For any who have personal experience with either of these two locations, do you have a recommendation for one or the other (or even both) as a place for three couples to spend about four or five days during our annual fall get together in October next. We've been meeting Spring and Fall for about 15 years just to spend a bit of time together visiting, catching up, eating good food, seeing local sights of interest, etc.

For the past few years, we've been finding and renting a vacation property (home or condo) with three full bedrooms and baths and plenty of room to sit together, visit, play games at times, and just hang out together. These places also had kitchen facilities so we could eat in when not eating out. We like museums of interest, including military focused ones, or any other interesting site to visit. We will usually look for a miniature golf course if one is available for one session, we will usually take a bit of time at a well appointed mall or shopping center where the girls shop for whatever and the guys will hunt up a gun, knife, or other outdoor type store. When available, the guys will spend a couple hours at a shooting range if we feel comfortable there.

These two cities are places that none of us have visitied in Texas so they rated a suggestion as possible places for our gathering this fall. If anyone has experience with either or both, since it's our turn to organize this gathering, I'd appreciate any comments, thoughts, suggestions, about either place that might help us to narrow our choices down to one, or even neither. Unusual request, I know, but I'll appreciate any information that anyone with experience is willing to share with me. Thanks very much. BTW, we will all be driving to where ever we decide to meet, so information about the ease of getting around and finding places of interest in these cities would also be appropriate. We are all mostly GPS compliant.

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So long ... Ken

I am more familiar with Galveston, but Corpus Christi has somewhat nicer water depending on the day. Corpus Christi also has the USS Lexington as a floating museum. Galveston has Moody Gardens and Houston up the road with a lot of gun shows and the Lone Star Flight Museum with an operational B-17. Houston has a theatre and museum district. Either place has numerous condos and beach homes for rent. The Galvez Hotel in Galveston is nice, but no kitchens. I found Galveston easier to navigate, but that is probably familiarity. A free ferry ride from Galveston is Bolivar Island which has nice rental beach homes. Of course, Corpus has Padre island. Sounds like a nice trip, enjoy wherever you go.

Is USS Texas still moored in Galveston or Houston? I toured that as a kid.

If you go to Galveston, and I recommend it, make sure you go to the Bryan Museum. If you are a gun guy and interested in Texas history, it is a must see.

In October, there will be nice houses available for short term (2-5 day) rental in Port Aransas, blocks to the beach. It’s 35 minute drive to Corpus rifle,skeet, pistol range, same to USS Lexington. Port Aransas is a small town, (pop. 3000)not a city at all, but has a number of very good restaurants, as does Corpus.
I can refer you to a small exclusive rental management company that specializes in very nice places.Close friend. Our beach is open to drive and park along 15 miles, good tours to the bays with birding being a big deal in the fall, whooping cranes etc., so it’s considerably more laid back than Galveston.
Good that you have time to weigh the alternatives, as Galveston has a lot of attractions as well.
Feel free to pm me if I can offer any assistance.
Jim

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Halfway and one more step

The Texas is in Houston Ship Channel next to the San Jacinto Battlefield on Independence Parkway. I got to sleep on it several times when my kids were in scouting. In combat in two world wars, there was only one fatality on board from when the topside was hit by a large German shell off the Normandy coast. It is the only "dreadnaught era" battleship still afloat.

Lived in Corpus a couple of times growing up and visited there regularly unitll about 10 years ago. Hit Galveston up about the same time ago. Both cities seemed to be suffering a bit from hard financial times but where Corpus still seemed sunny and positive , Galveston seemed bleak.

Used to be some good grub in CC, and some good gun shops, Jim can give you some up to date recommendations.

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LEX ET ORDO

Also consider that the Houston area has a huge chemical leak right now and that stuff is flowing right out into the Gulf of Mexico near Galveston.

Old TexMex has it right....I lived in Houston and spent a lot of time in Galveston. Port A is a better option.

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On the Oak Savannah

Loves me some Port A in October. Hope to make the Harvest Moon regatta this year-if I do, we can meet up

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Forum consigliere

CajunLawyer and Old TexMex in the same place at the same time

It is a sign of the apocalypse I tell you

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On the Oak Savannah

Thanks very much for all this information so far. Port Aransas sounds like maybe just what we may be looking for! I'll start doing some research, but good recommendations are a great start!

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So long ... Ken

You guys are invited, too ya know.

