Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum

The Ocean Star Museum is a maritime museum housed in a former offshore drilling rig in Galveston and displays three floors of exhibits about oil drilling at sea. Visitors can explore real drilling equipment, worker living spaces, and technical installations that show what daily work on these platforms was like.

The drilling rig was built in 1969 and operated for many years in the Gulf of Mexico before being relocated to Galveston. It stands today as a record of the oil drilling industry that shaped the Gulf region over decades.

The museum shows how oil drilling shaped the coastal region and its role in local life. You can see how this industry created jobs and formed the economy of the area.

The museum is accessed through multiple flights of stairs and across different levels, so visitors should be prepared for climbing. The waterfront location is easy to reach on foot and works well as part of a day visit to the area.

On the platform you can understand how cramped and isolated life was for workers who spent months doing their shifts there. This personal perspective makes offshore work something real and human.