Let's take a day trip. Or, to be more accurate, let's enjoy a getaway that's about a three hour drive from San Antonio, for an overnight stay or a weekend retreat. We'll take IH10 into downtown, and then head south. Our final destination is Port Aransas on the Texas coast. There's not a lot to see on the drive south, save exits for small towns, occasional grazing cattle, and truck stops. In springtime, however, the roadside is bordered with a blaze of color from the fields of bluebonnets on the verge. After about an hour or two, you begin to see signs of population as you enter the outskirts of Corpus Christi. Just follow the signs thru the city for Port Aransas, hop off the highway and continue along, enjoying the marshland and bay views which will be a welcome sight after enduring the smokestacks and holding tanks that spoil the Corpus environs. Just a few more miles, and you'll begin seeing signs for the Port Aransas ferry terminal. Unless it's a hot summer day on a weekend, the lines should be short. Even if there's a wait, the ferry ride is a short one and the ferries operate continually. Best of all, it's free!

The ferry ride is an opportunity to decompress after the long ride south, and breathing the exhaust fumes from cars running their AC while waiting for the ferry. It's a short ride, and soon you'll see the docks at Port Aransas.



There are hundreds of choices of places to stay in Port Aransas, from waterfront high rise hotels, to very modest motor courts, to sleeping in your RV or pickup on the beach. My favorite is the Tarpon Inn, for it's antiquity, funky accomodations, and proximity to town. It's been around since 1886, and lays claim to being the birthplace of Texas sport fishing. Rates start at $89.00 and go up to $225.00 per night depending on the season, and the type of room you choose.



What to do in Port A? You've got lots of choices. The Texas coast is famous for it's fishing: you could charter a sportfishing yacht, fish off a pier, go out on a party boat, or simply wet a line from the beach. The beaches are sandy. and stretch for miles and miles. The Texas State Aquarium is a short drive away in Corpus Christi, and is well worth a visit. The restaurants in Port Aransas feature locally caught seafood. My suggestion: Find a restaurant that has amberjack on the menu that night. and order it before they run out! Port Aransas is also a destination for scuba divers wanting to dive Texas oil rigs, and the offshore Flower Gardens.