South Texas has something for everyone, from Navy buffs to gardeners to students of contemporary art The Art Center of Corpus Christi fosters the work of regional artists and is the site for ArtFest '99, a juried fine art festival in April. - Credit: George Gongora/CT

Cultural attractions Texas State Aquarium Step under a sparkling waterfall into the cool environment of Texas State Aquarium, a celebration of Gulf of Mexico aquatic and beach environments. The aquarium has hands-on exhibits with sharks, stingrays and other aquatic creatures, living shore bird exhibits and a 35-foot window onto the largest of the aquarium's display tanks. Stroll the grounds for a visit to ``Otter Space,'' a 1,500-square-foot environment for a family of playful Texas river otters, or meet the resident reptiles and birds of prey. The aquarium staff will host its sixth annual Island of Swallows environmental workshop in Cozumel, Mexico, for five days starting July 10. Snorkeling to three reefs, visiting Mayan ruins and working with local biologists to release hatching sea turtles are among the offerings. Scuba diving is available. Call for information. Location: 2710 N. Shoreline Blvd. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $8.75 for adults; $6.75 for senior citizens, active duty military and youths 12 to 17; and $5 for children 4 to 12. Children younger than 4 are admitted free. Information: 881-1200. The Lexington Museum on the Bay features 19 vintage aircraft, among other displays. - Credit: Paul Iverson/CT Lexington Museum on the Bay Step into Naval history on board the former USS Lexington. Nineteen vintage aircraft, including a World War II SNG Texan and a fully restored F-14 Tomcat, are waiting on the deck of the Blue Ghost, a 33,000-ton aircraft carrier that was commissioned from 1943 to 1991. Each Fourth of July the museum staff hosts its Stars and Stripes bash, featuring barbecues, orchestras, patriotic music and plenty of Americana. Location: 2914 N. Shoreline Blvd. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission: $9 for adults; $7 for senior citizens and active duty military personnel; and $4 for children 4 to 12. Children 3 and younger are admitted free. Memberships are available. Information: 888-4873. Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History See Shipwreck! - an exhibit of artifacts from Spanish treasure ships that wrecked on Padre Island in 1554, explore the Seeds of Change exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution detailing changes to the world after Columbus' voyages, walk through the World of Shells exhibit displaying varieties of shells from Padre Island and beaches from around the world, view Reptiles of South Texas with live animals and mounted specimens. Bring children to play in the interactive hands-on Children's Wharf, designed especially for children ages 3 to 7. Children board a shrimp boat, wear a life jacket and participate in a number of educationally related learning activities. Examine how a community remembers Selena in the exhibit, The Making of Mirador de la Flor. The Xeriscape Learning and Design Garden features plants that thrive in South Texas= semi arid climate. Opening the summer of 2001 is Discovery Hall, a 2,600 square foot addition featuring a domed ceiling made of carved wood that was originally handcrafted in 1535 in Castile, Spain. Discovery Hall exhibits will feature artifacts recently recovered from the wreck of La Belle, La Salle=s ship that sank in 1685 in Matagorda Bay. Location: 1900 N. Chaparral St. in Bayfront Arts and Sciences Park under the Harbor Bridge on the downtown side of the ship channel. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Open, Memorial Day and Labor Day 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $5 adults (13 and up), $4 seniors and military (with ID), and $3 children (5 to 12). Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon children ages 5 to 12 are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult. The Corpus Christi Botanical Gardens feature a Bird and Butterfly Trail and a Sensory Garden, and are the location for classes on gardening, herbs and landscaping, and children's programs. - Credit: Paul Iverson/CT Corpus Christi Botanical Gardens Bromeliads and orchids are among the native and exotic plants featured in the living collection of the botanical gardens. Walk the 180-acre grounds where more than 200 species of birds including herons, white pelicans, egrets and spoonbill cranes have been identified along the shaded Bird and Butterfly Trail. Experience the fragrances wafting through the Sensory Garden, where jasmine, spices and ornamental peppers are arrayed. Classes in care and use of herbs, landscaping for birds, and special gardening programs for children are among the offerings. Location: 8545 S. Staples St. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission: $2 for adults; $1.50 for senior citizens; and $1 for children ages 5 through 12. Information: 852-2100. Asian Cultures Museum and Educational Center Thousands of Japanese Hakata dolls and paintings, porcelain and lacquerware, Korean textiles and costumes, Chinese opera costumes and Indian brass artifacts are among the treasures at the Asian Cultures Museum, one of only five museums of Asian cultures in the United States. More than 8,000 artifacts and documents celebrate the artistic traditions of Japan, China, Korea, India, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. A summer program featuring instruction in calligraphy, origami and Asian cooking for children from kindergarten through sixth grade is being planned for June. Call for information. Location: 1809 N. Chaparral St. