Enjoy a coastal cottage, waterfront villa, or kick back in a luxury beach home or family-style condo • Sleep under the stars at numerous campgrounds and RV parks

See local and migratory birds from our vantage points along the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail • Tour native wetlands by boat, kayak or ride the ferry • Check out the sights at The University of Texas Marine Science Institute

Golf at our seaside links course • Surf, sail or jet ski in the Gulf of Mexico • Soar the skies parasailing, kiteboarding, windsurfing or skydiving • Enjoy 18 miles of uninterrupted beach • Beachcomb for seashells or build a sandcastle • Hike or bike on the beach or around town

Indulge at some of the best eateries on the Gulf Coast • Nosh in flip-flops at open-air local favorites, or put on your island finery for candlelight dining • Have your own catch cooked to order • Enjoy the sounds of live music

Shop unique boutiques and specialty shops • Go back in island time at the Port A Museum • Peruse the talent of area artists at coastal galleries • Enjoy productions at our community theatre • Catch the trolley or zip around town in a beach buggy

Tackle the deep waters, piers, bays, jetties, bulkheads, or surf • Catch your limit of redfish, flounder, black drum, trout and more • Take your pick from numerous guides or charters, or go it alone • Watch dolphins frolic while you enjoy the serenity of the day

Rockport-Fulton

Aransas Pass

Ingleside

Sinton

Robstown

Corpus Christi

Portland

Padre Island

Ferry Crossing

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Gregory

700 miles to El Paso

150 miles to San Antonio

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37

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500 miles to Texarkana 300 miles to Port Arthur210 miles to Houston

44

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60 miles to Kingsville and King Ranch

160 miles to Brownsvilleand Matamoros, Mexico

140 miles to Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico

Corpus ChristiInternational

Airport

386 miles to Dallas 200 miles to Austin 150 miles to San Antonio

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

San Jose Island

35

170 miles to Galveston

77

70

361

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183

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© 2016 Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce

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10. Episcopal Church11. Port Aransas Schools13. Water District Office14. Post Office15. Jerry McDonald, Presbyterian Church, Pollock Center and Jelm Activity Center16. Chamber of Commerce Tourist Information Center17. City Marina & Pavilions18. Public Launching Ramps19. City Hall, Library & Civic Center20. Free Ferry Landing21. Port Aransas Nature Preserve - Port St. Entrance22. Harbor Island23. Old Original Aransas Light House 24. San José Island25. Harbor Pilot Dock and Office

26. The University of Texas Marine Science Institute27. South Jetty and Ship Channel28. I.B. Magee Beach Park29. Horace Caldwell Pier30. Gulf Beaches31. Airport32. Farley Boat Works33. City Limits34. 1913 Royal Palm Cemetery35. Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center36. Wetlands Park Birding Site37. Birding Site38. Birding Site

39. North Jetty40. Community Park41. Waterfront42. J.P. Luby Pier43. Joan & Scott Holt Paradise Pond44. Port Aransas Community Theater45. Computer Center46. Port Aransas Art Center47. Port Aransas Nature Preserve - 361 Entrance

1. Ancel Brundrett Pier 2. Coast Guard Station 3. Law Enforcement 4. Church Of Christ 5. Community Center Museum 6. Roberts Point Park/ Patsy Jones Amphitheater 7. EMS (911) 8. Baptist Church 9. Catholic Church

2. U.S. COAST GUARD STATION The U.S. Congress authorized a Life Saving Station to be built in Ropesville, later known as Port Aransas, in 1878. The lifesaving service became the U.S. Coast Guard, serving and protecting boaters and shipping ever since. The current hurricane resistant building, built in 1978, replaced earlier structures destroyed by storms or fire.

5. PORT ARANSAS MUSEUM / COMMUNITY CENTER The Port Aransas Museum was originally built as a mail order kit house. Relocated next door to the historical Community Center, these two lovely old structures tell the story of our island community through exhibits and programs.

20. FERRY DOCK AND FERRIES From the mid-1920’s when the Texas Highway Department put Mitzi, the first ferry boat, into service, until 1954 when SH361 was built, ferries were the only access to the island. In 1951, the Ferry System’s three ferries were purchased by Nueces County which charged one dollar per car to cross. In 1968, the State of Texas again assumed control, dropping the fee. Two 28 car ferries, and six 20 car ferries operate 24 hours a day, free of charge.

