Corpus Christi Area
The main access point to this county-run park is via Beach St (try to remember that). The park has rest rooms, the Horace Caldwell fishing pier and…
Must-see attractions in Gulf Coast & South Texas
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Visit this fabulous 1906 beaux-arts/colonial-revival mansion to see the excess made possible by the Spindletop oil boom. Members of the McFaddin family…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Across from (SPI) Convention Center, this pleasant beach park is surrounded by condo and hotel developments. It has a shaded picnic building with views…
Rio Grande Valley
Merging two separately owned tracts of conservation land into a single 95-acre expanse, this reserve surrounding the namesake arroyo is part of the World…
Rio Grande Valley
Though only officially the city's cemetery since 1868, graves here date back as far as the 1850s. A walk through the well-kept grounds is a virtual tour…
Nature Preserve at Charlie's Pasture
Corpus Christi Area
Over 1200 acres of nature preserve look out over the bird-filled marshes and salt flats on the east side of town. The 2-mile-return boardwalk stroll leads…
Corpus Christi
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…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Pop into this cheery center to see what's going on with Rockport's lively arts scene. As well as offering painting classes, it displays and sells locally…
Galveston
The last stretch of untouched coastal prairie on Galveston's East End, this 684-acre tract has been set aside for conservation purposes and is open to…
Rio Grande Valley
The 1851 home of Brownsville founder Charles Stillman, and later the Mexican Consulate in Brownsville, is part of the Brownsville Heritage Complex. Next…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Feed the gators, photo-op with small reptiles and watch a live edutainment show put on by this local animal-rescue outfit. You may have seen the Gator…
Texas Seaport Museum & Tall Ship Elissa
Galveston
This vast museum explains every facet of life around Galveston's port during its heyday in the 19th century. Outside, clamber aboard to tour the Elissa, a…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
This small county park at the end of the road is a good alternative for groups that aren't in a vehicle that can handle the dunes. There are showers,…
Rio Grande Valley
Founded by artist Mark Clark to showcase local talent, this small gallery hosts rotating exhibits on important local issues (border communities,…
Galveston
This 1874 bank building has undergone several name changes over the years, and the name on the marquee still belongs to the 1923 'United States National…
Shangri La Botanical Gardens & Nature Center
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Combination flower garden and open-air art gallery, the grounds of Shangri La are a fantastic place to spend a sunny afternoon. The 'Outpost Tour' boat…
Rio Grande Valley
The Museum of South Texas History covers transborder history with interactive multimedia exhibits that take visitors through frontier ranch houses and on…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Padre Blvd ends 12 miles north of Isla Blanca. North of here, another 20 miles of empty sand and dunes stretch all the way to Port Mansfield Pass. Nude…
Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center
Corpus Christi Area
A short boardwalk runs through the tall grass to an observation tower with wide-open views over the nature reserve and ship channel. Local guides run a…
Corpus Christi
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…
Old Victoria County Courthouse
Coastal Plains
Fronting the picturesque DeLeon Plaza, the majestic granite and limestone Old Victoria County Courthouse dates from 1892 (replacing a more modest 1849…
Rio Grande Valley
Housed in the grand Spanish Colonial–style 1928 Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, this small museum houses historical artifacts and photography. In the…
Galveston County Beach Pocket Parks
Galveston
Several long stretches of beach run by the county are found southwest of town off San Luis Pass Rd (the continuation of Seawall Blvd). Pocket Park 1, the…
Republic of the Rio Grande Museum
Rio Grande Valley
Housed in an 1830s home that served in 1840 as the capitol of the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande, this excellent museum brings that turbulent era…
Corpus Christi
This small space hosts contemporary-art exhibitions, which rotate every four to six weeks, with a penchant for emerging artists. The often-provocative…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Matagorda Bay Nature Park is a great resource with numerous programs where you can learn about the wetlands and barrier islands. Check for schedules; the…
Coastal Plains
This small Greek Revival temple just outside downtown was constructed as a museum dedicated to Texan artist Royston Nave in 1932. The exhibits, which…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Sunken treasure! That's the focus of this fun museum, which displays artifacts from three Spanish galleons that went down nearby in 1554. It does a good…
Galveston
One of the grandest mansions on the island, dating from 1895, this 28,000-sq-ft home still shines with the splendor of Galveston's heyday as an American…
Rio Grande Valley
Operated by the Webb County Heritage Foundation, the Border Heritage Museum may be open with a special exhibition. It’s housed in the restored Villa…
Corpus Christi Area
Housed in a renovated ice-storage house downtown, the King Ranch Museum covers the history of the ranch and the Kings. Be sure to follow the minor family…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
This museum manages to pack a surprisingly diverse collection of rotating fine- and folk-art exhibits into its small display space, and the emphasis on…
Rio Grande Valley
Despite the fact that it's only 15 acres and surrounded by the city, wandering the mile or so of nature trails through this well-conceived nature center…
Rio Grande Valley
Off US 83 between Laredo and McAllen in the small town of Zapata, this museum has historical artifacts and archival photographs of the former town of…
Galveston
Right on the Strand, this two-floor gallery showcases contemporary artwork primarily from local artists or artists focused on local themes. It also…
Rio Grande Valley
The 1915 Aztec Theater, the first Mayan Revival–style movie theater in the US, was a center of Eagle Pass community life until it closed in 1983. It's…
Rio Grande Valley
This 1930s Spanish Revival adobe hacienda is one of McAllen's best-preserved historic buildings. It also happens to be part of the World Birding Center,…
Estero Llano Grande State Park
Rio Grande Valley
The geographic center of the World Birding Center properties in Texas, the 230 acres of reserve here are mostly wetlands and contain over 5 miles of…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Crescent-shaped Rockport Harbor is one of the prettiest on the Gulf Coast. It's lined with all manner of boats (shrimp, fishing charter, tour and pleasure…
Rio Grande Valley
Though Fort Duncan Museum is long since shuttered, you can still wander through the ruins of the 1868 barracks and imagine what life might have been like…
