Family trip ideas

Overview

A family trip to the Coastal Bend can be built around three kinds of stop: calm water and short walks for the youngest children, hands-on museums and boats for school-age kids, and surf, arcades and open beach for teens. The places below come from the directory's Toddlers, Big kids and Teens tags, so each one is marked as suited to that age group.

The Corpus Christi visitor bureau publishes its own family guide, with sections on dessert spots and top family attractions, and it says there is something to spark curiosity in every age group at the science museum. The Port Aransas tourism bureau describes its boat cruises as family-friendly excursions that take you to observe dolphins in their natural habitat.

The University of Texas Marine Science Institute lists admission as free at both of its visitor centers, the Bay Education Center in Rockport and the Patton Center for Marine Science Education in Port Aransas.

What to do

Toddlers

The Rockport-Fulton visitor bureau describes Rockport Beach Park as having calm, shallow water that suits swimming and wading, particularly for families with young children. The city of Rockport says Memorial Park Hike & Bike Nature Trails has three playgrounds for different age groups. The University of Texas Marine Science Institute runs the Bay Education Center, where the Science On a Sphere is a 3D digital globe made by NOAA, and it lists admission as free. The Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi has a splash park and an Ocean Odyssey children's experience, according to the visitor bureau. At the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) says the boardwalk allows close observation of many birds and that visitors should watch for the resident alligators. The Big Tree is one of the largest live oak trees in Texas and the nation, TPWD says, with a trunk 35 feet around.

Rockport Beach Park
A mile-long engineered crescent on Aransas Bay, not open Gulf, so there is no surf and no rip current.
The Big Tree
A coastal live oak estimated at over a thousand years old, reached by a short flat path, surrounded by its own grove near the shoreline.
B&B Theatres Portland Northshore 8
A cinema with heated reclining seats, a full restaurant menu, and an indoor playground inside the theatre building.
Bay Education Center
A free interactive museum about the bay ecosystem: knot tying, clam digging, animal sounds, a boat to climb in, and a room-sized 3D projected globe running weather and planetary programs.
Can I Get A Scoop
A local ice cream shop serving Wisconsin-made hard ice cream, ice cream nachos, and a small lunch menu.
Captain's Diner
A family diner near Whitecap doing shrimp bisque, Greek salmon, stuffed flounder, chicken fried steak, in-house pizza, and very good fresh fries.
CM Lanes
A well-run bowling alley with no-string pins, a pro shop, a full bar, an outdoor area, and a kitchen that does breakfast, pizza, burgers, soups and nachos.
Cole Park
A large well-kept bayfront park on Ocean Drive with a pier, playgrounds, open lawn, walking paths, restrooms, and rentable scooters.
Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary
A small free sanctuary of oaks and a labeled butterfly and native plant garden, named for the Rockport citizen scientist who put this coast on the birding map.
Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History
South Texas history and science across several floors, with a maker room, a children's area, and an outdoor playground.
Desserted Island 2
The Padre Island sibling of the Port Aransas original, with several small themed rooms, brownie and s'mores sundaes, banana splits and cheesecake, open late.
Desserted Island Ice Cream
The island landmark, open from late morning until late at night.

Big kids

The Corpus Christi visitor bureau says the USS Lexington offers escape rooms, flight simulators and virtual battle stations, and that the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History lets kids learn about shipwrecks, early explorers and Native culture. It says In The Game Funtrackers has over 80 arcade games, bumper boats, go-karts and mini-golf. For a meal, the bureau says Marty McPies has anime art and video game themes that kids and parents will enjoy. The Hooks say their mission at Whataburger Field is customer service in a family-friendly environment. On the water, the Port Aransas tourism bureau says Woody's Last Stand Dolphin Watch runs a shrimp trawl with a built-in touch tank on the lower deck, described as hands-on for all ages. The bureau also describes the Jetty Boat to San Jose Island as the way to reach the island's deserted beaches for birding and beachcombing. Ashore, Farley Boat Works lets visitors watch boats being built, and the Texas Maritime Museum lists a children's exhibit.

