Visiting Aug 8th thru 10th (San Antonio, Corpus Christi: house, theater, school)

[SarahNS]

I live in San Angelo and am planning a trip to Corpus Christi. I'll be making this trip alone and have never been to the area (none of my friends could get off work). Things I'm into: traveling, the outdoors, history, live music at bars, museums, and site seeing. So far I have the aquarium, botanical gardens, natural history museum, and maybe the art museum on my list of places to visit. I have a few questions and am open to suggestions of what I should see on my visit.

I plan on camping at a State Park during my visit. Originally I was going to stay at Mustang Island, but a lot of sites recommend Goose Island. Which one would you pick over the other?

Which beach do you recommend for a tourist in terms of crowds, cleanness, and overall beauty?

Is there a shopping area that is popular with tourists (like the Main St in Fredricksburg or the Alamo in San Antonio)? What restaurants must I try during my visit?

What's there to do at night? Is there anything to do around or on TAMUCC?

Are there any events going on that weekend?

I have looked at para-sailing, snorkeling, surfing, going to North Padre Island, the Selena Museum, etc during my visit; I'm open to other suggestions of what I should see. Thanks in advance

[utsci]

A few things I might be able to help with...

Nothing going on at TAMUCC since school is not in session for the Fall term yet.

Restaurants...Snoopy's on the Pier right next door to Scoopy's for dessert while watching the sunset. JB's German Bakery, and the cafe at the Art Museum are also some of my favorites. All are moderately priced and I feel a good value for the $$$.

No major shopping attraction here. There's a mall but nothing different than every other mall in America.

Another thing to see if you are into history might be the USS Lexington.

Goose Island would be a great place to camp. I just wonder if you want to be that far away from all of the attractions on your list. Mustang Island might be a better location in that regard.

[Marlow]

Goose Island has trees while Mustang Island is just beach. It will be super duper hot there during the day and sand will get in everything you own, but you'll be closer to things in CC. I would camp at Goose Island.

Corpus doesn't have a street like Fredericksburg, but if you camp at GI you'll be right outside Rockport and it has a small shopping district downtown. Emphasis on small, but with some nice shops.

Rockport Beach is on a bay so the waves are gentle and it's not deep. There will be lots of families there. Also, there's no seaweed which is an issue this year on the Gulf beaches. If you want to be on the Gulf, I'd start with the beaches at Port Aransas, because it's also a nice, although very touristy, town. If you're yearning for solitude, you can go to the Padre Island National Seashore and walk a ways down. Or, if you have a 4-wheel-drive vehicle, you can drive to where you're the only person in sight. Google "turtle release on Padre Island" to see if there will be a release while you're in town.

As far as night life goes, look at the Brewster Street Ice House website, the Executive Surf Club website and the Concrete Street Amphitheater website to see what's going on that weekend. Those are probably your best bets for live music.

[LC583]

Originally Posted by SarahNS

I live in San Angelo and am planning a trip to Corpus Christi. I'll be making this trip alone and have never been to the area (none of my friends could get off work). Things I'm into: traveling, the outdoors, history, live music at bars, museums, and site seeing. So far I have the aquarium, botanical gardens, natural history museum, and maybe the art museum on my list of places to visit. I have a few questions and am open to suggestions of what I should see on my visit.

I plan on camping at a State Park during my visit. Originally I was going to stay at Mustang Island, but a lot of sites recommend Goose Island. Which one would you pick over the other?

Which beach do you recommend for a tourist in terms of crowds, cleanness, and overall beauty?

Is there a shopping area that is popular with tourists (like the Main St in Fredricksburg or the Alamo in San Antonio)? What restaurants must I try during my visit?

What's there to do at night? Is there anything to do around or on TAMUCC?

Are there any events going on that weekend?

I have looked at para-sailing, snorkeling, surfing, going to North Padre Island, the Selena Museum, etc during my visit; I'm open to other suggestions of what I should see. Thanks in advance

I lived there for two years. The Padre Island National Seashore was my favorite place hands down. It is a little bit further drive than the other beaches, but if you are looking for a clean, beautiful, non-crowded place, with showers, bathrooms, stores, ... it is the place to go. Having a family and a toddler, it is the only beach I would go to. We tried going to Bob Hall Pier, but it is a popular fishing pier so it leaves hooks in the sand where people swim. Also, I didn't think it was smart to swim underneath a fishing pier... they are chumming the water to catch something... so I was worried about sharks.

Shopping at La Palmera Mall, but it isnt very "touristy". Just a plain mall.

[Salgal1113]

Unless you are crazy about fish, I personally would skip the aquarium and do the USS Lexington instead. My gang has not been impressed with the aquarium, and one of them is a die-hard sea life fan.

I agree about the Padre Island National Seashore. . . worth the drive and the $10 (?) to park there for no other reason than to have clean bathrooms/shower facilities.

Enjoy your time in Corpus - it can be very relaxing!

[SarahNS]

Thanks for the advice y'all

I really enjoyed CC and plan to go again.

[Marlow]

Where did you end up camping? What did you do?