Top Things to do in Texas Gulf Coast
Top Hotels in Texas Gulf Coast
- 1. Best Western Texas City
- 2. The San Luis Resort, Spa and Conference Center
- 3. Blossom Hotel Houston
- 4. Moody Gardens Hotel, Spa and Convention Center
- 5. Holiday Inn Resort Galveston-on the Beach, an IHG Hotel
- 6. Hilton Americas-Houston
- 7. Best Western Plus Katy Inn & Suites
- 8. Hyatt Regency Houston West
- 9. Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria
- 10. La Copa Inn Beach Hotel
10 Things to do in Texas Gulf Coast That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in Texas Gulf Coast, United States including TGR Exotics Wildlife Park, The Houston Museum of Natural Science, Port Aransas Beach, Padre Island National Seashore, USS Lexington Museum on the Bay, Minute Maid Park, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Sea Turtle, Inc., Galveston - Port Bolivar Ferry, Texas State Aquarium.
Restaurants in Texas Gulf Coast
1. TGR Exotics Wildlife Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 82 reviews
Grab Your Safari Gear. Your adventure begins HERE! At TGR Exotics Wildlife Park, you will get up close and personal with some of Planet Earth's most exotic, fascinating, and endangered animals. Here you will find more than 100 animals representing over 25 species. All our animals are raised hands on, if not completely hand raised, and they have amazing personalities and dispositions. Go to our website to book your tour.
Reviewed By TexSuzan
This was a fun, positive experience for our granddaughters. Traci led a very informative sloth encounter where we fed three sloths. Nick shared interesting trivia about the exotics we saw on the tour. The girls enjoyed petting the pigs, goats and llamas wandering around. It's evident that owner Gwen is passionate about providing good care of the rescued animals.
2. The Houston Museum of Natural Science
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5,002 reviews
This outstanding science museum has a spectacular collection of mineral specimens, a dinosaur skeleton, space-station models, a planetarium, IMAX theater and a six-story butterfly center in which these beautiful creatures land delicately on outstretched arms.
Reviewed By Agarrino
Another mandatory visit while in Houston, is the Natural History Museum. You will need a complete day (or even more) to really check everything on display, since there are 4 floors full of interesting items: Full body dinosaurs skeletons, phosils of all sort, trilobites, scientist working in labs opened to visitors, an impressive collection of cristal minerals and jewels, sculptures and a great collection of ancient Egypt items, including three real mummys. Also great the butterfly interior garden.
3. Port Aransas Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,064 reviews
Public beach on Port Aransas that is clean, has a lifeguard and has car-free locations.
Reviewed By MichelleGarcia84
No vehicle traffic sucks when it comes to bringing stuff to set up at the beach, but nothing a wagon can’t fix, the trade off has been no vehicle traffic, and no cars all over the beach! This is so nice and I wish Port A would keep this rule even after Covid, maybe year down a condo and build a parking lot lol Anyway, clean beach, warm water, bathrooms and rinse stations, trash cans available, watch out for jelly fish and sting rays, plenty of sea shells, various crabs to look for if you enjoy that sort of thing. Sand is perfect for sand castles! Pretty sunsets too!
4. Padre Island National Seashore
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,859 reviews
A 15-minute drive from downtown Corpus Christi transports you to this magnificent 70-mile stretch of white sand beach, scenic dunes and warm ocean water, offering ideal conditions for swimming, fishing, beach-combing, windsurfing, camping, bird-watching and viewing wildlife.
Reviewed By M8870IWjasonr
A fantastic national asset. Best enjoyed though with a capable 4x4 vehicle. Tourist crowd the first 5 miles of beach while the real beauty exists South of the 20 mile marker. Ask some locals before taking off down the beach, it does have it's risks. For those adventurous types a trip 60 miles south to the Mansfield jetty is worth the trip.
5. USS Lexington Museum on the Bay
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,355 reviews
Visitors can tour the longest serving Essex Class aircraft carrier of World War II. The 16-deck "Blue Ghost" displays military artifacts and more than 20 aircraft. See all five tour routes, 3-D mega theater, Lockdown on the LEX Escape Rooms, mess deck eatery and flight simulator. National Historic Landmark located on North Beach. Elevator from the hangar deck to the flight deck. Welcome aboard! Labor Day - Memorial Day 9am - 5pm Memorial Day - Labor Day & Spring Break 9am - 6pm See admission at https://usslexington.com/visit/hours-admission/
Reviewed By Swiss-Tony64 - Stroud, United Kingdom
What an excellent exhibit the USS Lexington is, helping to understand the challenges of life on board through the ships history We spent 6 hours on board following each of the deck tours and watching the films - we could of spent even longer The cost of visiting this ship has to be one of the best bargains around
6. Minute Maid Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,164 reviews
Reviewed By 249SusanB249
Minute Maid Park is not only home to our champion Astros , it is also home to thousands of Houstonians and guests who love this super clean, upbeat beautiful ballpark which features occasional fireworks and a fantastic train that blows its whistle and chugs across the far side of the ballpark every time a member of the Astros makes a home run. Completed in 2000, Minute Maid Park is in an extremely handsome structure with a retractable roof that is opened or closed depending on the weather conditions. You can be sure there will be no cancelled ball games because of weather. In busy downtown Houston, police officers direct traffic to minimize congestion around the park, but allow sufficient time to drive your car through crowded streets, park, and walk several blocks before you find your seat and, if you're an American, place your hand over your heart just in time for the National Anthem. Whether you're an American or a most welcome International guest, there just couldn't be any better place to watch a ball game and all the sideline entertainments than Minute Maid Park.
7. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,700 reviews
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is the largest cultural institution in the southwest region of the United States. The Museum’s encyclopedic collections of nearly 70,000 objects cover world cultures dating from antiquity to the present and include in-depth holdings of American art, European paintings, Pre-Columbian and African gold, decorative arts and design, photography, prints and drawings, 20th- and 21st-century painting and sculpture, and Latin American art.
Reviewed By bornthatway_traveler - Bloomington, United States
I extremely recommend the MOFAH to all visitors to Houston; you won’t be disappointed! The diversity and educational value of the hundreds and hundreds of works here is admirable and among the best in the US. Portraits and paintings fill dozens of gallery rooms on the second floor, many of them huge and immersive, like the art swallows you and invites you into their scene. Being a personal fan of Impressionism, I enjoyed the vast collection of this genre in the museum. Works of all types represent nearly all world regions and timelines in history (e.g. Egyptian carvings and tombs and Asian sculptures). Everyone of all interests is bound to discover something fascinating here. When you visit, be sure to pass through the underground light tunnel to access the museum’s second facility across the street, in which you’ll find intricate Italian glass carvings, Spanish and colonial-era art artifacts, and a substantial exhibition celebrating Black culture. I particularly enjoyed the Black culture exhibition, curated magnificently with several eye-opening portraits and culturally-rich lifestyle scenes. In the Spanish/colonial-era space, I loved viewing the ancient maps explorers used to navigate the oceans in the early history of “modern” America. I could go on and on praising the Museum of Fine Arts—I really loved my time here. I’ll devote the conclusion of my review to important informational pointers: - Admission is a reasonable $19 per adult, available on-site. I’m forgetting children’s admission prices and others. - In order to safely remain open in light of COVID-19, all visitors will have their temperature checked prior to entering the museum. Face masks and social distancing are required. The temperature screening process is very straightforward and quick, and I found myself within the gallery areas in no time. - Wheelchair accessibility is clearly up to ADA regulations, with elevators giving access to every part of the facility. - The on-site cafe remains closed due to COVID-19, as of June 2020. Just take note of this and make sure you satisfy your appetite before your visit! - I applaud the museum for providing many Spanish-language translations/subtitles alongside English captions of artworks. Very cool. I’ll be returning next visit to Houston! Thanks for the world-class experience!
8. Sea Turtle, Inc.
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,023 reviews
Ila Loetscher, the "Turtle Lady of South Padre Island", originally formed our organization to save the Kemp's ridley sea turtle in 1977. Now we are a sea turtle hospital with a mission to rehabilitate and release any injured sea turtles, increase awareness concerning their safety and habitat, and assist with conservation efforts for all sea turtle species. We are funded by donations, grants and gift shop proceeds-- For rehabilitated sea turtle and hatchling release text message notifications, please see our website membership page. See you at Sea Turtle, Inc.!
Reviewed By 398edwardr - Ainsworth, United States
This was very interesting. It is a sea turtle restoration / rehabilitation center. Great exhibits with live turtles and fish in the large tanks for viewing also interesting talks by naturalists every 1/2 hour or so. Loved it!
9. Galveston - Port Bolivar Ferry
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4,109 reviews
Reviewed By SugarBritches2013 - Galveston Island, United States
It’s just kind of exciting to ride your bike onto the fairy and go across the bay and just see all the things and smell the Seabreeze and take pictures of the seagulls flying across the ferry boat and watching the ships go by.You also sometimes get a chance to see the dolphins swimming next to the ferry which is kind of neat as well.
10. Texas State Aquarium
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 2,480 reviews
Discover the amazing underwater world of the Texas State Aquarium! Thousands of animals representing over 500 different species are ready to enchant, entertain, and inspire you. Conveniently located on North Beach, the Texas State Aquarium is just minutes from Corpus Christi's downtown district, convention center complex, and museums. Every visit to the Texas State Aquarium is a new and exciting discovery of animals that remind us all of our responsibility to those whose world we share. The Aquarium is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The Aquarium's mission is to engage people with animals, inspire appreciation for our seas, and support wildlife conservation.
Reviewed By John_MT5486MW - Corpus Christi, United States
Yes, they have a petting tank that delights young children, but they have so much more. Exotic birds free flying in a special exhibit which is huge; large sharks and stingrays swimming leisurely in special tanks; thousands of beautiful fish swimming in a Gulf of Mexico Oil rig structure. I’m a scuba diver and this exhibit accurately reflects what a diver sees on such a structure. In addition, the Texas State Aquarium is loaded with excellent learning exhibit for the entire family to enjoy. The Aquarium is really a gem, and it is huge. You will spend several hours here, or you can spend days here as well. There is so much to see and do at this facility. Enjoy.
