9 Best Things To Do in Port Aransas, Texas
If you’re looking for things to do in Port Aransas, Texas, you’ve come to the right place.
For the last five years, my wife and I have been traveling the USA full time in our vintage Airstream. We’ve found that the Texas coast, specifically Port Aransas, is an ideal outdoor getaway.
It has great beer, miles of beachfront, plentiful fishing, and watersports galore.
Today we’re sharing the best of what’s around.
Let’s dive in!
Explore Mustang Island State Park
Price: $5/adult entrance fee per person, $10-$20/night camping
Why You’ll Love It: This barrier island park has everything a vacationer could want, beach, surf, wildlife, birds, hiking, kayaking, biking, and camping. There are 48 drive-through electric/water campsites and 50 drive-up primitive sites. There are 20 miles of paddling trails through some of Texas’ best shallow-water fishing areas.
Address: 9394 State Highway 361 Corpus Christi TX
What’s the Word: Google Reviews say that this beach is “pretty clean and quiet”, and the water is clearer than other beaches, and the beach has clean, modern bathrooms.
Port Aransas Vibe Score: 8/10
Go Fishing on Horace Caldwell Fishing Pier
Price: $3 access, $4 per pole
Why You’ll Love It: One mile from downtown Port Aransas, this 1200 foot pier is large and open, allowing for fishing far into the ocean. Often noted as the best fishing pier in the entire Gulf of Mexico, the abundance of fish and species will create many successful stories for an angler.
Open 24 hours and lighted at night, bait and poles are available on site.
Address: 121 Cutoff Road, Port Aransas, TX
What’s the Word: “Easy fishing for kids” and “always catch enough for dinner” are reviews from Trip Advisor visitors.
Port Aransas Vibe Score: 7/10
Ride the Port Aransas Ferry
Price: FREE
Why You’ll Love It: Connecting SH 361 and Port Aransas/Mustang Island, the ferries run 365 days a year and can accommodate up to 20 passenger vehicles at a time for the quarter-mile trip. More than 8 million people a year take the 10-minute ferry ride to the barrier island.
Address: Texas 361
What’s the Word: “Unique way to get to the island and sometimes you can see dolphins. The kids like it.” Trip Advisor
Port Aransas Vibe Score: 7/10
Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center
Price: Free
Why You’ll Love It: The native pollinator garden and large trees surrounds a boardwalk (rated #1 in Texas) to lend a panoramic viewing of hundreds of native birds and waterfowl.
Address: 1356 Ross Avenue, Port Aransas, TX
What’s the Word: “Amazing birds, waterfowl and birdwatchers from all over the world make this an excellent place to see nature” says one Trip Advisor review. Many remark on the gator sightings!
Port Aransas Vibe Score: 7/10
Take a Deep Sea Fishing Trip
Price: Varies depending on length of trip and if a group or an add-on to an existing boat.
Why You’ll Love It: Port A has been famous for sportfishing for decades, and the big fish potential is huge here. Numerous charters offer fishing excursions from the beach to 20 miles offshore, where you can catch King Mackerel, Cobia, and numerous bottom fish. If your trip gets you out past the 40 mile marker, you can catch Mahi Mahi, Sailfish, Wahoo, and Blackfin Tuna.
Address: Various
Port Aransas Vibe Score: 10/10
Grab a Beer at Tortuga’s Saltwater Grill
Price: $10-$35 for lunch sandwich-dinner steaks
Why You’ll Love It: This locally owned grill is home to the finest fresh fish and prime steaks on the Gulf Coast. Full menu including brunch, sandwiches, burgers, salads, pasta, and of course grilled, blackened and fried seafood. Fresh oysters and full bar!
Address: 429 N Alister St, Port Aransas, TX
What’s the Word: The seafood is fresh, the service is great, and the plates are huge. “Great feast!” says Trip Advisor guests
Port Aransas Vibe Score: 10/10
Grab a Burger at MacDaddy’s Family Grill
Price: $14-$24
Why You’ll Love It: The island’s best Southern Comfort food, including fried chicken, fresh seafood, and BBQ. Quick meals served family-style or single servings so everyone can get what they want!
Address: 118 Beach Street, Port Aransas
What’s the Word: “Great place to take kids and families” says Facebook reviewers, and “favorite place to eat on the island.”
Port Aransas Vibe Score: 9/10
Best Port Aransas Camping: Gulf Waters RV Resort
Price: $75-$89/daily, $450-$533 weekly, $1351/$1598 monthly (summer, less in winter)
Why You’ll Love It: A premium luxury resort with beach access, palm trees, 158 paved and landscaped sites, picnic areas at each site, and each location has full hookups, free wifi and cable, and each is unique, many have lush vegetation, pond view patios, pergolas, fire pits, wet bars and grills.
The resort has a large pool and hot tub, laundry, restrooms with private showers, and an activity center. The resort is beach front on the Gulf, with a boardwalk over the dunes and golf cart access onto the beach and Port Aransas.
Here’s a Pro Tip – check out all of these 5 amazing waterfront RV parks in Port Aransas.
Address: 5601 State Highway 361, Port Aransas, TX
What’s the Word: Go to resort for the Texas Coast, sites are spacious, park is well kept and has a lot of amenities, but also has a lot of rules. (Campgroundreviews.com)
Port Aransas Vibe Score: 8/10
Best Port Aransas Hotel: Port Royal Ocean Resort
Price: $249-$473/night for 2-3 bedroom units with minimum 3 night stay.
Why You’ll Love It: There are 25 acres of fun at this beachfront condo resort, including 210 suites, the largest lagoon pool in Texas, with 4 water slides and an olympic size heated pool.
Address: 6317 State Highway 361, Port Aransas
What’s the Word: The pool is great, beach access is convenient, but the units are hit and miss on updated maintenance and decor and still recovering from hurricane damage.
Port Aransas Vibe Score: 6.9/10
Trip Routing to Port Aransas
If you’re traveling with an RV (or large vehicle), trip planning to Port Aransas is essential.
With RV Trip Wizard you can get a much better understanding of what to expect for a travel day. After spending a big amount of money on an RV, you don’t want to run into a low hanging bridge!
We use RV Trip Wizard to route our cross country trips. With tools like budgeting, fuel planning, and avoiding bridges, we can easily travel safely through the USA.
Here’s how to sign up to RV Trip Wizard for free.
Discover the Best Free Camping in America
To be honest with you, we hate paying for camping. There are so many free campsites in America (with complete privacy).
You should give it a try!
As a matter of fact, these free campsites are yours. Every time you pay federal taxes, you’re contributing to these lands.
Become a FREE CAMPING INSIDER and join the 100,000 campers that love to score the best site!
We’ll send you the 50 Best Free Campsites in the USA (one per state). Access the list by submitting your email below: