Questions about Port Aransas: Affordable hotels/motels? Things to do for families? (pool, kids)

[Marlow]

Originally Posted by luksky

Leopard locales???? Do tell....

Years ago, Leopard was a main street of CC. Now, on the west end of it, there are flop houses and prostitutes of every stripe. There is a big Holiday Inn on Leopard at NPID and 37 and it would be ok, but it's in an ugly part of town. IMO, that's true of everything on NPID, which is highway 358 between the Crosstown Expwy and I-37. Don't stay there.

[txsizzler]

Originally Posted by Marlow

Years ago, Leopard was a main street of CC. Now, on the west end of it, there are flop houses and prostitutes of every stripe....

Don't you mean the east end, towards downtown? West end from Rand Morgan to 624 is pretty nice.


Ian

[CalallenMom]

Originally Posted by Marlow

At the risk of getting off topic, what's a google promotional code?

Try going to google (or your search engine) and typing in, hm, (example)Days Inn Promotional code and you can find discounts. Just found this one for 10% off! Wyndham Hotel Online Discount Promotional Codes | ABN Save. Thanks to the net, I don't think I'll ever pay full price for a room ever again, LOL.

[CalallenMom]

Originally Posted by Marlow

Years ago, Leopard was a main street of CC. Now, on the west end of it, there are flop houses and prostitutes of every stripe. There is a big Holiday Inn on Leopard at NPID and 37 and it would be ok, but it's in an ugly part of town. IMO, that's true of everything on NPID, which is highway 358 between the Crosstown Expwy and I-37. Don't stay there.

Remember how happy everyone was when they finally tore down the Tally Ho Motel?

[ocean2026]

Rockport and North Beach in Corpus are both closer and a tad less touristy. Rockport has some bargains in hotels on the water as even though its fast growing- they way over-built.

Actually if you come down 183 and its a weekend Rockport could be 1 hr closer as the ferry wait can be 20 min.

[Marlow]

Originally Posted by txsizzler

Don't you mean the east end, towards downtown? West end from Rand Morgan to 624 is pretty nice.


Ian

I'm showing my "old Corpus Christi" mentality because I think of Leopard as going from downtown to Navigation or so. But yes, we're talking about the same stretch--from Broadway to Rand Morgan can be very rough. There was a time though when the Saxet area was nice and it still has some of those motels on it.

[CptnRn]

I do not recommend staying in Corpus Christi, sorry Corpus, I have always been disappointed with the lack of a seaside feel to the area. If you are anyplace in CC where you don't have a view of the bay, most of it feels like San Antonio to me, crowded freeways, bad traffic and strip shopping centers.

We have stayed in both Port Aransas and Rockport/Fulton are numerous times. We like Rockport better because it is less touristy, has more character, feels more like a small seaside community then Port A and has lots to see and do, better restaurants and less expensive motels. We kept a sailboat at Rockport for 3 years and still enjoy going back to the area each spring. Austin to Rockport is about a 3.5 hour drive, and from Rockport it is a short drive over to Port A to spend the day at the beach. Part of the fun of that drive is riding the free car ferry over to and back from Port A, and taking a little detour in Aransas Pass to drive down Huff Street and look at the huge shrimp boats.

You can see a few of my photos here Rockport / Port Aransas, TX Photo Gallery by cptinrn at pbase.com

Getting to Port A from Austin: for a scenic drive, avoiding the heavy traffic on the freeways, we like to take the following route. It often has lots of wildflowers but sadly not this year because of the drought. Take Highway 183 through Lockhart (good BBQ), Luling, Gonzales (stop at the Dairy Queen on St. Joseph St. for restrooms and Buster Bars or ice cream), and on to Cuero. At Cuero we change over to Hwy 87 to Victoria. In Victoria we change over to Hwy 185 to Green Lake where we pick up Hwy 35 South to Rockport. Hwy 35 parallels most of the texas coast and skirts the edge of the Wildlife Refuge where you can hike and see lots of birds as well as alligators. Shortly after Hwy 35 passes through Lamar it crosses a Causeway bridge over Aransas Bay which is wonderful scenery. A short distance after crossing the Causeway, take a Left on North Fulton Beach Road, which winds along the edge of the bay for a very scenic drive.

