Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier

Galveston, Texas

The Galveston Historic Pleasure Pier opened in May 2012, but its history goes much further back. The Galveston Pleasure Pier opened in 1940 as a recreational facility for the U.S. military. It later added a dance hall, an aquarium, and a variety of rides, but the park and the pier were severely damaged when Hurricane Carla hit Galveston in 1961. Four years later, the Flagship Hotel, a unique hotel sitting literally over the Gulf of Mexico, opened on the pier. It lasted four decades until Hurricane Ike hit Galveston in 2008. The hotel was severely damaged and removed from the pier. Landry's Inc., owned by Galveston native Tilman Fertitta, decided to renovate the area around the pier and added hotels, restaurants, and rides to the Seawall area of Galveston. The new Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier opened to the public in May 2012.

Iron Shark