The closest beach to downtown lies across the ship channel to the north. It gets busy in season, but its tight-packed sands and handful of places to eat and drink make for a fun excursion just out of the city.
A dizzying walk climbs up and over the soaring US 181 Harbor Bridge, which spans the channel between downtown and the beach. From the southern side, start near Beldon St.
0.49 MILES
Learn about Gulf Coast marine life, just across from downtown at the southern end of North Beach. Three large handling tanks let you get close to sharks,…
0.32 MILES
Moored just north of the ship channel and aquarium, this 900ft-long aircraft carrier dominates Corpus Christi bay. The Lexington served in the Pacific…
0.7 MILES
Enjoying a spectacular seafront setting, across from the Museum of Science & History, this modern museum focuses on changing exhibitions of contemporary…
1.02 MILES
Originally a neighborhood of old homes, Heritage Park has morphed into a theme park of old homes. A dozen Corpus houses, from humble to grand and dating…
10.59 MILES
Overlooking Oso Bay, this city-run nature reserve of 162 acres has 4 miles of trails to wander. The surrounding wetlands are a haven for birdlife, and…
Padre Island National Seashore
24 MILES
The 60 southern miles of 'North' Padre Island that lie beyond Corpus Christi city limits are protected within the Padre Island National Seashore…
Fulton Mansion State Historical Park
27.12 MILES
This imposing 1870s mansion comes as a surprise amid other more modern – and modest – shorefront buildings. It was built by George Fulton, who was clever…
20.93 MILES
A privately owned island just across the ship channel from Port Aransas, known as St Jo to locals. This squat desert island, 2 miles at its widest but 21…
0.32 MILES
Moored just north of the ship channel and aquarium, this 900ft-long aircraft carrier dominates Corpus Christi bay. The Lexington served in the Pacific…
0.49 MILES
Learn about Gulf Coast marine life, just across from downtown at the southern end of North Beach. Three large handling tanks let you get close to sharks,…
0.7 MILES
Enjoying a spectacular seafront setting, across from the Museum of Science & History, this modern museum focuses on changing exhibitions of contemporary…
4. Museum of Science & History
0.78 MILES
This fun museum explores Texas' natural history, and displays gold bars and huge disks of silver recovered from three Spanish ships wrecked nearby in 1534…
0.89 MILES
This small but well-curated museum is worth a look if you have an interest in art from across South and Southeast Asia, but particularly from Japan. There…
1.02 MILES
Originally a neighborhood of old homes, Heritage Park has morphed into a theme park of old homes. A dozen Corpus houses, from humble to grand and dating…
1.55 MILES
This small space hosts contemporary-art exhibitions, which rotate every four to six weeks, with a penchant for emerging artists. The often-provocative…
1.57 MILES
The busy fleet of shipping boats that dock here, along with the various restaurants and activities that have set up shop on the jetty, make this the most…