Coastal Plains
The third building used by the local congregation since the colonization of Victoria, the current neo-Gothic structure and the convent building next door…
Must-see attractions in Gulf Coast & South Texas
Galveston
Three colorful glass pyramids form the focus of one giant entertainment complex. The Aquarium Pyramid showcases king penguins, fur seals and the largest…
Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site
Gulf Coast & South Texas
The site of the fort is now offshore, but detailed outdoor displays recall the battle. This 57-acre site offers great views of idle oil rigs and passing…
Corpus Christi Area
This well-equipped park covers 4000 acres and has 5.5 miles of beach. It is popular with surfers, but given the normally calm nature of the gulf you may…
Rio Grande Valley
Parts of this downtown plaza, the oldest in Laredo, date from 1767. Surrounded by cobblestoned streets, lined with ancient oaks, it's a great spot to…
Rio Grande Valley
Established in 1849 to protect the region from raiding bandits and hostile local tribes, Fort McIntosh remained active through the Mexican Revolution and…
Corpus Christi Area
Like his friend and business partner Richard King, young Mifflin Kenedy first came to Texas as an army steamboat captain and went on to build an empire…
Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum
Rio Grande Valley
Return to the days of Six-Shooter Junction at this modern facility, which combines several museums in one. An 1870s stagecoach inn recalls the hot, dusty…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
The one attraction worth finding in the tangle of Brazosport is this fun aquarium. Learn about Texas salt marshes, the surf zone and coastal bays. A large…
Rio Grande Valley
From May 12 to 13, 1865, this remote stretch of marshy prairie was the scene of the final land battle of the US Civil War, more than a month after the…
Galveston
Some 10 miles southwest of downtown, swimmers will find a hard-packed white-sand beach far from the vacation rentals and tourists of town. This state park…
Corpus Christi
Selena's studio is still a working music and production house, presided over by her still-proud father Abraham Quintanilla Jr. It includes numerous…
Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Serious sports fans may recognize the name of Babe Didrikson Zaharias, named Female Athlete of the Century by the AP and Sports Illustrated. The small…
Coastal Plains
After defeating the Mexican army at the Battle of San Jacinto, General Rusk and the Texas army gathered the remains of Fannin and his men to bury them…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Everything from fishing boats to offshore oil rigs, to the story of the short-lived Texas Navy is covered at this large museum on the harbor. Displays…
Corpus Christi
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…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
It may not look like much, but this historic cemetery is the resting place for veterans of every war from the Texas Revolution through to the Gulf War,…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Built in 1903 as the First Baptist Church, the building was purchased in 1923 by Captain WC Tyrrell and donated to the city for use as a library. Step…
Corpus Christi Area
Displays on the region's natural and cultural history. The standout is the small 'Hall of Horns', which is devoted entirely to hunting trophies. This will…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Built (in 1899) sturdily of bricks to resist storms, the home of the history museum served at various times as the town’s railroad station, post office…
Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum
Galveston
From 1969 to 1984, this offshore rig drilled for oil in up to 173ft of water out in the gulf. Now moored off the end of 19th St, it has been converted…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
The Port Isabel Lighthouse was built (of brick) in 1852, and remained in use until 1905. A climb up its 70 somewhat-precarious steps yields great views of…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
When the local energy company found itself with half an empty substation, it devoted the station, of course, to the great inventor: Thomas Edison. Though…
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley – Coastal Studies Laboratory
Gulf Coast & South Texas
This small working lab is open for self-guided tours of its small fish tanks and various wall displays. If you can get past its meager utilitarian charms,…
Rio Grande Valley
Three acres of lush nature preserve along the banks of the Rio Grande are one of the World Birding Center properties that dot the border. A lookout on the…
Rio Grande Valley
Informational displays and authentic artifacts help bring to life the long history of Weslaco and the Rio Grande Valley from the Native American and…
Corpus Christi Area
Right downtown, the small old train depot has been beautifully restored and is filled with historical items and information panels relating to when you…
Rio Grande Valley
This 28-acre zoo displays more than 1500 animals in large areas that replicate their natural habitats. Among the kid-pleasing exhibits are a free-flight…
Rio Grande Valley
This two-story 1877 structure was home to the popular Los Dos Cañones mercantile store, and the cast-iron balcony upstairs is one of several around…
Rosenberg Library Historical Collections
Galveston
Housed on the 4th floor of this beautiful 1904 building, the oldest public library in continuous operation in Texas, is a collection of historical…
Galveston
Texas A&M University at Galveston runs a state-of-the-art marine research and rehabilitation facility largely dedicated to endangered sea turtles. From…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Constructed of Italian marble and Texas granite, the current building dates to 1912. But the magnificent stained-glass windows, around which the rest of…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Over 150 years old, this small Catholic chapel was the first church built in Aransas county when completed in 1858. Originally constructed fronting…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Downstairs, animated movies and interactive exhibits explain the science of hydrocarbons, petrochemicals and oil extraction in a fairly entertaining…
Galveston
Constructed in 1880 as a social club for the German residents of Galveston, the Garten Verein (garden club) dancing hall was once a center of the city's…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Built in 1906 by real-estate dealer/banker/mayor RH Woodworth, this historic home is currently open to the public only by appointment, except for special…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Commissioned in 1900 as Port Arthur was becoming an oil boomtown, the Pompeiian Villa was constructed in a traditional Roman layout copied from an actual…
Corpus Christi
Once a small display area tucked inside Surf Club Records, this museum has now taken over completely with a range of displays on the history of surfing in…
Corpus Christi Area
Volunteers make this small museum a delightful place to learn the history of Port A, from sand (when this was just a barrier island) to sea (when the…
University of Texas Marine Science Institute
Corpus Christi Area
The tiny school's education center has views of the busy shipping channel and exhibits about dunes, sand, fish and the myriad local bird species.