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Halfway and one more step

That’s the best time of year....if you can remember it!

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Halfway and one more step

Lot of history on Galveston island.
Good grub.
This is a nice rental right across the street
from my place.
Azul Seahorses - House in Galveston, TX | Sand `N Sea

On the other hand, if you look around the "edge" of Galveston Bay you will see a lot of nicely painted houses close to the water. If you look carefully, you will see the "tide marks" about half way up the front of each house. That is where the last flood line was! A nice place to visit, not to live unless you have gills! Dave_n

Hi Ken:

We live in Austin, TX and we have vacationed at Galveston and Corpus Christi over the years - and we spent one vacation at Port Aransas as well. When it was just the wife and I, and her sister and her husband - i.e. before kids - we tended to prefer Galveston, but this was before the hurricane hit and wiped out most of the beaches. Port A is a lot of fun, definitely more homey and rustic than either Galveston or Corpus Christi. Our all time favorite place is Corpus Christi. We always stay at the Island House Condominiums:

Hotel Island House Condominiums, Corpus Christi, TX - Booking.com

If you like to fish, the world famous Bob Hall Pier is just one mile down the road. The U.S.S. Lexington is available for touring, but it isn't very much fun if you have mobility issues. If you are looking more for a laid back, family type of environment, I think you'd be happier at either Corpus or Port A.

I hope you and yours have a wonderful time.

Regards,

Dave

This thread's giving me itchy feet.
Port Aransas....?

Port A is nice. Corpus is a (semi) big city these days with all that that entails. Padre Island is a great beach, but so is Mustang Island at Port Aransas, although it can get VERY crowded at times. You can drive on the beach at either. I have caught bunches of fish wading at Port A, off the state fishing pier ( a decommissioned highway bridge) at Copano Bay, and at Goose Island State Park which has a nice pier.

There's the Lexington at Corpus as well as Texas State Aquarium. Texas Maritime Museum in Rockport isn't too far. Aransas National Wildlife Preserve is also not too far away if you are into that. That's where the whooping cranes winter.

When we go we usually spend all day at the beach, and half the night fishing. October is a great time to go unless you happen to get unlucky with a tropical storm.

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Or something like that . . .

The wife and I are going to Galveston for our anniversary and will have to check this out! We rented a house in Jamaica Beach, on the canal, and I bought this to go after the Reds and Specks at night:

Whichever area you pick, just remember you are not in west Texas anymore. On your trip to the coastal area, you will most likely encounter some woody perennial plants having a single stem or trunk growing to a considerable height and bearing lateral branches at some distances from the ground. These are called TREES, do not be afraid, just keep on driving, eyes on the road, and let someone take photos.

We've got trees out here. Just the other day I saw a mesquite that was almost as tall as I am.

Shoot, I've seen big tumbleweeds that are big as the cedars elsewhere, and some careless weeds that look like a small tree. But you are right, if you see an actual tree in this part of the world, somebody mostly likely planted it.

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So long ... Ken

While in the Port A area you can check out "The Big Tree".

The Big Tree, Rockport - Wikipedia

Hi Ken:

Please be advised that the Texas Aquarium is NOT firearm friendly - "51%" "30.06" and "30.07" signs abound.

Also, if you want to go fishing, one of the things we do to avoid hauling a bunch of fishing gear is we book a trip on one of the many charter boats out of either Corpus Christi or Port A. Frankly, I prefer the ones out of Port A.

There are private charters available where they can provide the equipment as well as lunch. I'm a member of a bowhunting forum and some of the members are private charter captains in the Corpus/Port A area. Shoot me a message if you are interested and I'll start a thread for you asking them to contact you if you wish.

Good luck,

Dave

Thanks, Dave. Good to know about the acquarium rules! We've run into a few places where we had to unload, such as the Bush Museum in College Station on our get together in that area last fall. Kind of a necessary evil if you wish to see some of those places. Was interesting when we walked in. Us three guys all laid down a pretty good sized folding knife and showed our empty holsters when walking through the metal detectors. One of us set off the buzzer with his belt buckle! Both Guards there had big grins when they saw all of this stuff and waved us right on through!

No time for fishing this trip, but those charters sound like a nice way to get in some fishing without packing all the equipment along for the trip to get there and back home! I'll keep that in mind.

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So long ... Ken

Failed on fishing, but...