This year the United Church of God will return to Galveston Island to observe the Feast of Tabernacles. With 32 miles of beaches, abundant leisure activities for all ages, excellent restaurants, and Feast-favorable housing accommodations, every attendee will enjoy Galveston and the family atmosphere it has to offer.

Daily services will be held in the beautiful Galveston Island Convention Center at the San Luis Resort. Centrally positioned, the center combines unparalleled views of the Gulf of Mexico and first-class meeting facilities.

The island offers more than 32 family-friendly attractions. Recreational opportunities include the Pleasure Pier (an amusement park opened in 2012), Schlitterbahn Waterpark, Moody Gardens (part theme park, part educational and rehabilitative facility housing a 10-story rainforest, one of the world’s largest aquariums and an educational Discovery Museum) and the first 3D IMAX Theater in the country. Docked at Moody Gardens is the Colonel, a 650-passenger, 19th-century-style, triple deck sternwheeler that offers a unique view of the gardens and an enjoyable cruise.

Museums abound with the art deco Railroad Museum, the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum, the Lone Star Flight Museum and the Texas Seaport Museum, which features the 1877 tall ship Elissa on Pier 21. Galveston is also home to the 1894 Grand Opera House (the official opera house of Texas).

Everyone will want to stroll the Historic Strand Shopping District with shops, art galleries, and restaurants. The Great Storm, a multimedia presentation at the Pier 21 Theater, gives visitors a glimpse of the devastating 1900 storm through a multi-image documentary experience. The 27-minute story gives actual accounts from diaries and letters of survivors during and after the storm.

One of the most popular attractions is the Galveston Island Ferry, which is free.

Hotel and motel prices range from $30 and up, with many kitchen units and condominiums available. All are a short drive or walking distance to church services. There are also single/multi-family beach and bay house rentals available only slightly farther from the convention center, where services will be held.

For those flying to the Feast, two major airports in the Houston area are conveniently located for an easy drive down to Galveston. Temperatures should range from 68 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.