City By the Sea Museum

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City By the Sea Museum City by the Sea Museum is organized and managed by the Palacios Area Historical Association (PAHA) in Palacios, Texas.
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City by the Sea Museum, curated by PAHA in Palacios, Texas, is a cultural hub on a mission to enrich our community through education, preservation, and exploration of the region's diverse cultural and natural histories. The City by the Sea Museum collections commemorate life in the area from the Karankawa tribes and French exploration in the 1600s to the community's growth during WWII and into the 20th Century. The city is located approximately halfway between Galveston and Corpus Christi. It is bordered on the east and south by Tres Palacios Bay, which opens into Matagorda Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

10/20/2026

If you haven't come to see our Adult Juried Art Exhibition and Sale, you still have a few more weeks! Be sure to stop by...
10/19/2026

If you haven't come to see our Adult Juried Art Exhibition and Sale, you still have a few more weeks! Be sure to stop by during our hours of operation to see an array of coastal inspired art by our regional artists. The show will be judged and ready for the public on November 6th.

Be sure to get ready and join us this Thursday for the Opening Reception of "LIVING CURRENTS", a PPA exhibit featuring p...
10/18/2026

Be sure to get ready and join us this Thursday for the Opening Reception of "LIVING CURRENTS", a PPA exhibit featuring photographer Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon. The reception is from 4-6pm. Jorge will be here to talk about the portraits, the people, and how Palacios has shaped their lives.

We are learning so much here from The Paranormal Posse of Texas
10/11/2026

We are learning so much here from The Paranormal Posse of Texas

Save the date and come out to enjoy local artists at City by the Sea Museum!October 14th from 4-6pm.
10/10/2026

Save the date and come out to enjoy local artists at City by the Sea Museum!
October 14th from 4-6pm.

10/10/2026

The 1990s excavation of a 17th-century French exploration ship, wrecked off the coast of Texas, revealed more than 1.6 million artifacts.

Marine archeologists used a cofferdam—a ring-shaped wall holding back the Gulf waters—to investigate the wreck of La Belle on the bottom of Matagorda Bay. The ship had been part of an expedition led by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, leaving France in 1684 to claim territory around the mouth of the Mississippi River. Instead, the French colonists landed in Texas.

Among the objects still on board La Belle hundreds of years later were colonial household items, navigation tools, weapons, and trade goods. The wooden hull of the ship was itself an artifact; it was carefully removed from the silty bay bottom and carefully preserved at the Conservation Research Laboratory at Texas A&M.

Items from La Belle and the associated French settlement, Fort St. Louis, are on display at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, and other museums along the coast.

Learn more about the field during Texas Archeology Month: www.thc.texas.gov/tam

Tomorrow is our big day! Are you curious about what you can't see? The energy all around you? Here is your chance to see...
10/09/2026

Tomorrow is our big day! Are you curious about what you can't see? The energy all around you? Here is your chance to see what lies within the museum and around the Luther Hotel!
Get your tickets by calling or texting 979-418-2359.
Doors open at 6:45pm. Event starts at 7pm.

10/07/2026

Get ready for our next Meet Your Neighbor, this Thursday from 11:30-12:30pm. Doors open right around 11am. We will be providing lunch thanks to H-E-B!

We have changed our upcoming SOUND BOWL MEDITATION, to December 4th, from 6:30-7:30pm. Get ready because in 2027 we will...
10/06/2026

We have changed our upcoming SOUND BOWL MEDITATION, to December 4th, from 6:30-7:30pm.

Get ready because in 2027 we will be offering a FRIDAY night & a SATURDAY morning session!

We are so excited for our upcoming Paranormal Investigation with The Paranormal Posse! Tickets are going fast so call or...
10/05/2026

We are so excited for our upcoming Paranormal Investigation with The Paranormal Posse! Tickets are going fast so call or text 979-418-2359. We may have availability at the door!

Address

401 Commerce Street
Palacios, TX
77465

Opening Hours

Thursday 1pm - 5pm
Friday 1pm - 5pm
Saturday 1pm - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 3pm

Telephone

+13619721148

Website

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