To The Coast and Back

We finally made it to the coast. I have been asking since Christmas. And now, the first weekend of Spring Break, we go. The weather was a little lacking but it was a good time and it was really nice to get away.

We haven't been to Corpus Christi since Sy was 18 months and we went with G&G, Sandra and boys to Port Royale on Mustang Island. You would think we lived a day away when in reality it's only 2 hours.

The ride down was rainy but otherwise uneventful. I didn't realize I was supposed to be directing my husband to the hotel so I just sat quietly until he panicked about an exit and we wound up at what was to be our second stop of the day, the beach which is close to the Aquarium and Lexington. So since we were there, Roy was frazzled and Sy needed to stretch his legs, we got out and took a quick stroll. 

The wind off the water was cold. Yes, my son is in a t-shirt. His fleece pullover and my sweater were conveniently left next to the door at home. And yes, he is promptly putting his sneaker covered foot into the surf. Life is good.

The seagulls are watching...

I wonder what they are talking about...

Love the fog behind the Lexington. 

The Bay Bridge. Opened in 1959. We realized after we were home that they have redone the lighting and at night it lights up with multi-colored LEDs. We will need to do that on the next trip.

We made it to the hotel, checked in and got our stuff to the room. Roy waited in the car while I went in to let them know we were there and to get the key. Sy ran from me to Roy and back about 10 times. He gets so excited. And they had Rice Krispy treats on the counter for sale so that made him even more excited. Needless to say, it took three trips to Roy in the car for him to communicate clearly that he needed money to buy the Rice Krispy treats. Not sure what happened on the first two trips because he's pretty good at getting his point across.

On your way into the Texas State Aquarium, you are met by whales. The one on the left gets you by blowing water out it's blowhole as illustrated by Sy below.

And the tail of another. This one doesn't get you wet but sure looks pretty. I want this in my yard.

Visitors are welcome to put their hands in the water to hold hermit crabs and sea urchins. There are a number of staff around to answer questions and encourage you to get your hands wet. Sy loved this exhibit and we spent quite a bit of time here.

They have various size aquariums throughout, along with snakes and a number of spiders and birds. Throughout the day, they also have sessions which provide educational information on the animals.

I need to add that Roy brought the aquarium it's first Moray Eel when it got too big for his tank. He was sad to hear that he passed away of old age. He also learned that the 500 lb Jew fish they had when they first opened had passed away too. The one that took his place is only about 300 lbs. Still, an amazing fish.

Roy pointing out the Jew Fish to Sy and Sy pointing to the Shark.

They also have a nice exhibit of Jelly's.

We spent a lot of time with the dolphins. They were playing with their basketballs. They get them in their mouth. toss them and then go fetch them. They did this for 30 minutes while we sat and watched. These two photos were taken at the top of the tank.

You can then walk down around the back of the tank and view them through giant sections of glass. It's fantastic. I love how the dolphin came right up to check Sy out.

This one kept swimming up side down. Very funny to watch.

The sea turtle is actually looking at Sy in this photo but I didn't have enough room to back up and get Sy in the photo too.

Sy checking out his wing span. He went out to the 4'4" mark.

Interacting with the Stingrays.

They also have an alligator, a marsh, otters, and a water play area for the kids. So if you are going on a nice day, make sure you put them in their swim suit or pack a dry set of clothes so they can play. We were there about 2 hours but easily could have stayed for 4-5 as Sy wanted to go back and do it all over again and then if the water area had been open, he would've spent time there as well.

The poles outside the restaurant where we ate - which is just a short walk from the aquarium - had all the tops carved out as different faces. Very cool.

Dinner time. Roy picked this out as our place to eat. He wanted to drive over to Port A for dinner but that would have been another hour in the car - ugh - not happening when there is a pool waiting at the hotel. The place is full of character and the menu is typical of the coast menus in Texas. Lots of fried seafood. Gotta love it. 

Dinner. Yes, it's fried. This is Texas. And it was very good. Sy found some kids to play with so he mostly ran around with them. Vacation, right? It's all good.

 

We stayed at the Embassy Suites. Very nice room, they have drinks in the evening, an indoor pool, and breakfast in the morning. Sy got to swim both Saturday night and Sunday morning. And yes, Roy and I did partake in the beverage service. :-) Sy was funny, we got him a juice during "happy hour" and he drank that and wanted more so I pointed him to the juice dispenser. He walked around the corner and poured himself a coffee. Took a sip and made the best sour face. Walked it back over to me and said, "I got coffee!?!"

Sunday, we drove down Ocean Drive. Beautiful homes. lots of trails, and parks. The city has done a beautiful job of making the area on the water front inviting for residents and tourists. I was very impressed. Last time I was down there - which was 10-12 years ago - I'm not sure it was like that - at least I don't remember it.

Anyway, we parked on Shoreline Drive and took the Harbor Ferry over to the Lexington. This fulfilled the request for a boat ride and got us to our point of interest for the day.

These pelicans were chilling next to the ferry dock.

Shrimp boats.

The Lexington from the Harbor side. 

Roy's daddy landed on this carrier numerous time during his military career. The deck is big but is not that big and I cannot imagine trying to land on it in the middle of the ocean. He said that no matter how tight he strapped into his seat, his knees always got banged up when landing on this carrier. I'm sure it's exhilarating but I'm not sure I would sign up for that.

Sy and Roy did the flight simulator where you take off from the carrier, have a dog fit, get hit and then land on the carrier. Sy was gungho for that experience and I was so glad Roy said he would go.

They had numerous cockpits the kids can get into. Sy tried them all out. I liked that they left all the controls and gauges so the kids could interact. I think he was shooting down the enemy in this one.

Up on the deck they have a lot of old aircraft. You can't climb on/in them but they are really cool to see up close.

Looking out from the bridge. 

I highly recommend this as a weekend get away. We enjoyed all the interactive exhibits at both the Aquarium and the Lexington for kids.

If the weather had been nicer, I would have loved to spend more time in the parks that are near the waterfront. They had a number of picnic areas and playgrounds for the kids. There was even a skateboard area and bike/walking paths. So nice. I hope we get to take them in on the next visit.