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CACTUS · 10-05-2005, 09:31 AM

Spent vacations in Florida for years, thought maybe I would try Corpus Christi Tx this year. Is it as warm as,say Tampa (avg 69 in Jan) or will I freeze? Any campground suggestions?

smily · 10-05-2005, 11:17 AM

It gets chilly in CC. But most prevalent is the wind blowing all of the time.

It is warm for the most part but i would compare it to the northwest panhandle of Florida.

Oh by the way, Get in quick because that is probably the most populated RV winterhaven of all.

They dont call em "Winter Texans" for nothing

Oh and the Trout fishing is EXCELLENT in the winter time.

jdb · 10-05-2005, 11:28 AM

But the water gets pretty chilly around the end of November. There's a lot of beach along the whole coast of Texas to explore, so you might look around a bit before settling down in any one place in Corpus. South Padre Island near Brownsville comes to mind. It draws a lot of RVs too, so the earlier the better.

Tin Hut · 10-05-2005, 11:30 AM

It probably averages about 5 degrees cooler but like the previous poster said, you'll get more wind chill (and dampness) that may make it feel cooler. Still a nice place to be for winter though.

Bob Thompson · 10-05-2005, 11:43 AM

Winters here in Corpus Christi are typically pretty nice. Although last winter they had an extremely rare snow fall, the weather is quite temperate. In the 11 years I've lived here, we average about 4 nights of frost per year. Otherwise, nighttime lows are upper 40's to low 50's, daytime highs 65 to 80 and it is generally pleasant. Cold spells are very infrequent, but about 25 years ago, parts of the bay did freeze over. I windsurf quite a bit and can usually put off wearing my wetsuit until about mid to late November. I can put it away for the summer by mid-March. Yes, it is windy here, but you will find the windsurfers and kite boarders great fun to watch. Windsurfing lessons are available at Bird Island Basin at the National Seashore. The place is ideal for learning as it has miles of waste to chest deep temperate water and no nasties in the water to spoil the fun.

January can be drizzly and rainy, but daytrips to Mexico will usually get you back into some sunshine.

Having spent the last two winters in Quartzsite, Az. I can tell you without reservation, it is warmer and generally more pleasant here in Corpus Christi. I would compare the weather to that of the Tampa area.

Swanny · 10-30-2005, 07:02 PM

There are some very nice RV parks in the area, but my wife and I like the Malaquite Beach campground on Padre Island National Seashore. It's a National park, so if you have your National parks pass, your only fee is the camping fee. There are no hook-up, but the freshwater filling spot and a dump station are located very near to the campsites.

Best of all you're literally about 100-200 yards from the Gulf (maybe not even that far). We're heading down in the next few months to spend a weekend or two. Have fun

Mitch

slowmover · 06-27-2007, 07:09 PM

Okay, a verrry late reply: An old schoolfriend moved to CC over ten years ago, opened a small business and has been successful ever since . . you couldn't drag him back to Big D. All of the above posts are consistent with my observations of many visits over the years. Dallas' best weather is in November, March & April; spring tends to begin by the third week of February and CC is a good ten days before that. You could plan a Texas trip around all that. Plenty of good routes through Texas that avoid I-35: 77 from Waco south; US-281 and Texas-16 are all quite nice. We run I-45S to Buffalo, then west to Rockdale and south on 77 to Victoria and then jog SW.

Just got back to Dallas after three weeks at Colonia Del Rey in CC in the new-to-us Silver Streak: quiet, easy access to whole area and well-run. Next trip down in a week or so we'll likely stay in the Rockport/Fulton area a short distance up the coast (and an easy drive to CC). Best fishing on the Texas coast according to many. The birding is outstanding, best in US according to some of the same and others.

The Valley is warmer, but is isolated from the rest of Texas.

rmpray · 06-27-2007, 07:20 PM

Love it when an old post is revived

For any of the old military retired folks there is a Navy campground with some decent hook ups and "unlimited" overflow I belive right off the beach. Would not want to boom dock in the summer, but while January and Feb, may chill out, the rest of the fall and spring are nice. Water temps are more like a hot tub well into September though...but maybe that is just me

slowmover · 09-03-2007, 09:00 PM

Toured NAVAL AIR STATION CORPUS CHRISTI with our son last week. Their campground (active and retired military) looked pretty darn nice to us. A trivia note: first "cost plus" contract let by the War Department was the construction of this base in 1941. Contractor: Brown & Root (subsidiary of Halliburton from 1962 until recently). It is (in our opinion) a great deal of fun to watch all the Navy and Marine Corps pilots heading out in their single prop T-34's several times daily. Plenty of other interesting air traffic as well (though only seen/heard from a small area).

In looking over some local promo materials, the average high temp for this area in JAN/FEB is 65-F. We've been back here for a few weeks, again at Colonia Del Rey, and though we have to go on to Houston and then Dallas, we'll be back in October. Don't know how or where we'll get a space in the better parks, so we'll roll the dice. This is an easy place to be.

Melody Ranch · 09-03-2007, 09:49 PM

Rio Grande Valley is further south than Ft. Lauderdale. Brownsville is further south than most of what is called Miami. The Valley has TONS more to offer the Winter Texan than the Corpus area. Corpus is a day trip for most tourists. Check out the Winter Texan Supplement to the Monitor Newspaper (McAllen, Texas) due to be printed up shortly. Practice your Spanish.

