Restoring Gulf Coast Barrier Reefs One Oyster Shell at a Time
September 19, 2023 | By Cynthia J. Drake
Gulf Coast
15 Years After Hurricane Ike: How Bolivar Peninsula and Its Food Culture Have Changed
September 13, 2023 | By Xander Peters
My mother almost always orders the stuffed shrimp. No matter the occasion nor the restaurant, her routine when visiting our beach cabin on the southeast Texas coast has been predictable for as many years as I can remember.
Sip Local Brews Near the Beach at These Port Aransas Pubs
October 26, 2022 | By Melissa Gaskill
A Hitchcock Native Preserves the Diverse History of the Texas Gulf Coast
September 29, 2022 | By Brooke A. Lewis
A Caribbean Native Finds a Connection to Home in Corpus Christi
June 30, 2022 | By Gabino Iglesias
The Sea Shell Shoppe Sells Seashells By the Seashore
December 24, 2020 | By Sallie Lewis
Monarch Butterfly Season Arrives in Texas With Virtual and In-Person Events
September 28, 2020 | By Kristen O'Brien
Around this time every year, up to 500,000 monarch butterflies start arriving in Texas, migrating 1,600 miles from Canada and the northern United States down south to Mexico, fueling up on nectar from mistflower, lantana, and sunflowers along the way.
Pick Up Good Vibrations From These Summer Snapshots of the Texas Gulf Coast
May 28, 2020 | By Kenny Braun
My Hometown: Bay City, agricultural town on the Bay Prairie
November 27, 2019 | By Heather Brand
Summer for Procrastinators: Surfside Beach
July 11, 2019 | By Anna-Kay Reeves
The village of Surfside Beach attracts fewer tourists, so those that do find their way there can focus on enjoying the beach.
I Survived the Texas Water Safari
June 18, 2019 | By Pam LeBlanc
Today, three days after my finish, I feel feral. I also feel like Wonder Woman filled my lungs with magic air that makes me capable of doing almost anything I set my mind to.
Visitors from a Distant Sea Bring Tiny Treasures to Texas Beaches
June 13, 2019 | By E. Dan Klepper
Small quantities of a seaweed called sargassum wash ashore all year long. But every few years, beginning in April, the sargassum arrives en masse—a deluge of amber-colored stems, leaves, and tiny gas bladders that help the plants stay afloat (and pop when squeezed). This relatively unpredictable event seems to occur after huge blooms of sargassum in the Atlantic Ocean, some 2,000 or more miles away. While piles of sargassum might hinder swimming and sunbathing, they also provide opportunities for families and other beachcombers to find seahorses, strange shrimp, and other tiny creatures that hopped a ride to Texas.
My Hometown: Luther Hotel Innkeeper Jack Findley Talks History and Having Fun on Tres Palacios Bay
June 10, 2019 | By Heather Brand
At the historic Luther Hotel in Palacios, proprietor Jack Findley often mingles with guests on the front porch overlooking Matagorda Bay. Findley’s path to Palacios was circuitous.
Texas Highways Editors Share Their Favorite Coastal Destinations
June 6, 2019 | By Emily Roberts Stone, Executive Editor
Share your favorite coastal memories and photos using the hashtag #myTXcoast for a chance to be featured on our social media accounts.
10 Can’t-Miss Beach Eats of the Gulf Coast
June 6, 2019 | By
Whether you’re a beach bum or you’ve never felt the sand between your toes, you’ll be craving a trip to the Gulf Coast after learning the stories behind these 10 iconic beach eats
Aransas Pass Makes a Perfect Summer Weekend Getaway
June 4, 2019 | By John Lumpkin
Could there be a better way to experience a town comprised of at least 70 percent saltwater than to get to the water as fast as you can? With 41 square miles of Redfish Bay inside its city limits, Aransas Pass offers just that—
a self-described “Saltwater Heaven” building on its revival after Hurricane Harvey’s destruction in 2017.
An Epic 367-Mile Road Trip Reveals the Best of the Texas Coast
May 31, 2019 | By Clayton Maxwell
From Port Arthur to Port Isabel, navigating the best of Texas’ bays, beaches, and bards
Photo: Clouds Loom Over Follett’s Island
May 31, 2019 | By
Even when clouds loom, any day is a good day on Follett’s Island, which features about 11 miles of coastline along the Gulf of Mexico. Free access to the beach is available at multiple points between Surfside Beach and San Luis Pass along Bluewater Highway. During the summer, the water temperatures are usually a balmy low- to mid-80 degrees—perfect for fishing, swimming, horseback riding, birding, and camping on the beach.
Escape to the Mother Lagoon for a Quiet Coastal Getaway
May 30, 2019 | By Joe Nick Patoski
There are few places in and around Texas where the visible fish—plus dolphins, peregrine falcons, and brilliant-pink roseate spoonbills—outnumber the people viewing them. The Laguna Madre is one of those places, the only body of water in the state that truly qualifies as extreme.
