Port of Houston Tour and Ship Channel Tours

Discover the Port of Houston and/or the Houston Ship Channel on any of our 6.0-hour tours. 

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Due to the August 2017 Hurricane Harvey’s damage and the Port of Houston Authority (POHA) changing schedules, our offerings have changed. All of the tours cost the same amount. However, they may start at 3 different times, due to when the POHA is operating tour boats. We try to begin each tour after the morning rush hour and end before the evening rush hour and or sunset.

All of the tours stop for lunch at Monument Inn. This is one of the best seafood restaurants in the greater Houston area.  It is located along the Houston Ship Channel (HSC). One can watch ships, tankers, barges, and tugboats passing as we enjoy a savory meal. Its views are unsurpassed. Bring $8.00 to $40.00 for lunch depending on what you order. Most meals are between $15.00 and $25.00.

Tours A, B1, B2, C1, and C2 include riding on the POHA M/V Sam Houston boat. All of these tours have the same itinerary, but in different orders due to the time that the boat departs. At the time that I am writing this, January 16, 2019, the POHA no longer offers Sunday tours so Tour A, which is on Sunday, is not available. The POHA also does not offer tours on Monday. For several years, the POHA did not offer tours on Saturdays. Now, it occasionally offers such tours. We are keeping each of the tours listed on our website because we cannot predict when the POHA will change its policies again.

The POHA allows scheduling boat rides a maximum of 3 months in advance. Many tours fill immediately. We recommend that if you want a tour involving a boat, contact us AT LEAST 2 MONTHS IN ADVANCE. This is especially true if you have a large group of 20 more people. A boat may have some vacancies, but not enough to accommodate everyone if you have a large group and you wait too long. Furthermore, we do not reserve any tours until we have received a non-refundable deposit. You must make a financial commitment if you want us to work for you. If you hesitate to send in the non-refundable deposit, other parties may reserve the seats in the meantime.

The ship is closed periodically for maintenance.

For boat rides, you must provide us with a list containing the name of every person who will be participating on the tour before a reservation can be made. Each participant must bring photo identification on the day of the tour. A driver’s license or passport is sufficient. Purses are subject to inspection. Backpacks and oversized purses are prohibited. The POHA’s security policies are not enforced consistently, but it is better to err on the side of having this information rather than being rejected on the day that the reservation is attempted or on the day of the tour.

For groups of 15 or more touring on buses or full-size vans, we can show videos of the history of the Houston Ship Channel, Houston Pilots, oil, the current operations, and more. For any group, we can distribute magazines and newsletters about the Port of Houston, provide you with a quiz about the Houston Ship Channel, and narratives.

Private boats are not permitted to traverse the Houston Ship Channel. The HSC’s operations are a matter of national security with oil refineries and other plants along the HSC. Houston is the energy capital of the United States (US).

Tour Information

 

	A	B1	B2	C1	C2	D
Place	Port of Houston	Port of Houston	Port of Houston	Port of Houston	Port of Houston	Houston Ship Channel
Days Available	Sunday	Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday	Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday	Saturday	Saturday, infrequently	Everyday
Hours	10:30 AM – 4:30 PM	9:00 AM – 3:00 PM	10:30 AM – 4:30 PM	9:00 AM – 3:00 PM	10:00 AM – 4:00 PM	10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, also flexible
Boat Departs at:	2:30 PM	10:00 AM	2:30 PM	10:00 AM	2:00 PM	Not applicable

Tours A, B1 and B2, C1, and C2 all include going on a 75 to 90-minute boat ride on the Houston Ship Channel. The boat rides starts at the Turning Basin and goes no further than the Beltway 8 bridge and often not that far. It is limited in its scope. The POHA provides free coffee and a soft drink or water on the boat ride. It has interior and exterior, covered and uncovered areas, from which one can observe the Channel, docks, vegetation, fish, and birds. It is a smooth ride and the boat captain will provide information over the public address speakers. Dress appropriately for the weather. Expect to get some spray on yourself if you are outside at the front of the boat. The maximum capacity is 100. We are to arrive 30 minutes before the boat is to launch. You will be able to use bathrooms at the pavilion at the loading dock and in the lower deck of the boat.

Tour D covers a much broader area, going twice as far as the boat travels, with driving through or by the Barbours Cut Container Terminal, the Bayport Container Terminal, the former Bayport Cruise Ship Terminal in Pasadena, the ExxonMobil plant in Baytown (the second largest oil refinery in the United States), and stops along the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay in multiple cities. Beginning in 1956, most freight has been delivered in containers so that trucks or trains can conveniently take it across America with minimal time and labor spent loading and unloading. Tour D does not include a boat ride. It goes through or by 17 cities and all 5 transits over, under, and on the Channel. We will drive through Channelview, La Porte, Deer Park, Baytown, Morgan’s Point, Sylvan Beach, El Jardin del Mar, Shoreacres, Pasadena, Seabrook, Kemah, and El Lago, in addition to Houston. It is potentially available every day of the year and can be scheduled at any time without providing names of each participant or a two-month lead period.

Each tour takes you:

• To the original Port of Houston, also known as Allen’s Landing in downtown Houston, dating to August 1836.
• Over the Houston Ship Channel on the Sidney Sherman/I-610 Houston Ship Channel bridge. Both sides of the bridge are in Houston.
• Under the Houston Ship Channel (if in sedans and vans) in the Washburn Tunnel, provided that it is open. It connects Pasadena on the south side to Galena Park on the north side. This is the only under water tunnel in Texas.
• Over the Houston Ship Channel on the Sam Houston Tollway/Beltway 8. It connects Channelview on the north side with Pasadena on the south side.
• On the Lynchburg Ferry (if in sedans and vans) crossing the Houston Ship Channel, provided that it is operating. It connects La Porte on the south side to the community of Lynchburg on the north side.
• By the refineries of Pasadena and La Porte.
• To San Jacinto State Park, the San Jacinto Battlefield, San Jacinto Monument, and the Battleship Texas.
• Through or along Channelview, Deer Park, Galena Park, and Jacinto City.

Port of Houston

The Port of Houston reserves the right to cancel a tour without advanced notice. Houston Historical Tours has no control over this. We serve as a conduit for this tour; we provide transportation and narratives, and take you over multiple crossings of the Houston Ship Channel. If you have your own transportation and only want a boat ride, you can contact the Port of Houston directly to schedule a free tour by going to http://www.portofhouston.com/community-outreach/sam-houston-boat-tour/tour-schedule/ or calling (713) 670-2400.

• If you want a shorter tour of 5 hours, we can eliminate stopping at the San Jacinto State Park (SJSP) and Battleship Texas.
• If you want a shorter tour of 4 hours, we can eliminate SJSP, the Battleship Texas, and a stop for lunch.

 

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