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Texas (TX)
Texas Gulf Coast
Galveston Island
Galveston
Things to Do in Galveston
Old City Cemetery
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Old City Cemetery

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See all things to do
Old City Cemetery
4.5
79 reviews
#20 of 78 things to do in Galveston
Points of Interest & Landmarks • Cemeteries
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< 1 hour
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Best nearby
Restaurants
215 within 3 miles
Gaido's
5,328
0.4 mi$$$$ • American • Seafood • Vegetarian Friendly
Shrimp N Stuff
1,745
0.5 mi$ • Quick Bites • American • Seafood
Nick's Kitchen and Beach Bar
1,188
0.5 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Bar • Seafood
Papa's Pizza
407
0.4 mi$ • Italian • Pizza • Vegetarian Friendly
Salsa's Mexican Restaurant
958
0.5 mi$$ - $$$ • Mexican • Vegetarian Friendly • Vegan Options
Gumbo Diner
894
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Cajun & Creole • Cafe
Lupita Tex Mex Restaurant
4
0.1 miMexican
Mi Abuelitas Mexican Restaurant
83
0.3 mi$ • Mexican
Sugar & Rye
16
0.4 miAmerican • Steakhouse • Bar • Seafood
Ben & Jerry's
174
0.4 mi$ • Dessert • American
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Attractions
73 within 6 miles
Anne Lane Gallery
2
0.3 miArt Galleries • Art Museums
The Seawall
2,922
0.8 miHistoric Walking Areas
The Bryan Museum
339
1.7 miArt Galleries • Architectural Buildings
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
12
0.5 miReefs • Nature & Wildlife Areas
Moody Mansion
778
1.5 miHistoric Sites • History Museums
Galveston's 61st Street Fishing Pier
457
1.5 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks • Piers & Boardwalks
Grand 1894 Opera House
392
2 miTheaters
Rosenberg Library
207
1.7 miLibraries
1892 Bishop's Palace
1,347
2.2 miHistoric Sites
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2.2 miSpeciality Museums • Science Museums
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
79 reviews
Excellent
45
Very good
27
Average
7
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Douglas H
1 contribution
I walked with the dead in Galveston
Apr 2022 • Friends
Very exciting. Had a great time. The tour guide was incredibly fun and interesting highly recommend. Everybody in the groups seem to have a wonderful time. I'm going to take other tours with this company
Written May 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Terri B
Houston, TX8 contributions
Very interesting.
Jun 2022 • Family
Definitely have pictures of ghost from the cemetery tour. The lady in black was awesome and full of history. Third picture was at the grave stone of the children that the mother gave tainted wine. Enlarge and you can see a child’s face with bangs combed to the side and a face.
Written June 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1234texas
Seabrook, TX2,407 contributions
For a town this size, it is huge with impressive monuments and structures
Jun 2020
A cemetary is a great place to do a historic walk--you learn so much about the city and and the people/families that made it great. Galveston was at one time known as "The Wall Street of the South" for good reason--cotton, financial empires, and trade. It was a major port city until it was surpassed by Houston. During that time, the city grew and was very prosperous. The mansions in the city are a real testament as to the great wealth of many families--who are buried here.

As cemeteries go, this one is a good one; well maintained, attractive sculptures and buildings, and easy to navigate. The street noise from Broadway is the only distraction!

You will easily find this on the south side of the main street into the city. It is well worth a little time to admire it.
Written June 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
TedHanley
Galveston, TX44 contributions
The Cemetery of the Yellow Flowers....
May 2017
City Cemetery was on the outskirts of town in the early part of the 1900's - today it is smack dab in the middle of everything and one passes it traveling East into town beginning at 43rd Street. It's well worth the time to stop and drive into the central corridor where one can park and stop to take pictures of some beautiful old, weathered headstones and mausoleums. In the month of May the cemetery is aglow with beautiful yellow, brown-eyed susans and amazingly picturesque. In fact many people come during this time to take family pictures - there is something hauntingly beautiful about a cemetery filled with flowers - life and death juxtaposed and dancing with the Gulf Breeze. As one learns more about the history of Galveston, they will recognize the names of families who left their marks on its development. As an example, the stately Trube Castle at the corner of 17th and Sealy was built by a Danish merchant, JC Trube whose castle was the dream home he envisioned when he achieved his American Dream and rose from rags to riches. The home is complete with a tower from which he could see his ships when the came into port. His stately mausoleum at the East End of the Cemetery is reminiscent of his stately home and displays his name, as does the steps to the home. City Cemetery speaks to a bygone era and those Islanders who lived, laughed and played in its sands; also enduring its tragedies and storms. The weathering effects of the salt air have transformed the marble headstones and statues into stoic reminders of the passing of time. Flowers or none - City Cemetery has a story to tell about Galveston Island and it's history. Well worth the stop.
Written December 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
AllanJGJ
Wellington, New Zealand3,614 contributions
Fascinating time-capsule of Galveston history
May 2018 • Couples
This must be a particularly intriguing site if you're a local with any interest in Galveston history, migration or genealogy. But even for an overseas tourist it makes for an engrossing stop. Having learned at the tiny migration museum on Pier 21 about the influx of Jewish and German migrants into Galveston pre WWI it didn't surprise us too much that the majority of the headstones appeared to be from these two groups. Still interesting to wander around and see the different names and the family groups, including a number of tombstones (or perhaps just memorial markers?) for people lost in the Great Storm of 1900. As always, we were moved by the Jewish custom of leaving stones on the top of gravestones; always seems such a telling sign of remembrance and continuity. And of course commemorating the interesting inhabitants of the cemetery was the amazing array of yellow flowers which coated the majority of the site. Not sure if it's a natural spread of wildflowers or they were planted and seeded, but certainly a lovely display of on-going growth and re-birth amongst the departed.You're inevitably going to drive by this site (it's on Broadway) if you're staying in Galveston so why not stop and pay your respects.
Written May 4, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
abriddle4
Galveston Island, TX26 contributions
I love history and there is plenly of here.
May 2017 • Couples
The old City reveals the past. I love strolling through an old cemetery. The grounds were covered with wild yellow flowers. It was beautiful.
Written May 17, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
katherinegann
Dallas, TX27 contributions
Don't go here at night
Aug 2016 • Friends
very pretty cemetery a lot of important people from Galveston are buried and people from Texas histroy. Do not go at night saw roaches the size of the state of TX and they fly - just warning you
Written August 9, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Ruth S
Independence, WI115 contributions
Interesting....
Feb 2018 • Couples
We spent almost an hour here looking at the headstones and statues. It is right in the middle of everything and looked so interesting we had to stop.
Written February 11, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Nathaniel K
4 contributions
I Pass By Here c Every Other Day Coming From Dialysis Love To See The Yellow Flowers On The Grav
Oct 2017
Just Watching The Flowers In The Gravesite And Reading The Tombstone When I Have A Little Time To Browse By On My Good Days!
Written October 2, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Sunny B
Galveston, TX306 contributions
Beautifully peaceful
Jun 2017 • Friends
I took a budding photographer here for a photo shoot. It is an amazing experience but use caution and lock your car if you venture away from it. Some transient people use the driveway as a cut through and I saw them wiggling car doors.
Written September 13, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Old City Cemetery, Galveston

Frequently Asked Questions about Old City Cemetery
We recommend booking Old City Cemetery tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 4 Old City Cemetery tours on Tripadvisor