Free State of Galveston, Seaside resort in Galveston, Texas, US.

The Free State of Galveston is a satirical name for Galveston, a coastal city on an island in the Gulf of Mexico. The photograph shows the Hotel Galvez, opened in 1911: a light tan brick complex with a tall central block under a steep red tiled roof with gables, a long flat-roofed wing with an arched ground-floor colonnade, and smaller red-roofed wings stepping down to a lawn with palms and circular flower beds.

Galveston thrived as a cotton port until the 1900 hurricane killed an estimated 6,000 to 12,000 people. The city rebuilt as an entertainment centre, and the Hotel Galvez opened in 1911, the same year as the Galveston–Houston Electric Railway. During the 1920s the Maceo brothers ran casinos and clubs; crackdowns in the mid-20th century ended the era by the late 1950s.

The name "Free State of Galveston" was a satirical label for the city's early-to-mid-20th-century era, when locals held that the island stood beyond Texas and U.S. laws. Sam and Rosario Maceo ran the main casinos and clubs and were active in local politics and tourism. A state committee investigating gambling at the Balinese Room was told by the sheriff he had not raided it because it was a "private club" and he was not a "member".

The best time to visit is from March to May or September to November, when the weather is milder. Most beaches and parks are publicly accessible and can be explored on foot or by bicycle.

Some old buildings in the neighborhood near the port date back to when the island was a center for gambling and entertainment. Many of these structures were later converted and now serve different purposes.