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Corpus Christi
Resource Guide Corpus Christi is one of the most understated destinations in Texas and, in fact, in all of the U.S. A. There are a few things you can’t do in Corpus, snow skiing for example, but otherwise whatever your idea of fun, pleasure, excitement, or relaxation, Corpus Christi has it all. The City of Corpus Christi lies along the southwest bank of Corpus Christi Bay, one of the most magnificent bodies of water anywhere. I37 from San Antonio releases travelers downtown Corpus near the port, a good place to start the Great Corpus Christi Adventure. Downtown is dominated by the Harbor Bridge (Napoleon’s Hat to locals, a nick name derived from the way the bridge looks at night from the bay). The bridge links downtown with a strip
of land called North Beach, or more recently dubbed Corpus Christi Beach,
and points further north along the coast. North Beach was once a
ramshackle beach bum community but is now the home of the Texas State
Aquarium, The WWII aircraft carrier USS Lexington, nice hotels, condos and
tourist shops. |
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An assortment of other high-rise buildings dominate
downtown both along the waterfront and beyond the bluff that overlooks the
bay. But it’s not the skyline that makes Corpus Christi so special. All
eyes turn to sea and forget fancy buildings once a traveler arrives on the
Bay Front. Bobbing sail boats, sparkling water, a pristine harbor, these
are just the most exquisite features one finds at the upper end of
Shoreline Drive, an avenue that travels along the bay for miles, revealing
one of the most scenic drives anywhere.
Shoreline passes some of the most expensive real estate in Texas and leads to Texas A & M University, Corpus (situated on its own island) and, beyond that, Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. A freeway leaves Interstate 37 a few miles inland and cuts straight across the city towards the Gulf of Mexico. |
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This thoroughfare is called South Padre Island Drive, a
name that sometimes confuses travelers, especially those who may have been
headed to the town of South Padre Island but made a wrong turn and wound
up in Corpus. A number of shopping centers and two grand malls, La Palmera
(formerly Padre-Staples Mall) and Sunrise, along with major outlets and
local shops, line the freeway. Further on, the freeway passes over the
Intracoastal Waterway and curves southwest onto North Padre Island.
The City offers as much variety as a metropolis many times its size but is much more compact, with less traffic, making anything one might want to do only a few minutes away. In whatever direction one travels, along the Bayfront, down SPID, onto North Padre, or over the Harbor Bridge, there’s a plethora of things to see and do. |
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| Some of them are tourist attractions
but many are year-round recreational and site-seeing opportunities that
locals enjoy just as much as visitors do.
There’s so many opportunities for adventure that a short introduction to
Corpus Christi cannot do it justice. But one need not do anything at all
but relax to appreciate the city. Corpus Christi is a beautiful city with
friendly people and a welcoming atmosphere.
It’s a city that’s easy to fall in love with and
difficult to say goodbye to. Many people who visit return as often as they
can. Quite often people who visit come back to stay. |
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| Water Street
Market - at the heart of Corpus Christi's downtown
entertainment district is a popular oasis...the landmark Water Street
Market. Stroll through the open-air courtyard and discover extraordinary
shops and remarkable restaurants. Agua Java
Coffe Co., 361-882-0865 Artist
Nook & Gallery, 939 Ayers, 361-883-3860 |
Corpus Christi Restaurants
Blackbeard's 3117 Surfside, 361-884-1030 |
| Major Attractions
Art Center of Corpus Christi, 361-884-6406 |
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| RV Parks
Coleto Creek Park & Reservoir, 361-575-6366 |
Fishing Guides
Bay Fishing on the Island Queen, 361-749-6969 |
| Fun Things to Do
Corpus Christi Trade Center - Largest indoor market in S. Texas, 2833 S
Padre Island Drive |
Birding
Rockport Adventures, 877-892-4737 |
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Corpus Christi
Outdoors No city offers a more unique variety of beach fun than Corpus, where two distinctly different beaches beckon sun worshipers. |
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Corpus
Christi Attractions Corpus offers as much, or more, to do than one can find in a metropolis a dozen times its size. |
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Corpus Christi
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