Tim Zielenbach/Caller-Times file

BEACH BUDDHA: Elliott Kephart of Federal Way, Wash., works on his sand sculpture at the Texas Sand Fest in Port Aransas, in April 2003.

Port A not just for fishing

Good beaches, food and shopping can also be found in small seaside town

By Mike Bratten/Caller-Times

Port Aransas is a small seaside town known for its hospitality, miles of beaches and world-class fishing.

Beaches in Port Aransas draw people who enjoy camping, surfing, swimming and sunbathing. Beach parking permits are available for $6 at convenience stores and trailers on the beach.

Port Aransas boasts many restaurants, many of them locally based and serving locally caught and cooked seafood. Hot spots include Jay’s Seafood and Spaghetti Works, Beulah’s, Crazy Cajun and Virginia’s on the Bay.

The Tarpon Inn in Port Aransas is a historic hotel where generations of fishermen — including President Franklin D. Roosevelt — have left their marks.

Shopping is popular in town, thanks to plenty of coastal-flavored boutiques and surf shops.

The Corpus Christi Ship Channel at Port Aransas stands as the Coastal Bend’s only outlet to the open Gulf of Mexico. As a result, many deep-sea fishing charters depart for gulf waters from Port Aransas.

Anglers without sea legs can fish from piers, the south jetty and the surf at the beach.

Port Aransas also is home to the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, which offers free self-guided tours at a visitors center that includes aquariums and exhibits on institute scientists’ research.

A 10-minute boat ride from Port Aransas is San Jose Island, an uninhabited strip of land with good fishing at a jetty and some wonderful solitude. (There are no buildings or conveniences, so make sure you bring plenty of water and sunblock.)

The Jetty Boat at Woody’s Sports Center makes 10 trips a day to San Jose Island. Cost for a round-trip is $10.

Information: Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce, 749-5919.

This article is originally from the Caller-Times publication South Texas Life.
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