United States Destinations

Beaches among attractions of coastal Texas

By Cedric Avery

Think of Texas and what comes to mind is likely a landscape of canyons and prairies, complete with long-horned cattle and blowing sagebrush.

There is plenty of that but the Lone Star Texas has more, including almost 1,000 kilometres of coastline featuring great beaches.

The beaches of Texas are anchored by three main cities: Galveston, Corpus Christi and South Padre Island – all areas with a variety of attractions. The sunny skies and temperate climate along the coast allow visitors to picnic, swim and surf almost anywhere along the coast.

Galveston A trip to Galveston Island, located just an hour's drive from Houston, is a trip back in time. The Victorian era is well preserved on the island, which boasts more than 550 designated historical landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places. Homes such as the Bishop's Palace and Ashton Villa take visitors back to the time when Galveston was a booming financial and business centre. An annual tour of historic homes (some normally closed to the public) takes place in May.

For surf and sun, families visit Stewart Beach Park, which features a children’s playground, umbrella and chair rentals, an outdoor pavilion with volleyball courts, and restrooms. The popular park is the site of numerous volleyball tournaments, sand castle competitions and concerts. Another favourite is Moody Gardens, a museum complex that houses a tropical rainforest, an aquarium and a space exploration exhibit inside three towering pyramids.

Corpus Christi and Port Aransas Corpus Christi, located about 320 kilometres south of Galveston, lies in the middle of the Texas Gulf Coast. Corpus Christi attractions include the U.S.S. Lexington, an acclaimed naval aircraft carrier that is now a museum, and the Texas State Aquarium, which offers a glimpse of life beneath the Gulf waters.

The city is connected to Padre Island, a 177 kilometre-long island that is one of the last unblemished natural seashores in the United States. The island is preserved as Padre Island National Seashore and is home to native plants, wildflowers, and wildlife such as the endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles. Corpus Christi enjoys Gulf breezes year-round, making it popular with windsurfers. Each spring the city hosts the annual U.S. Open Windsurfing Regatta.

South of Corpus Christi is Port Aransas, located on Mustang Island. Port Aransas is one of the few beaches in the country where visitors can go horseback riding on the beach. In addition, Port Aransas offers visitors an opportunity to visit one of the country's top bird watching sites. The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, which covers more than 800 kilometres of Texas coastline, offers naturalists an opportunity to spot the local and migrating birds that make the wetlands their home.

South Padre Island Further south along the Gulf Coast is South Padre Island, a small town with resorts and hotel rooms for the thousands of visitors that flock to the island each year. Students from across the United States come to its beaches each year for spring break in March, while “Winter Texans” from Canada and the Midwest enjoy the moderate winter temperatures.

Visitors can get their fill of water sports including surfing, parasailing, and kayaking or take a romantic horseback ride along the beach. Comfortable Gulf breezes make wind surfing and kite flying popular, too. The wetlands around the island create an ideal habitat for numerous plants, animals, and various species of waterfowl, including loons, pelicans, storks, ducks, cranes and spoonbills, just to name a few. During the winter months, large flocks of northern pintails and redhead ducks can be spotted feeding in the warm, shallow waters of the Laguna Madre.

South Padre Island is also home to a unique organization devoted to preserving sea turtles. Sea Turtle, Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in 1978 by the late Ila Loetscher, who was known by many as the "Turtle Lady." She dedicated her life to saving and rehabilitating sea turtles, including the endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtle. Educational shows featuring the turtles are given on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 10 a.m. A donation is requested at the door.

For more information contact Texas Tourism at 1-800-888-8839 or go to www.traveltex.com.