Map of NAS Corpus Christi

NAVAL AIR STATION CORPUS CHRISTI

The road temporarily ends where your car is loaded aboard a ferry boat for a five minute free trip to Port Aransas. (In peak tourist season, the wait can be up to an hour, so enjoy the view and pack a lunch or snacks for kids). Port Aransas, a small fishing village, is experiencing a building boom, with many new vacation homes, retirement communities, and high rise condominiums under construction.

Now on the north tip of the barrier island, State Road 361 travels south along Mustang Island, named for the wild horses brought there by the Spanish in the 1800s. Today, it is home for Mustang Island State Park, which offers camping, picnicking, fishing, swimming, hiking and mountain biking on five miles of open beach.

One more small bridge, and you're back on Padre Island. A right turn, cross the causeway bridge, and you have returned to Corpus Christi Naval Air Station.

But if the sea is still calling, turn left and travel a few miles to the Padre Island National Seashore. Take your shoes off, and sink your toes into the sand. Listen to the surf, and solitude, as the sun sets over this South Texas outdoor paradise.

Things to Do in Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History 1900 North Chaparral Street Corpus Christi, TX 78402 Phone: (361) 826-4667 www.ccmuseum.com

Featuring History, Archeology, and Natural History Exhibits, the Corpus Christi Museum offers hours of fun for everyone in the family. Take a journey back in time on a tour of the replica of Columbus's ship, Pinta. Discover alligators, snakes, and turtles in our live animal exhibits. Explore guns and gold from the oldest scientifically excavated shipwreck in the Western Hemi sphere. With all this and so much more, you never know what you'll find around the corner.

South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center 8545 South Staples Street Corpus Christi, TX 78413 Phone: (361) 852-2100 www.stxbot.org

One of the Coastal Bend's major visitor destinations and leading nature

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tourism facilities, the 180-acre South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center showcases nine uniquely-designed floral exhibits and gardens, including the acclaimed Orchid House and Plumeria Garden--plus the Bromeliad Conservatory and Butterfly House. South Texas Institute for the Arts - Art Museum of South Texas 1902 North Shoreline Boulevard Corpus Christi, TX 78402 Phone: (361) 825-3500 www.stia.org In 1997 the Art Museum of South Texas, Creative Arts Center, and Center for Hispanic Arts came together to form the South Texas Institute for the Arts (STIA). This organization continues the Art Museum's affiliation with Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi. As a result of this merger, art outreach capabilities were increased tremendously and almost 50 years of arts programming experience was brought together. Texas State Aquarium 2710 North Shoreline Boulevard Corpus Christi, TX 78402 Phone: (361) 881-1200 www.texasstateaquarium.org

The Texas State Aquarium is a private, not-for-profit organization that receives no city, state or federal funding for its operations. The Aquarium relies on general admissions, memberships, retail sales, event rentals and the generous support from donors to maintain its operations.

Texas Surf Museum 309 North Water Street Corpus Christi, TX 78401 Phone: (361) 888-7873 www.texassurfmuseum.com

This museum is housed in a 3, 000 square-foot building and boasts hun-