13 things to do in Port Aransas for a wonderful time

Welcome to my Hometown Tourist Project!  Each week I am introducing you to a new blogger who will give us a virtual tour of their hometown.  Throughout the year we will be going all over the country and even up into Canada! 

Today I am pleased to introduce you to Kim who blogs at Savvy Support VA.  Kim’s blog is about living with chronic illness and helping others with chronic illness to create a life they love. 

But, today Kim is going to introduce us to her hometown of Port Aransas, TX, and share with us her favorite things to do in Port Aransas, or Port A, as it’s called.

Hometown Tourist Project Week # 22 – Port Aransas, Texas

By: Kim M.

Hi, I’m Kim from Savvy Support VA and I live on the Texas gulf coast but more importantly, I am your tour guide for Port Aransas, TX.  I’m here to tell you why I love living here, and I look forward to sharing all the fun things to do in Port Aransas!

First of all, I want to thank A Book Lover’s Adventures for having me here. Because of you and your readers, I was able to look at my surroundings with a new perspective. I am grateful for the reason that I was reminded of just how spectacular our area is.

To start off, here’s a little about me. I live with debilitating chronic pain and invisible illness every day. That is why I started my blog, Savvy Support VA!  

While I am unable to visit the places I have read about here on A Book Lover’s Adventures, I do love hearing about the adventures. Because I’m mostly bedridden due to my illness, I like to live vicariously through others. Most of all I am happy to contribute information about my favorite place, Port Aransas, TX.

Living in Port Aransas

I would rather live here, in Port Aransas, Texas, while chronically ill than somewhere else and be healthy. (Except for somewhere much cooler during the extremely hot months)!

I have a lot to be grateful for including where I live. For over 20 years I’ve made the Texas gulf coast my home. I raised my kids here and now my grandkids are enjoying the beaches and salt air. It is not only beautiful and peaceful but above all it is entertaining. There is so much to do and likewise, so much NOT to do which makes it fun yet serene.

I love living near Port Aransas especially in contrast to Austin or Houston. Sometimes I ride the ferry over to Port A just to feel the sway of the boat. It feels like a new trip every time. I get out of the car hoping to catch a glimpse of dolphins in the ship channel. Sometimes I get to see a huge platform or ship coming in or going out to sea. Everything going through the channel is most likely going to or coming from the Corpus Christi Bay.

Port A is a laid-back beach town with smiles for miles, almost everyone smiles when your eyes connect. And, because we’re a small beach town, you can navigate the whole city on a bicycle or golf cart while soaking up the sun and enjoying the Island atmosphere!

Fun Things to do in Port Aransas

I made a list of reasons I love living here and favorite things to do in Port Aransas!  All the reasons why you’ll want to visit us!

Beaches

1. Port Aransas Beaches

Website: https://portaransas.org/play/beaches/

Cost: FREE

One of the favorite things to do in Port Aransas is to go to the beach. Situated on the Gulf Coast ensures we have beautiful beaches for miles!

Bring a beach umbrella or canopy, a chair or towel and stick your feet in the sand. You can wander off into the pages of that book you’ve been wanting to read. Ground yourself and breathe in that beautiful salt air.

2. Mustang Island State Park

Website: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/mustang-island

Cost: $5/adults, children under 12 FREE

A little further down the barrier island from Port Aransas is Mustang Island State Park. You will find not only beaches but picnic areas, paddling trails and more here.

3. San Jose Island

Website: http://sanjoseislandtexas.org/

Cost: FREE

While San Jose’ Island is a privately owned island, the beaches are open to the public. Some favorite things to do on San Jose’ Island include fishing, birding, shelling and sunning.

4. Port Aransas Ferry System

Website: https://www.txdot.gov/driver/travel/ferry-schedules.html

Cost: FREE

The ferry ride to and from Port Aransas is beautiful, most times you will see dolphins. It’s even more likely if there is a big ship going through the channel. They LOVE riding the surf right in front of the ship.

You can get to San Jose Island via the Port Aransas Ferry System. Just check the timing through the above website.

Fishing

Since this area is known as the Fishing Capital of Texas, one of the best things to do in Port Aransas is, of course, fishing!

5. Charter Fishing

Website: https://www.portaransas-texas.com/things-do/port-aransas-fishing

Cost: varies

Whether you are looking to go deep-sea fishing or just a half-day in the bay, you can find what you want in Port Aransas! For finding a fishing charter, just check the website above.

6. Horace Caldwell Fishing Pier

Website: http://onpadreisland.com/horace_caldwell_pier.aspx

Cost: $1.25/person

If you brought your own equipment and want to fish off a dock or the beach, ask the locals where to go. There are a few secret spots sure to get you a good dinner!

