TN to TX Gulf Coast

[Gibson3798]

Heading out Saturday for 3 weeks on the road with stops in New Orleans, Galveston, Corpus Christi, South Padre Beach, and a few days in the Hill Country.

Nothing like the anticipation of another adventure.

First time in the TX Gulf region, any tips greatly appreciated.

[Bubba L]

Due to the recent freeze, make sure you just touch base with the people where you’re staying. It’s getting better every day. The seafood in Galveston is great. Gaidos Seafood on Seawall is excellent. A lot of history on the island. Make sure and walk the Strand. The Tx Hill country has a lot to offer. Some good state parks around here also. Good luck and safe travels.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Gibson3798

Heading out Saturday for 3 weeks on the road with stops in New Orleans, Galveston, Corpus Christi, South Padre Beach, and a few days in the Hill Country.

Nothing like the anticipation of another adventure.

First time in the TX Gulf region, any tips greatly appreciated.

Yes, it is a nice feeling to get out again.

I'm in Corpus Christi and for sure the weather is great this week with high's in the mid 70's. Next week? Who knows. Two weeks ago I would have said that based on the mid Winter so far, that Spring was around the corner. Then we had our first deep freeze in over 30 years.

My hometown has unfortunately shot itself in the foot for the past 50 years. And on a consistent basis. As a result we have far less to offer tourists than most 350,000 population metropolitan areas. But hey, traffic isn't bad. We do have a Billion dollar bay front view.

You owe it to yourself to visit Rockport (just North of us) and Port Aransas which is a free ferry ride over to Mustang Island. State Parks are Goose Island (near Rockport), Mustang Island State Park, and the Padre Island National Seashore is a bit South of Corpus Christi, but a bit disappointing I would say. But if you're in the area, give it a try.

You can also drive on our beaches which is pretty rare. We are considered Padre Island, while South Padre Island denotes Pt. Isabel just East of Brownsville. Down there I would definitely recommend you drive by the SpaceX lauch facility where they usually have one or two Starship first stages sitting out. If you were super lucky, you might catch a launch, but that would be a one-in-a-million event.

There was a recent thread on the Hill Country & Big Bend. I put the link here:

[Boxite]

The Galveston coastal defence guns were fascinating when I was a kid. There were numerous 14” naval guns installed interconnected by an underground railway system. The 1950s saw them used by the Maceo family for unlicensed casinos at a time when Frank Sinatra and others of that time-frame entertained on the piers. Finally the Tx Atty Gen and the Marshall service shut them down, but that was a time of high excitement in Galveston.
As a kid we used to play inside those gun emplacements and run for miles along the underground rail interconnects. Wish I could post a pic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_C...ry_Hoskins.JPG
One of the gun emplacements is still visible, used as a freight delivery entrance to the San Luis Hotel. Enjoy.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

. . .
There was a recent thread on the Hill Country & Big Bend. I put the link here:

This one?

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f42...nd-219327.html

Good photos, videos and information.

[Bubba L]

Originally Posted by Boxite

The Galveston coastal defence guns were fascinating when I was a kid. There were numerous 14” naval guns installed interconnected by an underground railway system. The 1950s saw them used by the Maceo family for unlicensed casinos at a time when Frank Sinatra and others of that time-frame entertained on the piers. Finally the Tx Atty Gen and the Marshall service shut them down, but that was a time of high excitement in Galveston.
As a kid we used to play inside those gun emplacements and run for miles along the underground rail interconnects. Wish I could post a pic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_C...ry_Hoskins.JPG
One of the gun emplacements is still visible, used as a freight delivery entrance to the San Luis Hotel. Enjoy.

I think for a short period, the gun emplacement you show was a disco-tech in the sixties. A lot of history for sure and it was a fun place to romp in the early sixties.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

This one?

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f42...nd-219327.html

Good photos, videos and information.

Yes, that's the link. Thanks.


I had it pasted into my reply at one point, but must have deleted during an edit.

[lemley]

Ditto Goose Island State Park and Gaido’s.

If you enjoy birding catch whoopingcranetours.com in Rockport. During the winter you can catch whooping cranes along with dozens of other species. The boat captain is a really good birding guide.

[janeair]

Be careful on the interstates in Louisiana...1-10 is in horrible condition. Lots of pot holes and rough riding. We dolphined in west Louisiana. Otherwise the gulf is very nice!

[Ann Amme]

Galveston is recovering from last weeks freeze Great beach to drive. Fishing charters should wait till water warms up. We went out Sunday for 12 hours and caught 0 fish. Horseback riding on beach fun. Strand is great for shopping and dining. Moody house, aquarium, and garden are fun. I e been here since December and really enjoying it.

[PAtrvlr]

Nice route south from TN is the Natchez Trace. After NO take 10 west to Winnie then south to the coast then down Boliver peninsula to catch the ferry to Galveston. Great Cajun seafood at Bennos on the sea wall.

[emelaich01]

+1 on Gaido's. They have service like the service your parents got when you went out to eat at some schwanky restaurant when you were a kid.

[GOUSC]

Gulf Waters Beachfront RV Resort in Port Aransas is one of the best RV CG’s we have stayed in. Pricey but worth it. You can also rent electric golf carts and ride the beach to Port Aransas for eating/ shopping/ etc.

There is a large public CG on the S Padre island beach. They have refurbished the boardwalk and beach area. CG not that impressive but great location.

Just a heads up that you may have to take your RV on a short ferry in Port Aransas.