured the ship and submarine on our own. Both tours were self guided or you can pick a time for a guided tour. It took us about 1 1/2 hours for the tour through both the ship and submarine. First time to visit these naval units and enjoyed our walking tour.
Written July 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mark T
Houston, TX437 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2022
I paid $6 for parking and $13 for admission to the museums. I am not going to complain. We are supposed to know the money before our visit.

When I paid the admission, the cashier asked me " Are you a military veteran?" I had to say" I am from Japan. I was your enemy." lol. It seemed to me that the park had some military discount.

I saw a sign for anglers. It says " The anglers can fish two sharks." Who can catch the shark????

The museum was very educational. The submarine Cavalla was kind of small and narrow. Probably, Americans were not fat during the war. If you are oversized, you may not move inside the submarine.

Stewart was a bit bigger. I really enjoyed the views of the Gulf.

Overall, $13+$6 was not bad. I want to visit again.
Written November 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Something Tookish
Cheyenne, WY3,114 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021
The park is seperate from the military display area, so there is a parking fee. It is wonderful they were able to rescue and preserve these historic ships. The sub is very well preserved but the destroyer escort is suffering from rust issues. It is still worth the visit and to read their story. It is called Seawolf Park in remembrance of a WWII sub that didn't return. The compass on the ground has plaques of all the WWII subs that are still on patrol.
Written April 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JSP799
Rocklin, CA38 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023 • Friends
Visited Galveston Navel Museum on Pelican Island. It was a self guided tour of a WW II submarine, USS Cavella and a destroyer, USS Stewart. Very interesting. You do have to be able to climb steps and, especially in the submarine go through small doorways and climb down stairs it see the interior of the sub.

Nice park on the island to watch the busy port.
Written February 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Miles Archer
Boca Raton, FL7,616 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2020 • Solo
The submarine here, the USS Cavalla, sank a Japanese aircraft carrier during World War II.

USS Stewart, a destroyer escort, saw duty in the Atlantic and Pacific during that war.

I was in the Army, not the Navy, and I don't know much about Navy ships. So these two vessels were interesting and edifying to me. I felt cramped just visiting the submarine. I couldn't imagine myself actually being a crew member on this ship. Too confining and claustrophobic. Exploring these ships gave me a lot of respect for the sailors that served on them, especially in wartime.
Written December 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

rudolfhorak1975
Miami, FL74 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022
I love history and I got a mailer in for support for this museum, I wanted to see what my donation supported. The highlight of the museum is the submarine, this WW3 sub sunk the Shakaku one of the Japanese ships that played a role in the bombing of Perl Harbor. It is quite the experience to be able to walk into a WW2 submarine. I can almost imagine the crew of 79 doing their daily work on this sub. The other attraction is the destroyer and again just amazing to be able to really check out this ship as well. How much you explore is up to you. I do recommend comfortable shoes. The only thing that was missing was maybe a tour guide, just someone there to talk about the ships. Very impressed and highly recommend it. It is history you can explore.
Written January 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Terry G
Fort Worth, TX68 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023 • Friends
This is a great place to see history! Two WWII vessels are there to tour. The USS Cavalla (submarine) and the USS Stewart DE-238 (destroyer escort). You can go inside the submarine and see how the crew lived and worked in a very tight space. It IS air conditioned inside so easy to take your time. After you tour Cavalla, it’s a quick walk to the Stewart. Once again, this gives great insight as to how our sailors lived and worked. Thank them ALL for their service.
Written April 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Galveston Naval Museum - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Frequently Asked Questions about Galveston Naval Museum

Galveston Naval Museum is open:
  • Sun - Sat 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM