A Silhouette of kids excited to watch the dolphin play under water in the Corpus Christi Aquarium; Shutterstock ID 530810227; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

Stephanie A Sellers/Shutterstock

Texas State Aquarium

Corpus Christi

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Learn about Gulf Coast marine life, just across from downtown at the southern end of North Beach. Three large handling tanks let you get close to sharks, jellyfish, stingrays and the like, while further exhibits explore ocean creatures of all kinds. Frequent 30-minute presentations cover everything from stingray feeding and raptor flights to turtles and diving shows.

The aquarium also keeps captive dolphins, which may concern some visitors. Animal-welfare groups argue that keeping such complex animals in enclosed tanks is harmful.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Corpus Christi, Texas.December 21, 2019.USS Lexington Museum; Shutterstock ID 1981130519; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    USS Lexington Museum

    0.22 MILES

    Moored just north of the ship channel and aquarium, this 900ft-long aircraft carrier dominates Corpus Christi bay. The Lexington served in the Pacific…

  • CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS - APRIL 17: Visitors approach the Art Museum of South Texas at Bayfront Science Park in Corpus Christi, Texas on April 17th, 2016.; Shutterstock ID 611247398; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

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    Enjoying a spectacular seafront setting, across from the Museum of Science & History, this modern museum focuses on changing exhibitions of contemporary…

  • Corpus Christi, Texas - October 7, 2017: An old house at Heritage Park.

    Heritage Park

    0.54 MILES

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  • 2A3HTW6 Decorative plaque at Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve & Learning Center thanking the city of Corpus Christi, Texas USA for a land donation.

    Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve

    10.3 MILES

    Overlooking Oso Bay, this city-run nature reserve of 162 acres has 4 miles of trails to wander. The surrounding wetlands are a haven for birdlife, and…

  • Padre Island National Seashore

    Padre Island National Seashore

    23.68 MILES

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  • Fulton Mansion State Historical Park

    Fulton Mansion State Historical Park

    27.58 MILES

    This imposing 1870s mansion comes as a surprise amid other more modern – and modest – shorefront buildings. It was built by George Fulton, who was clever…

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    San José Island

    21.24 MILES

    A privately owned island just across the ship channel from Port Aransas, known as St Jo to locals. This squat desert island, 2 miles at its widest but 21…

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Nearby Corpus Christi attractions

1. Art Museum of South Texas

0.21 MILES

Enjoying a spectacular seafront setting, across from the Museum of Science & History, this modern museum focuses on changing exhibitions of contemporary…

2. USS Lexington Museum

0.22 MILES

Moored just north of the ship channel and aquarium, this 900ft-long aircraft carrier dominates Corpus Christi bay. The Lexington served in the Pacific…

3. Museum of Science & History

0.29 MILES

This fun museum explores Texas' natural history, and displays gold bars and huge disks of silver recovered from three Spanish ships wrecked nearby in 1534…

4. Museum of Asian Cultures

0.4 MILES

This small but well-curated museum is worth a look if you have an interest in art from across South and Southeast Asia, but particularly from Japan. There…

5. North Beach

0.49 MILES

The closest beach to downtown lies across the ship channel to the north. It gets busy in season, but its tight-packed sands and handful of places to eat…

6. Heritage Park

0.54 MILES

Originally a neighborhood of old homes, Heritage Park has morphed into a theme park of old homes. A dozen Corpus houses, from humble to grand and dating…

7. K Space Contemporary

1.1 MILES

This small space hosts contemporary-art exhibitions, which rotate every four to six weeks, with a penchant for emerging artists. The often-provocative…

8. Selena Memorial & Statue

1.17 MILES

The life-sized statue of late Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez (1971–95) still draws an estimated 30,000 well-wishers every year more than two…