These Things To Do In Corpus Christi
Provide A Great Family Vacation!

All the fun things to do in Corpus Christi and the surrounding area have provided us with a wonderful family vacation a couple of summers ago. We had a joint vacation with another family, and I know they had a great time too!

An added bonus with Corpus Christi is that it is within short driving distance away from Port Aransas... this offers additional fun.

Our favorite Corpus Christi activities are a visit to the beach, fishing, a visit to the Aquarium and the USS Lexington, and a dolphin cruise. I also wanto to tell you about Corpus Christi restaurants and hotels, tell you about other events, give you a map to help you get around, and tell you what to expect of Corpus Christi's weather.

Things To Do In Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi Beaches

As far as my kids are concerned, one of the first things to do in Corpus Christi on a family vacation is to hit the beach!

McGee beach is located downtown and within walking distance from several hotels. Corpus Christi beach is a little further north along the bay, right by the Texas State Aquarium and the USS Lexington.

Being on a bay protected by a barrier island, these beaches don't have huge waves. This makes it really nice for smaller kids to play at the water's edge. The only not-so-nice thing to me was the jellyfish in the water. I think the City makes an effort to clean it all up, but it is still something to watch out for.

I prefer the beach on North Padre Island, which is only about 20 minutes from downtown Corpus Christi. There are better waves, so the kids can have fun with the boogie boards and the skim board.

Fishing In Corpus Christi

Fishing is one of the fun things to do in Corpus Christi. A good option is to go on one of the bay fishing charter boats. Using "fish finders", these fishing boats will take you out to wherever the fish is currently biting. One such outfit is C & T Bay Charters.

The Bob Hall Pier on North Padre is a good option too. You can fish there for King Mackerel, Shark, Red Drum, and several other species. The beach around the pier is great. If the kids don't want to fish, they can hit the waves and have a good time too.

To me, a good option for deep sea fishing is to go to Port Aransas and use one of the deep sea fishing companies there. That avoids spending extra time crossing the Corpus Christi Bay on your way to the deep waters.

Corpus Christi Aquarium

My kids like the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi.

It's not a very big aquarium, but it has some very good educational exhibits. The Islands of Steel, an under-water habitat built around a replica of an offshore oil platform, is great. Of course, the dolphins are always a hit.

The Aquarium does seem to be a little pricey, but overall it is a great place to take the kids to.

USS Lexington

Visiting the USS Lexington is one of the really cool things to do in Corpus Christi!

It is a WWII-era aircraft carrier with several airplanes on deck. You take a self-guided tour through the ship. I found it incredibly educational, and it left me in awe of what our armed forces do for us!

Be sure to wear comfortable shoes because there are lots of stairs to climb. We went in the summer, and I was glad we wore hats. It gets quite hot on the landing deck. There is so much to see that we spent 2 to 3 hours there.

Visit the USS Lexington if you can. It truly was one of the highlights of our vacation in Corpus Christi!

Dolphins

One of the special things to do in Corpus Christi is a dolphin cruise!

Can you imagine how much kids (and grown-ups) like it to see dolphins swimming up close to the boat, and even sometimes coming close enough to touch them? This is a great experience that my kids love!

Dolphin Connection Texas provides a service that lets you do exactly that! Make reservations though. They are quite popular.

Corpus Christi Restaurants

My favorite among Corpus Christi restaurants is probably the Longhorn Steak & Ale. These guys sure know how to cook a steak! The atmosphere and their service is great too.

Andy's Kitchen is a simple, family-owned restaurant with good food. The kids enjoyed the locomotives circling on two suspended tracks! I enjoyed the friendly service, good food, and reasonable prices. They're great for breakfast too!

Rigatoni's Italian Restaurant serves wonderful Italian food in a restaurant with a very nice atmosphere.

The Ancient Mariner Seafood Restaurant is a favorite because they offer good seafood and steaks at a reasonable price. We enjoy going there.

If you want to look at a few more choices, here is a list of Corpus Christi restaurants.

Corpus Christi Lodging

A very nicely located hotel in Corpus Christi is the Quality Inn & Suites. It is right by Corpus Christi Beach, and just a few blocks' walking distance away from the USS Lexington and the Texas State Aquarium. The rooms are in good shape, and the service is good (so is the price)!

For our summer family vacations, I prefer to stay in a hotel near the North Padre Island beaches. For that reason, I like the Comfort Suites North Padre Island on Windward Drive. It is just across the street from the beach. This is a new hotel, so the rooms are in great shape.

My family loves the Holiday Inn Sunspree. It is also located on the beach on North Padre Island. My kids like the cartoon character, SpongeBob, and they saw a lot of him! The hotel has a nice pool with a bar, and in the evenings they often have a live band playing at the bar... great for relaxing with a sun-downer!

If you want to condsider a few others, here is a list of great Corpus Christi hotels.

Corpus Christi Map

When going on vacation, it helps a lot if you know where to find the attractions that you would like to visit!

To help with that, I have created a Corpus Christi map that shows the location of our favorite things to do in Corpus Christi, as well as restaurants and hotels. Use the map to help you plan your family vacation.

Corpus Christi Events Calendar

There are events that take place in Corpus Christi that aren't fixed attractions. They can be a lot of fun too. Take a look at my Corpus Christi Events calendar to find some fun events for your family.

You can also buy tickets to many sports events and concerts in Corpus Christi right here!

Corpus Christi Weather

It always helps if the weather plays along when planning things to do in Corpus Christi Texas. To find out what the weather's plans are for the next few days, check out the Corpus Christi Weather.

All the fun things to do in Corpus Christi can provide a great Texas family vacation to anyone!

Your Corpus Christi Vacation Story?

Have you been to Corpus Christi before and have a fun attraction that you like to visit? Please tell us about it! Also read about others' favorite activities and experiences.

See Visitors' Corpus Christi Vacation Stories!