In 1519, Spanish explorer Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda discovered the semi-tropical bay area along the present day coast of Southeast Texas. He called this area Corpus Christi (Body of Christ) due to its discovery on the Roman Catholic Feast Day of Corpus Christi. After starting life as a frontier post, among other events, the city eventually incorporated in 1852. Since then, Corpus Christi has served as large distribution channel for SE Texas (and the US) regarding agriculture, processing (e.g. petroleum), and packaging of goods.
Corpus Christi is the largest port city along the Texas coast. It's also the 6th largest port in the United States.
Corpus Christi Beach
According to Corpus Christi's Official Website, "Dr. Beach" Stephen Leatherman, director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University, named Corpus Christi Beach as "ONE OF THE FIVE TOP URBAN BEACHES" (hot spots within a city's limits). He praised the "beach's super-fine sand, crystal clear water and nice breeze. It's one of the nicer surprises I've found along the Gulf of Mexico." (From Spirit, Southwest Airline's magazine, June 2007)
Corpus Christi Beach features a beautiful view of Corpus Christi Bay, the Corpus Christi Skyline, Harbor Bridge, the Shipping Channel and features a board walk that stretches from all along North Beach to the USS Lexington Aircraft Carrier Museum. During the warmer months (by Texas standards) you will often see locals enjoying Long Walks on the Beach, Volleyball, Building Sand Castles as well as Surfing, Para-Surfing, Para-Sailing, Snorkeling, Wade Fishing and simply enjoying the normally Sun Drenched Beach.
USS Lexington Museum on the Bay
"USS Lexington (CV/CVA/CVS/CVT-16), known as "The Blue Ghost", was an Essex-class aircraft carrier, the fifth United States Naval ship named in honor of the Revolutionary War Battle of Lexington. Laid down as Cabot on 15 July 1941 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass., the ship was renamed Lexington 16 June 1942, after the loss of Lexington (CV-2) in the Battle of the Coral Sea. She was launched 23 September 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Theodore Douglas Robinson; and commissioned 17 February 1943, Captain Felix Stump, U.S. Navy in command....
She continued as a training carrier for the next 22 years until decommissioned 8 November 1991. On 15 June 1992, the ship was donated as a museum and now operates as the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay at 27.815° -97.389, 2914 North Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi, Texas. A MEGA theater (similar to IMAX) was added in the forward aircraft elevator space. Lexington was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003. The ship is carefully maintained and areas of the ship previously off-limits are becoming open to the public every few years. One of the most recent examples is the catapult room."
Texas State Aquarium
"Travel an aquatic journey from the shore to the depths of the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. Thousands of animals representing over 300 species are found within 700,000 gallons of fun and fascination. Watch sharks and sea turtles live among snapper, tarpon, redfish and grouper in Islands of Steel and then get up close and personal with Atlantic bottlenose dolphins in Dolphin Bay.
Meet the frisky inhabitants of Otter Creek and really get your hands wet in Living Shores! Be mesmerized by the aerial antics of various birds through a free-flight performance featuring hawks, owls, falcons and parrots, and other exotic small mammals in the new Hawn Wild Flight Theater. Catch a dive presentation in Flower Gardens and then dare to enter the mysterious world of the Amazon rainforest where you will encounter poison-dart frogs, fresh-water stingrays and boa constrictors. Immerse yourself in Floating Phantoms and see jellyfish from around the world. With so much to see and do, what are you waiting for?"
Many Opportunities Year Round
The local weather is quite moderate year round. Although we are sun-drenched during the summer months, we almost always have a breeze to keep us cooled down. While many regions in the U.S. are miserably cold during the fall and winter months, we enjoy a very moderate climate which is ideally suited for Winter Texans and Snowbirds from all across the United States. Golf, fishing, bird watching and swimming are just some of the activities that WE winter texans enjoy while we stay during the winter months.
