Padre Island National Seashore, the longest undeveloped stretch of a barrier island in the world, has more than 133,000 acres of protected, natural beaches, white dunes, thriving grassland, saltwater marshes, and a host of untouched wildlife. Experience the island in its natural state with primitive camping, which is allowed in any spot along the entire length of the beach. Year-round inhabitants include coyotes, white-tail deer, peregrine falcons, kangaroo rats, and jackrabbits.
Enjoy dinner, drinks, and live music at Brewster Street Ice House in downtown Corpus Christi. Brewster Street boasts the best live music and is known for its Thursday night Texas Country Music nights, welcoming home-grown artists like Aaron Watson, Jack Ingram, Kevin Fowler, Kyle Park, the Randy Rogers Band, and many others. The venue features a full-service restaurant where the menu offers seared tuna, fried shrimp, fried pickles, chicken strips, and their signature Kieschnick burgers. The drink menu doesn't disappoint either, serving up favorite domestic and imported beers, award-winning margaritas, and other delicious cocktails.
The Texas State Aquarium is a major tourist attraction on the Gulf Coast that receives more than 500,000 visitors per year and is a leading educational and rehabilitation center that primarily focuses on species from the Gulf of Mexico. Exhibits explore both creatures of the gulf and the natural habitat that supports them. Some sections of the Texas State Aquarium include Amazon, Dolphin Bay, Eagle Pass, and Floating Phantoms. In addition, they have touch tanks, up-close encounters with stingrays, and a super-sized children's play park.
Return to the past as you step aboard the USS Lexington Museum, where you'll experience the World War II aircraft carrier that symbolizes the perseverance and determination of sailors, pilots, and military personnel who fought for freedom during the war. The floating museum features self-guided tours through the ship's maze of tunnels and ladders. Five self-guided tours cover 100,000 square feet and 11 decks. Sections of the ship that are open to the public include the hangar deck, engine room and sick bay, gallery deck, flight deck, navigation bridge, pilot house, and a chart house.