The Daytripper’s Top 5 in Port Aransas
May 30, 2019 | By Chet Garner
When the Texas summer starts cooking, my favorite form of relief is to dive into the largest body of water I can find, which is often the Gulf of Mexico. This is where Port A comes in—with its near-endless beaches, historic appeal, and laid-back attitude. Port Aransas is one of my favorite places to hit the Texas coast, and with its ongoing recovery from Hurricane Harvey, it’s got more Texas grit and personality than ever.
Tookie’s Campechana Cocktail Recipe
May 29, 2019 | By
Serves 6. Toss shrimp, campechana sauce, and pico de gallo in a bowl. Spoon into a martini glass, and top with diced avocado and
cilantro. Add jumbo lump crab on top of mixture. Place lime on the rim. Serve with tortilla chips and jalapeños on the side.
5 Craft Breweries to Visit in Corpus Christi
May 23, 2019 | By Phil West
Craft beer fans might be pleasantly surprised by what awaits them in Corpus Christi: A trio of breweries opened within the past five years, and a couple of restaurants have recently started their own brewing operations. The result is adventuresome brews in a city more accustomed to mass-produced, beach-ready 12-packs. These days, when it comes to sipping in style, Corpus has you covered.
How Chef Mary Bass Gives Back to Galveston
May 23, 2019 | By Hannah J. Phillips
A Galveston native, Bass started her career by launching a bakery business, Viva la Cake Balls. She later became executive chef at Haak Vineyards & Winery in nearby Santa Fe in 2013, before becoming executive sous chef at BLVD Seafood when it opened in 2015. In 2018, Galveston.com named her “Best Chef on the Island” for the fourth consecutive year.
Sailors Test Their Endurance on the Annual Texas 200
May 23, 2019 | By Pam LeBlanc
This year marks the 12th edition of the Texas 200, a self-described “rolling messabout” up 200 miles of Lone Star coast June 10-14. Boats of all types and sizes, many built in garages, cruise in company through bays, cuts, and bayous and into the Intracoastal Waterway.
Photo: Vintage Postcard Depicts Galveston’s Seawall Boulevard in the 1940s
May 22, 2019 | By
The balmy excitement of a summer evening on Seawall Boulevard suffuses this vintage Galveston postcard. While the image is undated, the buildings point to the era of the 1940s and ’50s. Existing landmarks include the seawall, which the city constructed after the hurricane of 1900; the 1911 Hotel Galvez, still in operation; and Murdoch’s Bathhouse, a souvenir shop that has been rebuilt multiple times since the late 1800s. The postcard also depicts landmarks lost to time: the wooden Mountain Speedway roller coaster, built in 1921 and knocked down after Hurricane Carla in 1961; the 1929 Buccaneer Hotel, an 11-story building demolished in 1999; and, stretching over the water, the 1923 Balinese Room, a pier that succumbed to Hurricane Ike in 2008 and was famous for its history as an illegal casino.
Know of any fascinating vintage Texas photographs? Send copies or ideas to [email protected].
New Book Shares Stories of Aransas County’s Culinary History
May 15, 2019 | By Kimya Kavehkar
Full of recipes and anecdotes, the tome dives into this Gulf Coast region’s food culture
Gallery: Gulf Coast & South Texas Wildflowers
February 28, 2019 | By TH Staff
For our March 2019 issue, we sent photographer Larry Ditto to capture spring blooms in South Texas and the Gulf Coast. These are some of our favorite images that we didn’t have room for in the issue.
Key Allegro Displays Hauntingly Beautiful Relics from Hurricane Harvey
June 4, 2018 | By
Along the Texas coast, telltale signs of past storms endure in the occasional skeletal remains of piers jutting into the Gulf and bays.
Until they are rebuilt, these structures on Key Allegro along Aransas Bay recall the impact of Hurricane Harvey, presenting a hauntingly beautiful scene in the wake of last August’s storm. Key Allegro—a resort community with residences, second homes, and rentals—is located on an approximately 200-acre island near the northernmost end of Broadway Street between Rockport and Fulton.
Special Report: Texas Coastal Comeback
May 24, 2018 | By
We’ve been tested time and again, from despotism to depressions, oil busts to dust bowls—and now by Hurricane Harvey. But as in past trials, Texans have found a way to turn obstacles into opportunity and seize the chance for renewal. Consider Lee Roy Hoskins, owner of Port Aransas’ venerable Tarpon Inn, who labored for months to rebuild after the hurricane. “We had a lot of things we needed to work on anyway,” Hoskins says with a smile.
