Corpus Christi is located on the Gulf of Mexico, about halfway
between Houston and the U.S./Mexico border. Corpus Christi shares the
same latitude as Tampa, Florida.
Nestled on a bay and
surrounded by islands and hundreds of miles of beaches, Corpus Christi is a
popular spot for family vacations and provides endless recreational
opportunities for visitors and locals.
Corpus Christi is the eighth
largest city in Texas with a 2000 metro census of 380,783. The
seven-county Bay Area population is over 500,000.
The annual mean
temperature in Corpus Christi is 71.1 degrees. And winter-time
temperatures in the 70s and 80s are common. The annual rainfall is
27.5 inches and there is an average of 255 days of sunshine a
year.
The mild semitropical climate and warm waters of the
Gulf of Mexico create an outdoor paradise year 'round, with plenty of fishing
(bay and offshore), outdoor tennis, sailing, golf, windsurfing, and
more!
The Coastal Bend is home to several collegiate and professional
sports teams. You can catch professional ice hockey games at the
Memorial Coliseum October through April as the Corpus Christi IceRays take on
other Central Hockey League Teams.
With the addition of the Corpus
Christi Hooks Baseball Team, Corpus Christi can now boast of having a first
class professional baseball team.
The Texas A & M
University-Corpus Christi Islanders have men's and women's basketball as well as
baseball and softball.
The Texas A & M University-Kingsville
Javelinas have a number of collegiate sports teams, including football and
volleyball.
Corpus Christi's status as one of the breeziest cities in the
nation makes it a hot spot for those who love the wind and
waves. Windsurfers come to our city from across America, as well as
Europe. Each spring, the city hosts the annual U.S. Open Windsurfing
Regatta.
Weekly sailboat regattas are held on Wednesday
evenings all year round. The variety of wAterways, from open Gulf
beaches to protected coves, makes the area attractive to beginners and experts
alike. Rentals and lessons are readily available.
Ready to tee
off? Select a course on the island...or the one that hosted the Ben
Hogan Tour...or any number of challenging settings. The Corpus
Christi Bay area offers the best golfing on the Texas coast. Many
private clubs accept reciprocal club or USGA members.
Some
hotels have membership privileges for their guests. If you get more
from a game of tennis, there are hundreds of courts throughout the area at
schools, athletic centers and clubs.
Every year thousands of outdoor
enthusiasts fish our waters for trophy catches of popular sport
fish. Fish the surf, bays or piers or head out on a deep-water trip
into the Gulf. South Texas ranches produce the ultimate hunting
excursions with native game birds, deer, javelina and
exotics.
Guides are plentiful and several businesses
specialize in custom hunting trips. Hunting and fishing licenses are
required by the State of Texas. For information call the Texas Parks
& Wildlife Department at 1-800-792-1112.
Padre Island is truly a
natural wonder. It contains over one hundred and thirteen
(113) miles of rolling waves, powdery dunes, breezy sea oats and fascinating
birding.
Golfers can birdie and bogie on Padre Island at the
spectacular 18-hole golf course at Padre Isles Country
Club.
Rent a wave runner or hang out and hang ten at the J.P.
Luby Surf Pier. Or just kick back and cast a line from Bob Hall
Pier.
Down the road is Malaquite Beach, part of the Padre
Island National Seashore. At over 80 miles, it's the largest
undeveloped barrier island in the continental United States. Hundreds
of thousands of tourists visit the park each year to play in the sand or chase
the surf.
Padre Island is also one of only a handful of places in the
world where the endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles nest. In 2000,
more than 1,000 of the endangered turtle's eggs were found on North and South
Padre Island. For the latest updates on sea turtle hatching, call
(361) 494-7163.
Are you a history buff? If so, then the Corpus
Christi Museum of Science and History is a must see. Explore the
remains of three Spanish treasure ships that ran agound on Padre Island in
1554.
Visit the Columbus Quincentenary exhibit, and learn
about the beginning of Columbus' 15th Century voyage to the New
World. Watch the kids' imaginations come alive in the interactivde
Children's Wharf exhibit.
Remember to look up as you tour the
"Gallery of Cultural Encounters," featuring an authentic 16th Century carved
dome ceiling, originally from Castile, Spain. To top off your visit,
tour the replicas of the ships of Christopher Columbus, the Santa Maria and the
Pinta on the Ship's Plaza.
Music is everywhere in Corpus
Christi. The locals call it Tex-Mix Music. On any given
evening, music fans can choose from an eclectic mix of country, pop, Tejano,
rock, symphony, jazz or blues.
Live music can be found in the
downtown aea nightclubs, restaurants, performing centers and outdoor
amphitheatters. Concrete Street Amphitheatre regularly features
popular recording stars, and is conveniently located adjacent to downtown, just
four blockis from the bayfront.
Cole Park Amphitheater is the
site for the annual outdoor Summer Concerts in the Park, a series of evening
concerts throughout the summer months.
SELENA Museum - With fans from
around the world showing up at the family business, Abraham Quintanilla decided
to build a museum honoring his daughter's memory to please her
fans.
The museum displays outfits and dresses Selena wore at
concerts and award shows, which were designed by her. There is also a
newspaper clipping of her as the fifth-grad spelling bee
champion.
Other exhibits include music awards, a "Selena"
movie script and other personal memorabilia. Open Monday - Friday,
9:00 a.m. through noon; 1-5 p.m. No cameras allowed. In
the Q Productions recording studio at 5410 Leopard Street. For
information, call (361) 289-9013.
For some fast-paced action, try the
Corpus Christi Greyhound Track, offering races every evening from Tuesday
through Saturday. The Texas Treasure Casino Cruise Ship has two
cruises daily, leaving for sails out to international waters.
When it's
time to slow down and relax, enjoy a delicious meal of fresh seafood, Tex-Mex,
or Texas Bar-B-Que. The city's downtown and marina area is filled
with restaurants, and there's a multitude of fine eateries along "restaurant
row" on South Padre Island Drive.