23. LIGHTHOUSE The Aransas Pass Light Station guided ships through the pass from 1857 to 1954. During the War Between the States, Federal troops blockaded the Pass entrance, attempting to seize the light. Confederate troops, led by Col. Marmaduke Hobby, removed the lens, and buried it in the surrounding salt marsh and the lens remains lost to this day. In 1966, the tower was repaired and a new lens was installed to guide ships through the pass. The second lens is now on display in the Port Aransas Museum. On July 4, 1989, the lamp was re-lit when owner Charles Butt installed a 19th century Fresnel lens.

24. SAN JOSE ISLAND Inhabited first by the Karankawa Indians, then by conquering Spaniards, by the 1830’s San Jose Island was a haven for pirates. In 1834, remains of a pirate camp were found, complete with iron rings implanted in the sand for tying boats or slaves. Rumors abound of a Spanish dagger with a silver spike that still guards Pirate Jean Lafitte’s treasure. Today, the Island is privately owned but its beach is accessible by a short passenger ferry boat ride across the channel.

26. THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MARINE SCIENCE INSTITUTE UTMSI was founded in 1941 and is the first marine research laboratory in Texas. UTMSI is a leader in marine research, education, and public outreach. Visitors can enjoy engaging exhibits at the Marine Science Education Center free of charge, which features aquaria, the Estuary Explorium, and self-guided tours of the Water Wise Wildlife Garden and Wetlands Education Center (free guided tours of wetlands on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m.). UTMSI also offers programs for families and seniors throughout the year. Come visit us - stroll through salty marsh plants or come inside to learn about the local sea life.

27. SOUTH JETTY AND SHIP CHANNEL This natural pass, one of the only three in Texas, was used by Mexican merchants, smugglers and pirates as a highway from the sea. With each big storm, the pass would shift and choke with sandbars, making it the scene of many shipwrecks. In an attempt to tame it, the Army Corps of Engineers tried four times over 60 years to build jetties that would capture the channel. The existing jetties were completed in the 1930’s. Millions of tons of shipping vessels and thousands of pleasure and sport fishing boats use it as a pathway to the Gulf of Mexico annually.

30. MUSTANG ISLAND BEACH Named for the wild horses that escaped Spanish explorers, the 18 mile long stretch of sandy beach is rich with history. In the early 1500’s, passengers of a wrecked Spanish ship were captured by the Karankawa Indians, our island’s first inhabitants. By 1860, the Indians vanished, hunted to extinction by Spaniards. During the War Between the States, Union forces overtook a Confederate fortification when the few men inside saw 1,500 troops with two cannons headed down the beach, backed up by a Union ship standing offshore firing on them. Today, visitors from around the world come to swim, fish, play and enjoy the thousands of sea birds that call it home.

41. WATERFRONT From the first commercial docks in the late 1800’s until today, the waterfront has been the center of activity on the island. Businesses come and go, destroyed by hurricanes or changing times, but fishermen, guides and tourists have always met here. Even President Franklin D. Roosevelt met local guides, Barney Farley and “Uncle Teddy” Matthews, for a successful day of tarpon fishing. Relaxing at dockside restaurants and watching boats unload their catch is a great way to spend an evening.

A SPUNKY LITTLE TOWNWITH A SANDY BACKYARD. You’re going to love our island…our town…our

little edge of Texas. There’s something for everyone

in the sand and surf of Port Aransas on Mustang

Island. Anglers think they’ve gone to hook and line

heaven. Birders discover multitudes of winged

beauties. Kids have so much sandy fun and sun

at our beaches that they forget about everything

with a digital screen. There’s shopping from funky

to fine, water adventures, a challenging, beautiful

golf course and tasty coastal cuisine. When the

sun goes down, we turn on the lights and go

dancing! Port A will charm and entertain you and

not make you work too hard to enjoy yourself.

Our ferries don’t just bring you to another little

coastal town.

They bring you to Texas~Island Style.

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Port Aransas is on the northern tip of Mustang Island, about 30 minutes from downtown Corpus Christi, three hours from the Rio Grande Valley, three hours from San Antonio and four hours from Houston or Austin.

Take I-37 to Corpus Christi, then U.S. Highway 181 thru Portland, to State Highway 361 thru Aransas Pass to the free

ferry. Or, take I-37 to Corpus Christi, right onto South Padre Island Drive and left onto State Highway 361 into Port Aransas.

Visit the VISITOR CENTER of thePort Aransas Chamber of Commerce

for current events and accommodationsPort Aransas Chamber of Commerce, 403 W. Cotter

© 2016 Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce 10/16 • 20M