Port Aransas to Beachgoers: Come on Back
May 23, 2018 | By John Lumpkin
Anticipation grows as you roll down the window and drive onto the Port Aransas ferry to cross the narrow channel to Mustang Island. Salty air invades the senses, and sunrays glint on the shifting waters where dolphins play. As you disembark into the heart of this historic fishing town, brown pelicans skim the water for dinner or perch on weathered piers. Fishing boats rock gently in the harbor, rigged for their work in nearby bays or the open ocean.
Galveston Unveils Its Annual Holiday Spectacle: Ice Land
November 10, 2017 | By
What: Ice Land: Rainforest Holiday
Where: Moody Gardens, 1 Hope Blvd., Galveston, TX
When: Through January 7, 2018
The holiday spirit blends with the tropics this year during Galveston’s annual chilly spectacle, Ice Land.
James Beard Award-Winning Chef Hugo Ortega Dishes on His Love for Houston
November 9, 2017 | By Heather Brand
Hugo Ortega’s culinary touch is celebrated in his hometown of Houston and beyond—he’s the creative force behind a string of successful eateries in the city’s prosperous yet competitive restaurant scene.
The New Food Court: Diverse Cuisine Options at Houston’s Conservatory
November 9, 2017 | By Mai Pham
Arriving during the dinner rush at Conservatory Underground Beer Garden & Food Hall, a bustling eatery in downtown Houston, I walked past a wall of colorful pop-art portraits at the entryway, then proceeded down the beautifully ornate stairwell.
Christmas Rocks! Houston’s One-Stop Holiday Shop
November 8, 2017 | By Heather Brand
In Charles Dickens’ classic holiday tale A Christmas Carol, a reformed Ebenezer Scrooge proclaims, “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” Shoppers looking to keep the Yuletide spirit in their hearts year-round need look no further than the Christmas Rocks store in Houston.
National Audubon Society’s Annual Christmas Bird Count
November 7, 2016 | By
The holiday season includes a multitude of traditional activities, but one that some people may not be familiar with is the National Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count.
Gladys Porter Zoo Summer Safari
June 9, 2016 | By
A treasure in the Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville’s Gladys Porter Zoo is a lush, 31-acre enclave built around a meandering resaca.
Taking Flight: The Butterfly Project at Holocaust Museum Houston
June 9, 2016 | By
The Holocaust Museum Houston memorializes the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust with Taking Flight: The Butterfly Project, an exhibition of handmade butterflies crafted by children across the globe.
Babe’s Beach Dedicated
June 6, 2016 | By
School’s out. The sun’s out. So the timing is right as Galveston unveils a new beach area – Babe’s Beach – which gives visitors much more room to dig their toes in the sand, play volleyball or simply stroll the coastline.
Scenic Route: Pleasure Pier in Galveston
May 17, 2016 | By
Seawall Boulevard on Galveston Island stretches about 10 miles along the island’s Gulf of Mexico side.
Come Sail Away
May 11, 2016 | By Erich Schlegel
A pod of eight dolphins broke the surface of the water as we turned our sailboat back toward the Corpus Christi skyline.
Daytripper: Port O’Connor
September 15, 2015 | By Chet Garner
The vastness of Texas is no secret, but many don’t realize that within its “hugeness” lies more than 360 miles of coast and an astonishing 3,300 miles of tidal shoreline.
24th Annual San Benito Conjunto Festival
September 10, 2015 | By
San Benito celebrates the homegrown music of South Texas on October 23-25, 2015 with the 24th Annual Conjunto Festival.
Scenic Route: Port Aransas Marina
May 27, 2015 | By
The Port Aransas Marina—off Texas 361 by the ferry landing—offers a striking view of vessels docked at the Dennis Dryer Municipal Harbor.
Hello Beach!
May 13, 2015 | By Robb Walsh
After years of visiting Texas beaches whenever I could, this spring I made the leap and moved my family to Galveston.
Scenic Route: Harbor Bridge
April 13, 2015 | By
To find more information, visit the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau website, www.visitcorpuschristitx.org.
Scenic Route: Terry Hershey Park
February 13, 2015 | By
For more park information, visit www.pct3.hctx.net.
To order a print of this photograph, call 866/962-1191, or visit www.texashighwaysprints.com.
Beaching on the Cheap
June 1, 2010 | By E. Dan Klepper
I confess. I am a dreamer. A grasshopper in an anthill world. Each month, as soon as I pay the bills, I take the money left over and go hiking or mountain biking.
Now Open
March 1, 2010 | By Janice Van Dyke Walden
Seeing the San Bernard River flow unimpeded to the Gulf of Mexico is something of a miracle.
A Coastal Charmer—Rockport
April 15, 1999 | By Larry Ditto
Rockport appears to suffer from a split personality. On the one hand, it offers enough water- and wildlife-related activities to run the most rugged tourist ragged.
