Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Information
Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce and Tourist Bureau
( 361-749-5919, 800-452-6278;
www.portaransas.org
;
403 Cotter Ave; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-3pm Sat)
Has stacks of brochures, maps and information.
Loans out binoculars for bird-watching.
Getting There & Around
A highlight of getting to Port A is the constantly running, free
ferries
( 361-749-2850;
24hr)
which connect with TX 361 and Aransas Pass on the mainland. The ride takes 15
minutes and the wait is usually under 10 minutes, except at busy times when it can be 45
minutes.
The public transit option for Port Aransas is operated by The B (
Click here
)
. Route 65
runs twice daily June to August from the transit mall on the south side of Corpus Christi.
From here you can transfer to buses to the airport and downtown. Route 94 ($0.75, hourly
10am to 5pm) shuttles around much of Port Aransas.
Golf carts for cruising the streets and beaches are all the rage.
Cars & Carts
(
361-749-1655;
www.carsandcarts.com
; 325 E Ave G; cart rental per hr/day $29/160;
9am-5pm)
rents oodles.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Mustang & Padre Island Beaches
The gulf side of Mustang and Padre Islands is one 131-mile-long beach. The notable parks
are Mustang Island State Park and Padre Island National Seashore. The rest of the beach
is administered by Nueces County.
There are beach access roads every few miles, and most have a parking area; parts of
the beach are blocked off so that yahoos in SUVs can't mow you down. Camping is per-
mitted anywhere, but limited to three days in any one location. Sand dunes back most of
the beach area. Only since the 1970s have some monstrous condo developments appeared
on Mustang Island near Port Aransas, otherwise most of the sand is blissfully undeve-
loped.
For most of the beaches you'll need a permit (
Click here
)
to drive on the sand. However
a 6-mile stretch just north of Padre Island National Seashore is free to drivers.
Mustang Island State Park
PARK