The Rockport Fulton Chamber of Commerce has helpful website here Rockport Fulton: Charm of the Texas Coast - Rockport-Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce
Reasonably priced, clean motels I can recommend are the
Holiday Inn Express (888) 727-2566 (no pets), but has a free breakfast.
Best Western (800) 235-6076 (pets allowed, small charge),
Hunts Castle (888) 345-4868 (pets allowed, small fee).
The last few years we have been staying at the Lighthouse Inn, but it is more expensive and does not allow pets. It does have a free breakfast buffet which is decent.

Restaurants in Rockport/Fulton that we recommend.
Charlotte Plummers charlotteshomepg.html 202 N. Fulton Beach Road
HuDat Vietnamese 61 Broadway Hu-Dat Restaurant
Decent breakfast places are hard to find, there is a place that is called either The Diner or the Depot on Market Street that is good for breakfast. Otherwise its buffet at some of the motels or McDonalds.
Avoid the Big Fisherman.

The Port A Chamber of Commerce has lots of good information about the area.

Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce & Tourist Bureau, Port Aransas, Mustang Island, Texas Beach Vacation Destination The list of hotels/motels shows which ones are pet friendly.
We used to stay at Beach Head Condominiums but they are old, over priced and its my impression they have gotten very run down. They were not clean last time we stayed, which was years ago.

In addition to walking, playing on the beach, other popular things to do at Port A are:

Walking out on the stone jetties, sitting on the jetties watching big ships come in or fishing from the jetties. Sometimes you can see dolphins here too.
Go to the City Park East of where the car ferry boats come in and watch for dolphins in the intercoastal waterway, check out the boats in the marina there.

Drive down mustang island to near Corpus, to Snoopy's for some of the best fried shrimp in the area, Snoopy's Restaurant is at the East end of the Kennedy Causeway (a huge bridge that you can see for miles as you approach it). Just before you get to the bridge coming from the island, take a right on a road that goes below the bridge, there are two restaurants and an ice cream shop there.

[SOM]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

Take Highway 183 through Lockhart (good BBQ)...

Understatement of the year!

[Kibby]

CptnRn gives good advice. The only thing I would add is about the beaches. I think the best beach on Mustang is on the road toward Corpus. Access #2 is good - not as many people and you will have sand dunes.

The Aquarium is a great place for both adults and children. They have indoor and outdoor exhibits, shows. Blackbeard's is a decent place to eat near the Aquarium with a wide variety that will please even a picky 8 year old.

Nothing wrong with staying in Corpus, but for this kind of trip you would want one of the downtown hotels. Nice view of the bay and nice walks or pedal carriage rides. Priceline would be the way to go if you want to do that - I think most of the DT hotels are 3 star. If the point is to "go to the beach", then Rockport would be a great choice - Port A is pretty touristy but lots of folks like that.

We are not fond of hotels, so we always stay at some converted apartments in Corpus. Bedroom, kitchen, living room - 2 & 3 bedroom units are available also. Works out great for my son and 3 kids.

[SOM]

Originally Posted by Kibby

We are not fond of hotels, so we always stay at some converted apartments in Corpus. Bedroom, kitchen, living room - 2 & 3 bedroom units are available also. Works out great for my son and 3 kids.

Kibby - I have 6 kids, and it is always a pain traveling. We either get two ajoining rooms, or occassionally find a suite that sleeps 8 (amazing how most "suite" hotels only sleep around 4 or *maybe* 6 people).

How do you find "converted apartments"? We live in CC, so don't need to know of any here, but if you have some tips in general for finding them, please share!