We clambered aboard the replicas and thoroughly enjoyed the information provided during the guided tour. Part of the museum can include a tour of the real replicas of Columbus’ ships, the Nina, Pinta and the Santa Maria, which were actually built in Spain and then sailed across the Atlantic to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the famous voyage made by Christopher Columbus. The sometimes chaotic convergence of Indian, Spanish, French and European cultures in South Texas is set out in several excellent exhibits. While we’ve been here we’ve visited the very well organized and interesting Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History which features the history of ancient shipwrecks and exhibits on local flora, fauna, beaches and history. It became an international port in the mid-1920s when the Army Corp of Engineers dug a new ship channel that made the city the deepest port on the Texas coast and attracted many of the businesses that form its industrial base. Corpus Christi Harbour State Aquarium and the SS Enterprise are other waterfront attractionsĪlthough first explored by Europeans in 1519, it wasn’t until 1839 that the town became a trade center for the nearby cattle ranches and the Mexican border towns. Also in the heart of the business district is a seawall that opens into the bay with stairs leading to the water. What a beautiful drive! It reminded us of the lake front in Chicago with the water easily accessible from numerous waterfront parks. Leaving this natural setting behind, we travelled into Corpus Christi along Ocean Drive past the Naval Air Station and Texas A&M University. 5 to 3 miles wide is accessible by a causeway at each end of the island but there is no through road. The island is considered the longest undeveloped barrier island in the world and is home to some 600 species of plants and wild-flowers This sand-dunned strip of land which is only. We continued on to explore a portion of Padre Island National Seashore which covers nearly 70 miles of 113-mile Padre Island. On Saturday we scoped out the hotel which was to be our home for the next 8 days and acquainted ourselves with the bay area by first driving south through Mustang Island State Park which preserves nearly 4000 acres of coastal dunes and 5 miles of gulf beach. This barrier island took its name from the wild horses brought by Spanish explorers. Port Aransas is located on the tip of Mustang Island along the Central Texas Coast across from Corpus Christi and Aransas Bay. Free Aransas Ferry Service Welcome to “THE PORT” Aboard the Ferry Lighthouse in the restaurant district….apparently overrun in summer (Please remember that you can right click the images and choose “open link in a new tab” to view images full size.)įrom Galveston we followed the coast highway for as long as we could, travelling along the barrier island through Galveston State Park and past the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge.Īfter a brief stop in Port Lavaca for lunch we continued on through Rockport – a picturesque resort town noted as an artists colony and as one of the major birding areas in the US – to the causeway over the Aransas Pass to board the free ferry to Port Aransas.
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