For high times on a low budget, Corpus Christi is tough to beat.
For what the area lacks in haute couture, it makes up for in natural beauty, friendly people and good, cheap fun.
Here are a few examples of what you can do for less than $5:
Feed the seagulls
Buy a loaf of bread and spend an hour or so at Cole Park, the T-heads or anywhere seagulls flap about. You won't have to look far. The sight of swooping gulls crowding all around is sure to either terrify you or make you laugh out loud. Toss it up and let them fight it out or have them eating from your hands. Cost: Less than $1.
Play at KidsPlace
An 18,000-square foot fortress of fun, located at Cole Park on Shoreline, KidsPlace guarantees a good time for anyone who's willing to run, climb, swing or play pirate. Cost: Nothing.
Free music
Catch a concert at Cole Park. At 7 p.m. every Thursday during the summer and 8:30 p.m. every Sunday through July, you can take in a summer concert, sponsored by the city of Corpus Christi. Cost: Zero.
 |
| The U.S. Geological Survey releases endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles hatchlings at the Padre Island National Seashore several days each summer. - Credit: David Adame/CT |
Turtle release
Wake up early and witness a turtle race. Several days each summer, from June to late August, the U.S. Geological Survey releases hundreds of endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle hatchlings at the Padre Island National Seashore. To find out when, call the Padre Island National Seashore at 949-8068. Cost: Free.
See the seawall
Take a walk, run, skate or stroll along the seawall. Meant to protect downtown in the event of a major storm, the seawall has become a prime spot to ogle the high-dollar boats docked at the marina - or the opposite sex. Enjoy the breeze as you walk along the bay and learn a little about the history of the area at the miradores. Pose for a picture with a statue of slain Tejano singer Selena. Cost: Nada.
Sailboat races
Each Wednesday evening, local sailors race across Corpus Christi Bay. A good place to watch is from the Lawrence Street T-Head, where they will pass by as they await the starting horn. Total cost: Zilch.
Get a jump on fun
Jump like a maniac on a big floaty-thing. The cabana boy at the Holiday Inn-Emerald Beach will let you spend the day bouncing and playing on a large trampoline floating in the shallows on the beach behind the hotel. Cost: $5 per person, per day.
Ship watching
Park your car beneath the Harbor Bridge and watch huge ships from across the world slip silently by. Wave to the crew; they'll wave back. The oil tankers, bulk cargo ships and tugs that traffic the port keep a busy schedule. If you see a ship, guess what's inside, and then look in the Caller-Times to find out - it's listed in the Local section. Or let the mystery remain. Call the Harbor Master's Office at 882-1773 for departure schedules. Cost: Nil.
Windshield tour
Take an unofficial tour of the Port of Corpus Christi. Just north of the Harbor Bridge and to the west of U.S. Highway 181, you'll find the Joe Fulton International Trade corridor - really just a two-lane blacktop that delves into the heart of the port. Drive along this road and see Hollywood - Hollywood Marine services that is - and some more really big ships at dock. See the Bulk Materials Docks. Check out the old grain elevator, which blew up in 1981 killing nine and leaving the rubble that remains today. If you're lucky, you can see the Tule Lake Lift Bridge in action, hoisted up high to let a passing ship through. Just across that bridge, you can see petrochemical refineries in all their intricate glory. Cost: Gas money.
Small talk
Shoot the breeze with a real-live shrimper. Stop by the People's Street T-Head and have a chat with the men and women who cull the bay for its bounty of brown shrimp, eels, crabs and other squiggly little goodies. Watching them sort through a recent catch and hearing their tales of the day is an enlightening experience, but not for the faint-hearted. You can buy shrimp there as well. Note: Some shrimpers actually live beneath the decks of their boats. Cost: Nothing.
 |
| A shrimper washes his catch at the L-Head Baitstand. THe L-head and People's Street T-Head are good spots to chat with shrimpers and buy their catch. |
Ride the trolley
Take advantage of the Regional Transportation Authority's penchant to cater to tourists. Catch an air-conditioned copy of a turn-of-the-century trolley model on wheels - and enjoy a scenic ride along the bayfront. The Scenic Trail Trolley No. 73 takes you along Shoreline Boulevard, the T-heads, around the Bayfront Arts and Science Park and past Heritage Park. You can catch the trolley at downtown hotels and along the bayfront. Cost: 50 cents or 25 cents for senior citizens and students. Saturdays are 25 cents for all. Children 5 and younger free. Cost: 50 cents.
Ride the water taxi
Board the water taxi from the Barge Dock next to the Art Museum of South Texas and take a five-minute ride across the ship channel to the Texas State Aquarium and the Lexington Museum on the Bay. It is $1 each way; children 5 and younger ride free. The ferry runs between 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. seven days a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Cost: $1.
Beach connections
If you're a landlubber, grab the Corpus Christi Beach Connector, bus No. 78, from downtown to the Corpus Christi Beach area across the Harbor Bridge. Fares for buses and trolleys are 50 cents and 25 cents for senior citizens and students. Saturdays are 25 cents for all. Children 5 and under ride free when accompanied by an adult. Cost: 50 cents.
 |
| Selena's grave can be seen at Seaside Memorial Park & Funeral Home. Other sites include the house where she once lived and her statue on the bayfront. - Michelle Christenson/CT
|
Selena sites
Drive past the house where slain Tejano superstar Selena lived. Located in Molina on Bloomington Street, this house was where she and husband Chris Perez once lived, and where members of her family live today, so please, be respectful. Selena's grave, at Seaside Memorial Park & Funeral Home off Ocean Drive, is also a popular spot to stop and pay your respects to Corpus Christi's own fallen star. Cost: None.
Ride the carousel
Whirl around atop a whimsically decorated unicorn to whimsical music in the air-conditioned comfort of Padre Staples Mall. Cost: $2 per person.
Pollywog Pond
Visit one of the city's popular sludge lagoons - a noted spot on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail. While built to settle the sediment from raw drinking water, Pollywog Pond, just north of Interstate 37, near Up River Road, is a good place to birdwatch. Cost: Free as a bird.
See the dolphins
So you don't have a boat and can't afford the chartered dolphin tours? No problem. Some of the best dolphin watching is on the ferries that cross the ship channel in Port A. Just drive on up, set your brake and get out. As if drawn by the deep rumble of the ferry's diesel engines, whole families of dolphins can often been seen frolicking just over the railing. Of course, this isn't exactly Sea World, so there's no guarantee you'll see any, but the ferry's still fun anyway. Cost: Gas money.
- James A. Suydam
