Galveston is the birthplace of surfing in Texas. While the 1960s California surf craze captured America’s imagination, Texas teenagers discovered that the Gulf of Mexico had waves of its own, giving rise to a distinctive regional surf culture that thrived in Galveston, Corpus Christi, and South Padre Island. The Texas Surf Museum exists to preserve that heritage—telling the stories, safeguarding the artifacts, and honoring the people who shaped the sport along the Texas coast.