King Ranch
Larger than the entire state of Rhode Island, this is the ranching heart of the region. Spend a day touring the spread where cowboys still work the Santa Gertrudis cattle and breed and train thoroughbred horses. The King Ranch was founded in 1853 after Captain Richard King traveled to Corpus Christi for the Lone Star State Fair. At the fair, Captain King and a friend formed a partnership to establish and operate a livestock operation. The land was part of a 15,500-acre grant known as the Rincon de Santa Gertrudis. Today the working ranch sprawls across 825,000-acres of South Texas and is home to 60,000 cattle and 300 registered Quarter Horses. The ranch is also a multinational agribusiness and energy exploration corporation, which produces grain sorghum, sugar cane, rice, cotton, turf grass, alfalfa and cattle. The visitor center is open Mon.-Sat 9-4 and Sun 12-5.
Padre Island National Seashore
One of the 11 national seashores in the U.S., this 110-mile barrier island stretches between the Texas mainland and the sparkling surf of the Gulf of Mexico. Endless beaches and fishing coves lure visitors from all over the world. Miles of white sandy shoreline, this is the longest stretch of primitive, undeveloped ocean beach in the country. The sun and surf of Padre Island make this beach ideal for swimming nearly year-round. Visitors can fish in the Gulf or in the shallow, salty waters of Laguna Madre.
All vehicles can travel on the 8.5 mile paved park entrance road, North Beach, and the first five miles of South Beach. Four-wheel drive vehicles are required on the southern 55 miles of the road less Gulf beach. Hiking, camping and bird watching are among favorite pastimes along the seashore. Boating, water-skiing and sail surfing are perfect for the shallow waters of Laguna Madre. The park includes a boat launch at Bird Island Basin, a Gulf Ranger Station, a Visitor Center, a bathhouse and picnic areas.
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
Located just north of Rockport, this federally maintained wildlife refuge offer six hiking trails, a picnic area, an interpretive center, an observation tower with telescopes and a boardwalk leading to the bay. A 16-mile auto tour loop is available. Fishing access is available to the bays April 15-Oct. 15. Local Charter boats depart from either Rockport Harbor of Fisherman's Wharf in Port Aransas daily, Nov-March, to view the endangered whooping cranes. The gates are open sunrise-sunset; the interpretive center is open daily 8:30-4:30, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Corpus Christi Botanical Gardens
This 264-acre garden includes more than 1,000 native South Texas plants. Other features include nature trails, a picnic area, an information center and a gift shop. Seminars and workshops are offered for the public. A Children's Garden has recently opened offering gardening workshops for children in two sessions, Fall and Spring.
Texas
Texas Brewed Beer: Lone Star Beer
Beer makes the world go around, everybody knows that. Sometimes it can make you go around too, at least your head. Lone Star beer might not be a fancy, upper-echelon, yuppie beer, but it has its heritage and roots in Texas, and won the hearts of many Texans. Touted as "the National Beer of Texas," Lone Star was the proud product of San Antonio for many years. When the Lone Star Brewery closed, it was made at the Pearl Brewery also located in San Antonio. A California company saw the opportunity to fill a niche market and bought Lone Star for a time. It was brewed in California and then was shipped back to its home state for consumption, which seemed kind of counter-productive to me. A Texas based operation bought Lone Star a few years after that and brought the operation back home. It's now brewed and bottled in Fort Worth, Texas.
As I said before, Lone Star is definitely not your beer snob kind of beer. If ever there was a blue-collar, working man's kind of beer it would be Lone Star. There is a particular fondness for the beer in the younger rockabilly and greaser crowd. Many Texas natives drink it because it's a Texas beer. If Shiner Bock is Texas' premium type of beer in these circles, like Guinness, say, then Lone Star is Texas' Budweiser. Actually maybe more like Busch. It's cheap, sweet, and on the bottom shelves in the convenience stores, but the more of it you drink the better you like it. As with any beer, after six of them, you really like it, and find yourself riding back to the store to get another sixer. One of Lone Star's great appeals is its price. Even in the bars, often-times it's cheaper than regular beer, whereas Shiner can have import prices even though it is made right down the road. The price you pay for good beer, I guess. And probably one of the reasons Lone Star is revered by the younger drinkers.
MY WINTER THEME SONG:
CORPUS CHRISTI
I WAS NOT BORN IN TEXAS, BUT I GOT HERE AS SOON AS I COULD!
