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The Gulf Coast attracts nature lovers, fishing enthusiasts, and history hounds

Bending 367 miles from the Louisiana border near Galveston to South Padre Island. The Texas Gulf Coast is a semitropical stretch of dune-backed beaches and barrier islands that have been attracting visitors since the seafaring conquistador Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda first stepped ashore on Padre Island back in 1519.

While the region is quite naturally a paradise for anglers, boaters, bird-watchers. and sunbathers, there's a surprising diversity of attractions sure to appeal to visitors of all ages and interests. So let's review some of the best things to see and do on a Gulf Coast vacation, from Galveston--just a short hop south of Houston--to the "tropical tip" of Texas at South Padre Island and Brownsville.

Galveston. Although proudly boasting 32 miles of broad white-sand beaches and a bounty of that fresh, tasty seafood that has made the Gulf Coast region famous, it is historic architecture that stands out as the most notable feature in this island city of some 60,000 people. More than 550 structures have been designated as historical landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places, harking back to the 19th century when this seaport was one of the largest and wealthiest cities in Texas.

Galveston's golden age came to a tragic end on September 8, 1900, when a massive hurricane devastated the island, destroying more than a third of the city and killing 6,000 people. The storm still ranks as the deadliest natural disaster in the nation's history and renders all the more amazing the city's remaining treasure trove of magnificent, mostly Victorian buildings.

The Strand National Historic Landmark District, formerly known as the "Wall Street of the Southwest," stretches along the city's waterfront and is now home to more than 100 shops, restaurants, museums, and art galleries. Two neighborhoods are also designated--the East End Historic District and the Silk Stocking District--and collectively there are 16 historic homes and buildings open for tours. Among them, mansions such as Ashton Villa, Bishop's Palace, and Moody Mansion offer visitors a revealing glimpse of Galveston's gilded past.

Galveston's single most impressive attraction, however, and one of the finest educational/family entertainment complexes in all of Texas is thoroughly modern Moody Gardens. Nestled among acres of lush subtropical landscaping, a trio of towering glass pyramids features cutting-edge exhibits.

The 10-story Rainforest Pyramid presents living replicas of rain forests from Africa, Asia, and South America, replete with appropriate plants, birds, mammals, and fish. A second enclosure houses a space exhibit, while the newest contains a 1.5-million-gallon aquarium that ranks among the five largest in the world. Add a pair of IMAX theaters, a paddlewheel boat ride, a fresh water lagoon surrounded by soft sandy beaches, and you've got days worth of quality family entertainment.

Corpus Christi/Padre Island. Corpus Christi is the gateway to Padre Island National Seashore, which occupies 80 miles of this slim barrier island that stretches 113 miles southward to near Brownsville and the Mexican border. Padre is the nation's largest barrier island and, thanks to federal protection, most of it remains unspoiled--a strip of sandy tidal flats, and marshland that serves prime wildlife habitat (including 350 native bird species) and one of the nation's finest coastal recreation areas.

Visitors spend their days here splashing in the usually warm and gentle gulf waves, shell-collecting, kite-flying, bird-watching, and surf-casting for redfish, sea trout, drum, and whiting. Camping is permitted, and you can drive almost the entire length of the National Seashore, although a four-wheel-drive vehicle is required beyond five miles of the Visitor Center at Malaquite Beach.

Corpus Christi (pop. 282,000) is a vibrant and attractive community that is home to a number of popular visitor attractions, including the Texas State Aquarium, a dramatically modern structure overlooking the bay and focusing appropriately on the marine life of the Gulf of Mexico. Nearby is the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay and the Corpus Christi Science Museum, which features a fascinating exhibit displaying artifacts from a Spanish shipwreck on Padre Island in 1554. As one of the most decorated aircraft carriers of World War II, the "Lex" was reportedly sunk four times by the Japanese but survived the war to become one of the top 10 tourist attractions in Texas.

Surrounding points of interest include the sprawling 825,000-acre King Ranch, 35 miles southwest of Corpus Christi; and the seaport communities of Rockport and Fulton, setting for an important regional art center, the Texas Maritime Museum, the elegant 1877 French Second Empire-style Fulton Mansion, and one of the gulf's largest and most colorful fishing fleets.

South Padre Island/Brownsville. In contrast to its northern neighbor (the two Padres are separated by the Mansfield Channel), South Padre Island is where the action is. And come spring break in particular, it's where the boys--and girls--are. Thousands and thousands of them.

While some visitors might find this whole scene an exercise in bad taste and rowdyism, it is for the carefree set a vast playground that falls well within the budget of most teens and 20-somethings. It is a great spot, too, for anglers--eight of Texas' 10 game fish records have been set here--and for bird-watchers as well, especially along the island's less-developed northern shores. But even right in the thick of things, adjacent to the modern 45,000-square-foot South Padre Island Convention Center, where a patch of marshland has been salvaged, the Laguna Madre Nature Trail affords a glimpse of an amazing variety of resident and migratory birds and waterfowl.

Brownsville, a bustling border town and business hub of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, lies 25 miles inland from South Padre Island but is worth at least a day of your Gulf Coast time.
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Your first stop should be Gladys Porter Zoo. It's a little gem, featuring more than 1,800 birds, mammals, and reptiles displayed in a state-of-the-art cageless complex that greatly enhances viewing and photography. The zoo is particularly noted for its breeding program of endangered species.

Make your visit an international adventure by crossing over the Rio Grande to friendly Matamoros, Mexico. Mingle in the colorful Old Marketplace where you can bargain for handicrafts and cap off the day enjoying dinner and drinks to the music of strolling mariachis.

For more information on the Texas Gulf Coast, contact: Texas Department of Economic Development, Tourism Division, P.O. Box 12728, Capitol Station, Austin, TX 78711; (800) 888-8839.

COPYRIGHT 2001 World Publishing, Co. (Illinois)
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group