Corpus Christi... nice place to get away? (Kingsville, Aransas Pass: rent, condos)

[Chimpie]

With a possible move to SA in the very near future, I was wondering about weekend getaways to the coast. Is Corpus Christi a nice place to visit? What's it like there? Is there some place else that you would suggest?

[ShaneSA]

I've gone to the Omni on the beach for weekends. A bunch of us also rented a condo for Thanksgiving weekend one year...got a 4 bedroom condo on Mustang Island, on the beach. Great get away.
We also started a tradition of going to South Padre Island and renting a condo for Labor Day weekend.
There are alot of beachfront condos you can rent inexpensivly for a weekend. If you have kids or more than one couple it's nicer than a hotel and cheaper.
Corpus has the aqarium(sp) and Carrier Lexington and a memorial to Selena. Other than that there's not alot there. I still like it for a get away just to disappear and turn off the world.

[Eily71]

In addition to the Texas State Aquarium, the Lexington and the Selena memorial, Corpus also has a Natural History Museum with replicas of all three Columbus ships that you can tour. There is an art museum, boat tour around the bay, dolphin tour, fishing tours out into the gulf, just to name a few. There are various festivals celebrating everything from different seafoods, to jazz scheduled around the calendar. In the summer, Cole Park downtown on Corpus Christi Bay has free concerts so bring a blanket and cooler.

Drive south of Corpus and visit the King Ranch down in Kingsville.

Then there are the beaches. First around the bay....by the Aquarium and the Lexington is what most people call North Beach but I think it is officially Corpus Christi Beach. Downtown, follow the seawall to the Holiday Inn, that area is McGee Beach. Headed over to Flour Bluff is Oso Bay and the waters between Flour Bluff on the mainland and Mustang Island on the other side of the causeway bridge is the Laguna Madre or Intercoastal Waterway. There are different parks and beach access areas on either side of the island.....tranquil waters on the Laguna side and the surf of the Gulf on the other. At one point the island sorts of branches off two directions. To the south will be Malaquite Beach which is part of the National Seashore. To the north is Port Aransas (Port A). We would usually drive from Corpus over to Aransas Pass on the mainland and take the free state run ferry across to the Port A on the island. If you look close, you can sometimes see dolphins. We would then return home by driving down the island and crossing the Laguna Madre via the causeway bridge. Just a choice of how long a line you want to wait in at the ferry....afternoon lines returning to the mainland can be very long. If you go over early in the day, the lines from the mainland arent too bad. The ferry ride is about 5 minutes long. We also opted out to spend our beach time at Mustang Island State Park just for the better restroom facilities ( they are still not great but beat a porta potty) We also liked the county park at Port Aransas and the Padre Balli park. Rockport/Fulton is a little over an hour from Corpus "up the bay" and has boat tours to see the whooping cranes during the winter ( Port A has whooper tours as well) and the Fulton Mansion built in
1850s on Fulton Bay and withstanding the elements is restored with period pieces and is just a neat slice of history.

Contact the visitors bureau or surf google results for more inforation. Have fun!!

[wCat]

Great post Eily!

[cantu29]

Corpus is a nice place to visit. It's a small enough city that lets you feel like you escaped the traffic and busy life of the big city. If you go,check out the casino cruise ship that they have. Its only 20 minutes away from downtown,Corpus. Some hotels have a bus that will drive you and guests to the ship. It only costs $15, you get a four hour cruise on the Ocean, a free meal, and free cocktails, and the best thing is that you can actually win money. I won $200 and my friend won $50.. Check it out.

[Steel Man]

Originally Posted by cantu29

Corpus is a nice place to visit. It's a small enough city that lets you feel like you escaped the traffic and busy life of the big city. If you go,check out the casino cruise ship that they have. Its only 20 minutes away from downtown,Corpus. Some hotels have a bus that will drive you and guests to the ship. It only costs $15, you get a four hour cruise on the Ocean, a free meal, and free cocktails, and the best thing is that you can actually win money. I won $200 and my friend won $50.. Check it out.

I've been on that ship a couple of times. The worst part is that the ship sits too high in the water and tends to rock back and forth in small waves. Good food though.

[CamaroGuy]

Texas ought to quit wussing around and permit land casinos! The revenue would be great for the state also.

[RedF430]

Corpus good idea. Swim in the ocean, bad idea. Your hotels swimming pool is probably cleaner. Casino cruise ship you must do.

Enjoy!

[travelamerica]

That's some great information.
Any tips on the best places to kayak, and the best seafood?

[sapphire]

Kayaking? no idea. Jet skis? They rent them on the beach!

For seafood, try Water St. Oyster Bar, or my personal favorite, Crawdaddy's for some great Cajun seafood!