On Mustang Island you’ll find the Horace Caldwell Pier. Twelve hundred feet of fishing pier in the Gulf of Mexico!

Nature

7. Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center

Website: https://cityofportaransas.org/departments/parks-and-recreation/nature-preserve/birding-center/

Cost: FREE

Whether you’re an experienced birder or not, you can walk along the boardwalk in the wetlands. If you’d like to join one of the Birding Meet Ups, just check the time and dates.

8. Roberts Point Park

Website: https://www.visitcorpuschristitx.org/see-and-do/2290/roberts-point-park

Cost: FREE

A fun thing to do in Port Aransas, especially in the summer time, is to head to Roberts Point Park!

Jutting out into the Corpus Christi shipping channel, this 50-acre park has lots of fun for the whole family!

9. Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture

Website: https://cityofportaransas.org/departments/parks-and-recreation/nature-preserve/charlies-pasture/

Cost: FREE

A favorite thing to do in Port Aransas is wander along the nature trail at the Nature Preserve. You can go it alone or join one of the guided tours.

Art & Culture

10. Port Aransas Museum & Farley Boat Works

Website: https://www.portaransasmuseum.org/

Cost: FREE

You can visit the Port Aransas Museum and find out how Port Aransas came to be along with its, most likely, first inhabitants…the Karankawa Indians. Did you know there is a legend of a Spanish dagger with a silver spike driven through its hilt that is supposed to mark where Jean La Fitte buried a chest of gold and jewels?

Dining

With more restaurants than people (just kidding), you can probably find food you like. From seafood, breakfast tacos, to burgers and candy to ice cream, there’s almost certainly something for just about everyone.

Here are a few of the favorites in Port Aransas:

11. Irie’s Island Food

Website: http://iriesislandfood.com/

Fresh, local, seafood! If you want Island food, head to Irie’s.

12. Coffee Waves

Website: https://www.coffeewaves.com/

Coffee, breakfast, or dessert!

13. La Playa Mexican Grille

Website: https://www.laplayamexicangrille.com/

Fresh southwest and Mexican fare!

As you can see, there’s fun for everyone in Port Aransas! Here are a few other fun things to do in Port Aransas…

• Get a picture inside a (fake) shark’s mouth
• eat with pirates surrounding you at Moby Dick’s
• take a ride on a real-life pirate ship at Red Dragon Pirate Cruises
• go on a dolphin tour with Scarlet Lady Dolphin Adventure
• enjoy the nightlife at Bernie’s

Things to do Near Port Aransas

U.S.S. Lexington – Corpus Christi

Website: https://usslexington.com/

If you run out of things to do in Port Aransas (what?!) you are just minutes away from the Lexington Aircraft Carrier Museum.

Here you can take a self-guided tour on the Aircraft Carrier, you can try your wits with escape rooms, and experience a 3-D movie!

Texas State Aquarium – Corpus Christi

Website: https://tickets.texasstateaquarium.org/

Take the Ferry from Port Aransas to Corpus Christi and visit the Texas State Aquarium while you’re there.

Wander through the different habitats and interactive exhibits. Fun for the whole family!

King Ranch – Kingsville

Website: https://king-ranch.com/

The King Ranch in Kingsville is a little further away but not so far you can’t make a day trip out of it.

You can take a ranch tour or a nature tour. Either way, this seems like it’d be a really fun thing to do!

Port Aransas – Things to do

Whether you are chronically ill or healthy, you should put visiting Port A on your bucket list. As you can see, there are so many things to do in Port Aransas and you will enjoy a stress-free vacation on an island paradise that makes you forget your worries. Putting your feet in the sand can make even the illest (or ill-tempered) person feel better.

Now that I’ve given you all the reasons why I love living here and all my favorite things to do in Port Aransas and why you should think about visiting or vacationing here, go ahead and start researching Port A for your next getaway right now, you better hurry though…they book up fast.

Why don’t you share this post with your friends and family and make it a group vacation? Sharing is caring 😉

About the Author

Kim M. blogs at Savvy Support VA. As I mentioned earlier, I live with debilitating chronic pain and invisible illness every day. One of my illnesses is Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease that destroys the thyroid gland. That, in turn, creates havoc throughout my entire body.

Due to my illness, I started my blog, Savvy Support VA to help other women bloggers with chronic illness create a life they love through hobbies, self-care, and creating income. This makes me happy!

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The beautiful photographs in this post were all taken by Donald Hatch of Barefoot Donald

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