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission: Donations accepted. Information: 882-2641. Heritage Park Heritage Park, a collection of 10 restored Corpus Christi homes built in the 1880s, houses a variety of nonprofit groups, including the Camp Fire Girls, Irish Cultural Society, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Czech Heritage Society. The groups host a variety of events and services throughout the year. Cooking demonstrations featuring the food of Ireland, Mexico and the Philippines are scheduled through the spring, along with dance performances, art exhibits and antique collecting classes. Call for information. On March 28, children ages 2-12 can go from house to house hunting for Easter eggs. Folklife Celebration '99, featuring traditional crafts and a variety of musical performances, will be April 10-11. A Cinco de Mayo celebration will be May 2. Location: 1581 N. Chaparral St., across from Bayfront Plaza. Hours: Guided tours at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday with additional tours at 12:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission: Free except for tours. Tours: $3 for adults; $2 for senior citizens; and $1 for children 12 and younger. Information: 883-0639. Live dog racing can be found at Corpus Christi Greyhound Race Track- Credit: File Photo/CT Greyhound Race Track Look at that dog go! The excitement of live dog racing is available at Corpus Christi Greyhound Race Track. Live greyhound races are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, with matinees at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday. Simulcast wagering on horses and dogs goes on seven days a week. Location: 5302 Leopard St. Hours: Doors open at 11 a.m. Admission: Grandstand $1; Clubhouse $2. Information: 289-9333. South Texas Institute for the Arts Contemporary art illuminating regional cultures is the subject of several exhibits scheduled to open at the South Texas Institute for the Arts, housed in a white Philip Johnson building overlooking Corpus Christi Bay. From mid-March to late May, exhibits include the abstract work of Madeline O'Connor, a Victoria artist who draws directly from redbirds and blackbirds in nature to create paintings and angular wall constructions. A group of her meditative crosses will be displayed in the lower gallery. Also, works of Amy Smith, a Corpus Christi realist who employs whimsy in depicting common household objects and fanciful vegetation as symbols, will be shown. Rebozos y voces (shawls and voices), a program centered around paintings depicting the Mexican rebozo or long shawl, by Catalina Garate of San Jose, Calif., will run April 9-14. Works by poet Carmen Tafolla and dancer Rosario Guerrero also will be featured. June kicks off with an exhibition of surfing art, with works by artists known for surfboard designs. Films, photography, paintings, memorabilia and special events related to surfing will occur through August, with artists, icons of the surfing world, models and pop culture experts appearing at the museum. Other early summer exhibits will include ``Las Comadres: Nine Points of View,'' featuring contemporary women artists who share a concern for critical art dialogue, and works of Dallas multimedia artist Denise Brown, who uses gold leaf over tar paper to create heavily textured pieces. In mid-July, exhibits of the works of the winners of the 1997 Foundation Show and an amateur photography competition sponsored by Koch Industries will be installed. Location: 1902 N. Shoreline Blvd. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, open until 9 p.m. Thursday; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: Free, donations accepted. Information: 980-3500. Antonio E. Garcia Arts Education Center ``Chickens and Other Local Subjects,'' a collection of the brightly colored paintings of San Antonio artist Joe Lopez, opens May 5 at the Garcia Arts Education Center, which is part of the South Texas Institute for the Arts. The center is also home to the Jennifer Falcon dance troupe and Quetzal Theater Group, both of which frequently perform at exhibit openings. Between curated shows, the center displays works from the permanent collection of the South Texas Institute for the Arts. Throughout the year a rotating schedule of pottery classes, painting, acting, dancing and singing lessons are offered. Location: 2021 Agnes St. Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday; and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Admission: Free. Information: 882-7837. Art Center of Corpus Christi Artists and artisans from across Texas will gather at the downtown art center to show and sell their work at ArtFest '99, a juried fine art festival April 10-11. The art center fosters the work of regional artists. An exhibit of watermedia paintings by the Watercolor Society of South Texas will be shown in March; the annual multimedia All Membership Exhibit will be on display in April; gowns and trains from the 1999 Buccaneer Days Coronation Pageant will be featured in the main gallery in May. A joint exhibit of sculpture and contemporary art by members of the Southwest Sculpture Society and the South Texas Art League will be shown in June; and in July multimedia artwork by independent members of the art center will be featured. The center hosts a live jazz brunch at 11 a.m. the second Sunday of each month at Jezebelles Tea Room, inside the center overlooking Corpus Christi Marina. Location: 100 S. Shoreline Blvd. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Admission: Free. Information: 884-6406.

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