DFord79 · 09-03-2007, 10:03 PM

yaaa buttttt...how can yalllll ( did I get that right) have Christmas without snow? Santa and his Reindeer can't land there?

In all seriousness..lol..I set here chucklin under my breath when you southern folk complain about it getting cold in Winter when its below 60 degress...AT NIGHT. If I couldn't see the leaves fall in FALL and the snow at Christmas...I would be so sad.

My parents used to go to Corpus Christy in winter (snowbirds) and thought it was great...TILL one late November day the Hurricans came??? Other than that...I guess you guys get used to the wind....its great in winter. From what I hear????

rmpray · 09-06-2007, 07:58 PM

Ya bet ya...we love talkin about the modest winter...but those August nights at 100 plus after midnight...well ya best have a good ac on your streamer. Good thing about Corpus is late at night you can look over the sands and just imagine it is snow

Hey, I'm an old yankee...I fly back for a few days in Feb. and that pretty much gives me my snow quota.

Jaxon · 10-28-2007, 06:05 PM

I was stationed at NAS, Corpus in the Navy back in the 70's... winters were not a problem at all. Can remember driving once during a winter rain where the water was freezing on the windshield... didn't last long though. However, I do remember getting all spiffed up in my dress whites during the summer only to go out side and watch in amazement every wrinkle that cotton fabric ever had suddenly appeared because of the humidity.

Real bummer, too since I just got 'em from the laundry... The summers ARE long with August & Sept. very hot & humid!

We got to the coast fairly frequently throughout the year and enjoy most times other than the summer... Fall & winter are the best for us because of the weather. Spent last Thanksgiving at Sea Breeze in Rockport - nice place on the bay. Short sleeved shirts in the evening whilst sipping margaritas.

silverpeanut · 10-28-2007, 09:35 PM

Howdy everyone... we are spending the next two months in Dripping Springs,TX which is about 45 minutes West of Austin in hill country. I am sure it'll get cold at night... but we are gonna go for it anyway. We had thought about heading down to the coast but we were afraid it would be too crowded. I will take cold over a crowd so hopefully it'll all work out. This is our first time in Texas so I will be sure to report back on what we find.

Jaxon · 10-29-2007, 05:47 AM

Bethany,
Drip is A-OK... not a whole lot going on though (except for the parking lot traffic in to Austin). Since you're out that way, take a day trip or two to Fredricksburg and Kerrville... check out Wimberley (on the Blanco)... won't regret it at all... promise. And, there some cool places to camp at. The coast shouldn't be too crowded just yet so it may be worth your time to take at least a short trip. From Austin, Corpus Christi is about 3 1/2 hours away... 4 with traffic.

Welcome to Texas!

silverpeanut · 10-29-2007, 08:47 AM

Hey Jaxon! Thanks for the word on "Drip!" It means a lot to hear that the area is a nice spot from a Texan. We are OK with the not much going on part... we work from the trailer while we travel so we have plenty to keep us busy. I was just poking around last night looking at places to stay down around Bandera. May do that sometimes while we are here too.

I am lovin' the sunny days here in Texas so far!

njoysrvin · 10-29-2007, 09:01 AM

I agree with all above , except it is almost impossible to get into state park on South Padre Island. People who stay there have first choice to sign up for the next yr. ..leaving no space for new persons to make reservations. I've tried for last 2 yrs.

vswingfield · 10-29-2007, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverpeanut

Howdy everyone... we are spending the next two months in Dripping Springs,TX which is about 45 minutes West of Austin in hill country. I am sure it'll get cold at night... but we are gonna go for it anyway. We had thought about heading down to the coast but we were afraid it would be too crowded. I will take cold over a crowd so hopefully it'll all work out. This is our first time in Texas so I will be sure to report back on what we find.

Hi Bethany,

I lived about 20 miles from Dripping Springs a few years ago. You can expect the occasional freeze, but you should be fine for the most part. A pex waterline with a heat tape would be a good investment. It’s a great area.

silverpeanut · 10-30-2007, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by njoysrvin

I agree with all above , except it is almost impossible to get into state park on South Padre Island. People who stay there have first choice to sign up for the next yr. ..leaving no space for new persons to make reservations. I've tried for last 2 yrs.

I am glad that we did not try for it then with that info. It was one of the areas we had first thought about for this winter.

Vaughan... thanks for the suggestion on the waterline and heat tape. Will do.

Our campsite here in Drippin' is outstanding. There are only 14 spaces in the whole park (all full hook ups) and we are backed up to a nice little creek surrounded by cedars and junipers. No neighbors so to speak (there's one guy three spaces down from us.) The only drawback so far is absolutely no cell service at all and I have to jump through some hoops to get online. But the area is beautiful. The folks that own this park are about as great as you could hope for. Down to earth, helpful and friendly. I give it a big fat thumbs up for anyone who is interested in headed down this way at any point. We are heading out to explore the town and surrounding area today.

slowmover · 10-30-2007, 08:04 PM

Be sure to visit the Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg. And, the KOA at that town is awfully nice (great owner/managers) if you get tired of your current spot.

As to the Valley offering "more" one has to keep in mind that canned entertainment has it's limits (unless you are intent on traveling in Mexico).

By contrast, from Corpus Christi, San Antonio is a little over 100 miles away, and Houston is only a few short hours. CC is well-situated for day trips, the Valley ain't. It's a long haul back to civilization from there: Harlingen to San Antonio is over 260-miles. There ain't nothing in between.