The Big Tree
A coastal live oak estimated at over a thousand years old, reached by a short flat path, surrounded by its own grove near the shoreline.
2 Girls Burger and More
Food truck with indoor air-conditioned seating serving hand-formed burgers on sourdough buns, fresh-cut fries, onion rings, and complimentary pinto beans.
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
The winter home of the wild whooping crane flock, with a driving loop, walking trails, a visitor centre, and an observation tower with a ramp to the top.
Art Museum of South Texas
A Philip Johnson building on the water's edge holding contemporary exhibitions plus a small permanent collection of Spanish Colonial art and a few Picassos.
B&B Theatres Portland Northshore 8
A cinema with heated reclining seats, a full restaurant menu, and an indoor playground inside the theatre building.
Bay Area Brewing Company
A veteran-owned brewery with rotating taps, frozen daiquiris, craft root beer, sourdough loaves, snacks and games.
Bay Education Center
A free interactive museum about the bay ecosystem: knot tying, clam digging, animal sounds, a boat to climb in, and a room-sized 3D projected globe running weather and planetary programs.
Big Shell Bikes
Self-service beach cruiser rental via QR code and app, around $25 for six hours, with pickup points around town including at some hotels.
Blackbeard's On the Beach
A long-standing seafood restaurant on Corpus Christi Beach with very large fish fillets, coconut shrimp, a seafood queso burger, and baja tacos.
Bob Hall Pier
A 1,240-foot Gulf pier at Padre Balli Park, rebuilt after Hurricane Hanna and reopened in February 2026 with wider walkways and full ADA access.
Can I Get A Scoop
A local ice cream shop serving Wisconsin-made hard ice cream, ice cream nachos, and a small lunch menu.
Captain's Diner
A family diner near Whitecap doing shrimp bisque, Greek salmon, stuffed flounder, chicken fried steak, in-house pizza, and very good fresh fries.

Teens

The city of Port Aransas says the water off Port Aransas Beach is great for swimming, bodysurfing, boogie boarding and surfing. The Corpus Christi visitor bureau says Worldwinds Windsurfing offers windsurfing lessons for all skill levels. The National Park Service says Padre Island National Seashore protects sixty-six miles of wild coastline, and that attending a sea turtle hatchling release is a popular mid-summer activity. The Aransas Pass Chamber of Commerce lists CM Lanes with 16 lanes, a bar and restaurant and a pro shop. The visitor bureau also lists escape rooms and flight simulators at the USS Lexington, and arcade games and go-karts at In The Game Funtrackers.

Big Shell Bikes
Self-service beach cruiser rental via QR code and app, around $25 for six hours, with pickup points around town including at some hotels.
Cinemark Century Corpus Christi 16 XD and IMAX
The large multiplex with XD and IMAX screens, reclining seats and plenty of legroom.
CM Lanes
A well-run bowling alley with no-string pins, a pro shop, a full bar, an outdoor area, and a kitchen that does breakfast, pizza, burgers, soups and nachos.
Deep Sea Headquarters
The main party-boat operator on the island, running 4, 5, 8 and 12-hour offshore trips plus a 3.5-hour bay trip.
Dolphin Dock Inc.
Party-boat deep sea trips of varying lengths with an air-conditioned store on site.
FroYo Magic
Harry Potter themed self-serve frozen yoghurt, priced by weight, with boba, snow cones, slushes and refreshers.
In The Game Funtrackers
Go-karts, bumper boats, mini golf, and a large arcade, with a food counter and ice cream.
Island Motor Bikes
Bike shop in Port Aransas that rents electric bikes, fat tire and cruiser bikes and electric scooters, sells and builds motorized bicycles, and repairs bikes.
Jumping World
A large trampoline park with a soccer area, arcade, jousting, and a full restaurant and bar, open late at weekends.
La Palmera
The region's only full enclosed shopping mall, two levels, with a food court and the usual national retailers.
Lucky Strike Corpus Christi
A renovated bowling centre with an arcade, a bar and a kitchen.
Movies Inc Aransas
A WWII bomber-themed independent cinema with comfortable open seating, clean auditoriums, cheap tickets and snacks, and beer and wine.

When to visit

The Texas State Aquarium says its seasonal splash park is weather permitting and may close due to rain or severe weather. TPWD lists the busy seasons at Goose Island State Park, near The Big Tree, as Memorial Day through Labor Day, October through Thanksgiving, and January through April.

The National Park Service says sea turtle hatchling releases at Padre Island National Seashore are a popular activity in mid-summer. The city of Corpus Christi publishes a lifeguard schedule by season, with mobile patrols on the Gulf beaches, and says there are no lifeguards on duty at McGee Beach or North Beach in the fall, winter and spring.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, according to NOAA. Storms sometimes form outside those dates. Check the forecast from the National Weather Service in Corpus Christi and follow local officials.

When to visit the Coastal Bend

Getting around

Parking on the Corpus Christi Gulf beaches needs a beach parking permit, and the city says permits are required for designated areas. The city of Port Aransas says the beach between the dunes and the wooden post markers is a two-lane Texas roadway under all traffic laws, and that the area from the posts to the waterline is for sitting, reading and beach games.

To reach Port Aransas from the mainland, the Texas Department of Transportation runs a ferry on State Highway 361 across the Corpus Christi Channel between Aransas Pass and Mustang Island. The Jetty Boat leaves from Fisherman's Wharf in Port Aransas.

Under Texas law, every child under 13 must wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket aboard a recreational vessel under 26 feet while it is underway, according to the National Park Service.

Where to stay

Salty Breeze Cottage

Rockport & Fulton, TX

See the cottage