Galveston Red Light District: Mob History Tour

Step back in time and explore the dark and intriguing history of Galveston’s Red Light District. Discover the secrets of the mob-run casinos and the world-class entertainers who graced their stages.

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Antique Warehouse - Originally the Oleander Hotel in 1913. Listed in the Green Book as safe haven in the Jim Crow south. A place where the African American travelers could stay their journey to Galveston.
  • Maceo Spice & Import Company - The starting point of the Mace Empire. Formally Sam and Rosarrio first barber shop where they bootlegged…
What's Included
  • Guided tour of Galveston’s red light district
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Experience the days when Galveston was under mob control, and guests were cherished like family members. Across the bridge lay ‘The Free State of Galveston,’ a land abiding solely by mob laws. A-list personalities like Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin were some of the elite entertainers invited to perform in its casinos. Everyone indulged…

Location
2711 Market St
Market Street
We will meet outside of the Leeland House.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(227 Ratings)
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Avrilmo
Oct 10, 2025
More history than ghosts. - Fascinating stories about the mob, prostitution, great storm and casinos. Noelle was super knowledgeable and answered every question. It covers people not talked about enough.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mary_h
Sep 30, 2025
We enjoyed the history of... - We enjoyed the history of the Red Light District. Our guide was knowledgeable and entertaining. A very good experience.
Review provided by Viator
536selenab
Sep 20, 2025
Fun and exciting - Rob was amazing! So much energy and excitement when sharing stories and pictures of history. Highly recommend, we truly enjoyed our time. Thank you Rob!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Danyele_t
Aug 26, 2025
My fiancé and I had fun.... - My fiancé and I had fun. We enjoyed hearing the history of the red light district. Heard a few good ghost stories as well.
Review provided by Viator
U7944bvkims
Jul 23, 2025
- Noelle was amazing, and so was the tour! We loved the history and all the fun extra facts about the Mob and history of Galveston in general! We loved it all and want to go back and take another one.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
M2559aqsams
Apr 23, 2025
Amazing - Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and very friendly. We would definitely recommend for a tour of the downtown area!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
H4848lkjessicat
Apr 19, 2025
The best - Amazing tour ! Jeff our tour guide was amazing and very knowledgeable. Definitely recommend! The drinks definitely helped make it better
Review provided by Tripadvisor
A9987uvalicep
Mar 22, 2025
Red Light District - Our guide “Annie” was extremely knowledgeable on the history of Galveston..Kept our interest.. Would recommend this tour..
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amx2890pz
Mar 10, 2025
Interesting - Fun and informative, Annette was a fountain of Galveston knowledge (and a very nice lady!) Next time we are in town we will take her cemetery tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ronald_c
Mar 25, 2025
So So Tour - There was just nothing to this tour. It was basically the tour guide talking and telling stories. We stayed within a five or six block radius of the starting point, saw a few buildings that had once been brothels or bordellos, and that was about it. Just nothing to it. I wanted to like this tour, but I just can’t recommend it…
Review provided by Viator
From $30
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).