Port Aransas Top Ten Fun Things To See & To Do In Port Aransas

Port Aransas is one of our favorite cities in Texas. It offers lots of fun things to see and do for a weekend or a vacation. Check out our Port Aransas map to find some of the following on our clickable map of Port Aransas. Here is Texas Outside's list of our Top Ten Favorite Things To See and Do In Port Aransas:

• Get Some Beach Time - Port Aransas has a great beach at the south east end of town with over 17 miles of uninterrupted public shorelines. The beach area is next to the jetty (great for fishing) and channel leading into the bay and to the Port Aransas marina. The sand is packed and vehicles are allowed to drive on the beach. This beach area is popular for kit flying, camping, fishing, windsurfing, kitesailing, and chillin' in your beach chair.
• Explore Port A by Bike - we enjoy parking the car or motorhome and biking to the park, beach, shops, restaurants, and bars. Port A is small enough that you can ride from the ferry to the beach in less than 15 minutes. In 2010, there aren't any bike paths in the city, so you need to be careful biking around the city. Head out to Charlie's Pasture and ride along the Jetty and into the bird watching area on the cement patch and wooden bridges that meander through the wetlands.
• Go Fishing -if Port Aransas isn't the fishing capital of Texas, it should be. It seems that half of the city and population have something to do with fishing. You won't have any problem finding a fishing guide or an offshore charter boat. Or you can fish from the surf, in the bay, from the beach, in the channel, or from jetties and lighted piers. See this page for a list of fishing guides and charters. If you don't charter a boat or hire a fishing guide, here are some tips:
  • Surf Fish -if you like to surf fish, pick any one of the many Port A beaches and use shrimp, mullet, spoons, and jigs and if you're a average surf fisherman you can land any number of trout, redfish, Spanish Mackerel, whiting, or bluefish.
  • Jetty Fish - if you not into getting wet, then try the Port A jetties at Robert's Point Park or piers - JP Luby Pier, Horace Coldwell Pier, Ancel Brundrett (Station Street) Pier, or Charlie's Pasture Pier. From the jetties use live or dead shrimp under a popping core, live or dead mullet on the bottom or surface, or spoons or jigs to tangle with trout, redfish, sheepshead, black drum, Spanish Mackerel, whiting or more. During the winter or fall you'll find flounder which come here to spawn.
  • Offshore Fishing - launch you boat near the ferry or charter/rent a boat and go offshore fishing for red snapper, blackfin and yellowfin tuna, mako shark, and more.
• Revel In The Nightlife - for such a small town, Port A has lots of fun nightlife - someone told us that there are over 36 bars and 23 chuches and the locals are either partying or praying! A number of the bars have live music or karaoke, some have outside patios, a few have games (pool, darts, shuffleboard), many have appetizers or bar type food, and all of them have a lively, friendly, and fun loving crowd. We enjoy Shorty's, Bernies next door, Lovett's, the Gaff (pizza is great and be there for the power sander races!), Salty Dog (another of the local hangouts labeled the “coolest honky-tonk on the Texas Riveria!”), and Neptune's (games, great patio, friendly service).  Be prepared for a very unique experience stepping through the doors of Shorty's - "the Island's Oldest and Friendliest Bar" - when we were there in November 2010, Larry Joe Taylor (a well known Texas singer songwriter) stopped by and sang a couple songs with the local band - turns out that Larry Joe has a concert on Friday and Saturday night at Third Coast Music every Thanksgiving for the past few years. Next door is Bernie's on the Beach (can get a little rowdy dancing to the DJ), and just outside of town is Sharky's (downstairs on the weekends is mostly for younger crowds with rock bands).
• Pitch a Tent or Hook Up the RV - another reason we love Port A is it offers a number of camping/RV park options. For example, Island RV Resort and Tropic Island RV Resort is in town and has full hook-ups and is 3 to 5 blocks from the main part of town. I. B. Magee Beach park has rustic inexpensive sites behind the beach berm with water and electricity as well as beach camping - make sure you get a permit to camp on the beach. Mustang Island State Park is about 15 minutes from Port A. Our Port A map or our Port Aransas Camping Map will help you find a place to stay. If you're not into camping, it seems like every other house, apartment, or condo is available for rent - lots of choices.
• Explore the Area - Port A is an excellent location to stay and do some exploring. Rockport and Fulton are about 15 miles away and offer good fishing, some areas we like to bike, golf, plus fun bars and good food and lots of different attractions. You're also about 25 minutes away from downtown Corpus Christi which has lots of fun things to see and do. See our map and list of Top Ten Things To Do in Corpus and our Rockport/Fulton map. If you can spare the time on your way to or from Port A, spend a night or longer at Falcon Point Ranch   and go fishing, hunting, birding, biking, kayaking, horseback riding, or just sit by the pool and relax with a cold drink and enjoy an unbelievable sunset!
• Bird or Dolphin Watch - if you like bird watching, you have lots of choices in and around Port A, some of which include: Wetlands Park, Leona Belle Turnbull Birding Center, Paradise Pond, or the South Jetty. Charlie's Pasture has a fantastic paved and wooden bridge trail that meanders through the wetlands - bring mosquito spray. Or take a whooping crane and birding boat tour. You can watch the dolphins surf and play in the bay. The best place to watch the dolphins is along the jetty in Roberts Point Park or ride the free ferry back and forth and you're bound to spot a few dolphins.
• Enjoy the Local Restaurants - if you enjoy fresh seafood, you'll like most of the Port Aransas restaurants. Along the marina you'll find some good, but a little bit touristy and pricey restaurants on the water with great decks, good drinks and food, and occasionally music. Trout Street is one of the best known restaurants on the water. Off the water you have plenty of choices from Italian to Mexican and everything in between. We enjoyed some good pasta at Seafood & Spaghetti Works and an excellent Ahi Tuna at Hook's Bar & Grill on their outside patio. Here are some choices: Trout Street Bar & Grill (361 749-7800) has a wide variety of entrees and on the water;Seafood & Spaghetti Works ( 361 749-5666) is known for seafood, steaks, and Italian food; Hook’s Bar & Grill (361 749-3663) has indoor and outdoor dining and live music; and Virginia’s on the Bay (361 749-4088) is offers dining on the harbor with fantastic sunsets.
• Go Golfing - about 10 minutes outside of town, Arnold Palmer built a spectacular new signature 18 hole golf course, Newport Dunes - don't miss out playing this beauty with some holes along the Gulf - here is a link to Texas Outside's review of Newport Dunes Golf Course. If you can get on the private Rockport Country Club course it's a good track and NorthShore in Portland is well worth the short drive. You'll find all of these and more, plus links to our reviews and ratings of each of them on the Corpus Christi Golf Map.
• Play Tourist - while you're in town, play tourist and visit the following: Maritime Museum in Rockport; the Aquarium and USS Lexington in Corpus; the University of Texas Marine Science Center; Roberts Point Park next to the ferry landing for fishing from the jetty, special events pavilion, shuffleboard, bocce ball, horseshoes, basketball, volleyball, dolphin watching as they lead the ships in and out of the channel, and picnicking; or take a boat tour of the bay or the jetty boat to the St Joe's Island (private and no access by car) for beach-combing, fishing, shelling, surfing, or picnicking

To find a lot of the above, check out our Port Aransas Map or the Port Aransas Website and you can use the Google Map below to find any location on the map.

Have Fun. Let us know about your favorites - send us an email