★
BRING ON BROWNSVILLE At the very southern tip of Texas, Browns-
ville is a bi-cultural city with a tropical loca- tion and festive attitude. T e city is known for many festivals throughout the year including the weeklong Charro Days fi esta in February and the Latin Jazz Festival in October. Several Brownsville attractions are located
Brownsville offers history and border culture.
Water Gardens to get to the Art Museum of South Texas. T e museum has more than 1,500 works in its permanent collection, fea- turing fi ne art and craſt of the Americas with a focus on Texas, surrounding states and Mexico, plus special exhibitions. Across the bridge, the Texas State Aquar-
ium invites visitors to learn more about the inhabitants of the Gulf and other waters with- out having to get in a boat. A 40,000-gallon ex- hibit—with a replica of a coral reef about 300 miles off the coast—allows visitors to observe some of the life that occupies reefs. Touch pools allow interaction with sea creatures that live in the Laguna Madre and Padre Island bays and estuaries. T ese exhibits—along with Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, otters, stingrays and sea turtles—make for a memorable visit. Next to the Texas State Aquarium, the
USS Lexington, a World War II aircraſt car- rier, serves as a naval aviation museum and educational facility. Self-guided tour routes lead visitors through 11 decks. For a diff er- ent experience, visitors can make an advance reservation for the 3- to 4-hour Hard Hat Tour, which explores 15 areas not on the self- guided tour. A great way to wrap up a tour or take a break is to strap into the pilot seat of a fi ghter jet in the fl ight simulator or experience air-to-air combat, carrier landings and the ship’s gunnery in the Virtual Battle Stations. Before leaving the city, visitors might want
to check out the hummingbird and plumeria gardens at South Texas Botanical Gardens &
Nature Center, play in the sand and surf at Mustang Island State Park or Padre Island National Seashore, and see a game at Wha- taburger Field. Consider getting a bite to eat at a Whataburger, aſt er all, the chain started here as a humble burger stand on Ayers Street. ★
SEEK TASTY SEAFOOD When visiting the Gulf Coast, travelers
oſt en want to know where to eat seafood. T ere are plenty of great places for seafood from comfortable shacks where a T-shirt over a swimsuit is proper attire to more formal dining experiences. Some of the best places are located inland and others off er a view of the shrimp boats coming in or have a clear view of the Gulf. Options generally include oysters, shrimp
and fi sh that are fried, boiled or grilled. Some to experience are Gaido’s, Fisherman’s Wharf and Shrimp N Stuff in Galveston; Stingaree Restaurant & Marina in Crystal Beach; Al- by’s Seafood (carry out), Glow Restaurant and Charlotte Plummer’s in Rockport-Fulton; Monument Inn in La Porte; Executive Surf Club and Snoopy’s Pier in Corpus Christi; Pirate’s Landing Restaurant in Port Isabel; and Blackbeard’s Restaurant and Sea Ranch Restaurant in South Padre Island. A few restaurants will prepare your own-
catch-of-the-day, so travelers including a fi sh- ing trip in the itinerary might want to inquire locally about that option.
For more infor ma tion about the Gulf Coast, visit
TravelTexas.com.
within walking distance of each other in the Mitte Cultural District: the Brownsville Mu- seum of Fine Art, Gladys Porter Zoo, Old City Cemetery Center, Historic Brownsville Mu- seum, Costumes of the Americas Museum, Children’s Museum of Brownsville, Camille Playhouse, and three city parks. T ese facili- ties introduce visitors to Brownsville’s history, architecture and art, or invite them to touch a stingray or feed a giraff e. Further afi eld, other historic locations also
beckon visitors. T e Palo Alto Battlefi eld Na- tional Historic Site tells the story of the Mex- ican War from each nation’s perspective. At Palmito Ranch Battlefi eld, visitors can wan- der the site of the last clash in the Civil War (a month aſt er the war’s end). So come and relax on the Texas Gulf Coast and soak up the experiences. ★
INF ORMATION Travel GETTING THERE
CORPUS CHRISTI INTL. AIRPORT
www.corpuschristiairport.com
HOUSTON-GEORGE BUSH INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT www.fl
y2houston.com
VALLEY INTL. AIRPORT (Harlingen) www.fl
ythevalley.com
TRAVEL INFORMATION CENTER S
HARLINGEN: 2021 W.
Harrison.In the Rio Grande Valley near the Texas-Mexico border at the intersection of U.S. 77 and U.S. 83. 956/428-4477.
ORANGE: 1708 E. I-10. In Southeast Texas at the Texas-Louisiana state line on East I-10. 409/883-9416.
Open 8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily, and 8 a.m.–6 p.m. from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. To speak to a professional travel
counselor for travel information and trip planning assistance call 800/452-9292 from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Central time daily.
www.txdot.gov. For 24-hour highway condition
information call 800/452-9292 or visit
www.drivetexas.org.
49
GULF CO AST
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230 |
Page 231 |
Page 232 |
Page 233 |
Page 234 |
Page 235 |
Page 236 |
Page 237 |
Page 238 |
Page 239 |
Page 240 |
Page 241 |
Page 242 |
Page 243 |
Page 244 |
Page 245 |
Page 246 |
Page 247 |
Page 248 |
Page 249 |
Page 250 |
Page 251 |
Page 252 |
Page 253 |
Page 254 |
Page 255 |
Page 256 |
Page 257 |
Page 258 |
Page 259 |
Page 260 |
Page 261 |
Page 262 |
Page 263 |
Page 264 |
Page 265 |
Page 266 |
Page 267 |
Page 268
