In all the times that I've been to Port Aransas, I have never stopped into this museum. What a…read morehidden jewel! My son and I spent at least an hour here. That's saying a lot, since this is a tiny little museum. It is in a very nice modern building. But, the layout makes you feel like you're in a refurbished old house. It might just be me. Because it is so small, you feel like you need to read every little placard there is. Each one of them had something really interesting to add to our understanding of the island. I really enjoyed the posters with the Port Aransas timeline. I had no idea that Port Aransas was so recent in the scheme of Texas development. My favorite thing that I learned was that when the Civil War broke out, everyone deserted the island. How cool is that! I also liked reading about the hurricanes that ripped up the island and the special breed of people who made and make their homes there. If you're into fishing, you will love the display of fishing rods and fishing lures. They are displayed in one room very nicely. Bottom line... don't miss this museum. It is definitely worth your while.

A tidy museum offering an abbreviated history of Port Aransas community. It's a quick walk through…read morethat won't demand huge hunks of time to peruse. Dawdling slow, reading placards, taking some pictures, & talking with the very friendly volunteer on site, it took only about an hour for me to see the displays on the lower floor of this Sears kit house from back in the day when a whole house could be a DIY project. Upper floor is admin spaces. If you're looking to fill a quick time slot in your schedule, this museum may well be your jam.

Nice museum. Very interesting space with lots of possibilities. There were some parts that were…read morereally nice, but I found myself somewhat underwhelmed. It was easy to get around in the museum and the items were well marked. In some cases, I found it would have been nice to have more of the back story. I even found the Gift Shop lacking, particularly in fridge magnets. The museum is one exhibit in amongst a few attractions. I did not find they were well promoted at all.

Very small for the price of admission but it's free in the weekends in the summer and they do…read morechange the art in the main room only , but I wish they would update all the artwork not just some especially in the 2nd floor they have the same exhibits !

Following a day of getting sundrunk on the beach, we spent an overcast day of our vacation checking…read moreout this glorious sanctuary for butterflies, hummingbirds, reptiles, and mosquitoes alike. Spent about an hour interacting with parrots, butterflies, a ball python, a lovely skink, observing large iguanas and turtles, beautiful orchids, and wonderful smells all around.

We spent a bit over an hour at this wonderful garden and nature center in late June. The…read moretemperature was over 90 degrees and it was very humid, or we could easily have spent more time there. If you go when it's hot, bring water. Mosquito repellent is also a good idea but if you forget it, it's sold in the visitor center. When you pay for admission, you get an arm band and a crude map. We wished the map was better. At least one part of a pathway was under construction, so we ended up cutting through the playground to get back. While called a botanical garden, this place is equally good for seeing birds, insects, reptiles, and other animals. Admission is very reasonable, so it's a great place to bring the kids. In the visitor center there are small caged reptiles. If there's an attendant, you might be able to pet a lizard. A blue-tongued skink was out while we were there. There are other animals in large outdoor cages, including several beautiful macaws and lizards. There is a winding path that takes you to a variety of areas on the property. Some areas, like orchids and butterflies, are within enclosures while most things you'll see are out in the open. Along the path there are a couple of elevated observation decks and lots of descriptive signage. There is an unshaded play area. There are several purple martin houses, which are fun to watch. We had hoped to see some hummingbirds in the gardens, as there was a hummingbird area with feeders and flowers they generally like, but the heat was perhaps too stifling. All in all, we found this to be a great place to visit, weather permitting. If you happen to be a member at another AHS garden, you can get in free.

My youngest son is my favorite museum buddy. We look for them everywhere we travel. Fortunately, we…read moreare pretty similar in our browsing styles. We want to see everything, but only deep dive into things that catch our interest. Unfortunately, almost everything catches our interest making our visits too lengthy for other family members. This visit was especially exciting for us. We are both Texas Master Naturalists with the Alamo Area chapter. The CEO of the museum is also a member and one of our dear friends. We hoped to see her, but since our original plans got messed up by family interference, we were there on a Saturday. Believe it or not, our friend had come in to catch up on some work. She met with us, got us oriented, and set us free to explore her wonderful museum. We liked all of the exhibits. I especially enjoyed the section on the wildlife of the area. One night at our rental, I swore I heard a pack of coyotes nearby. The museum verified that they are alive and well on Mustang Island. We also enjoyed the Kenedy collection. The whole era of riverboat captains on the Rio Grande and the way many of them morphed into prominent ranchers excites me. It was fun to take a deep dive into one of the key ranch families of the time. The museum has a large children's section with fun activities, but we skipped it since my grandson wasn't with us. Now I wish I had at least looked at it. If you haven't been to the museum, skip the beach one afternoon next time you are in the area and visit. It is a great place.

Wonderful museum for the kids and adults! The museum was very clean and much larger than I…read moreexpected. It contained a lot of local and Texas history which our son just soaked in. He loved the science area as well as the cool rocks and minerals exhibits. The spacious rooms offered room to wander and made you feel free to take your time reading all the information provided at each stop. No need to rush here and it wasn't a mad house full of kids on a field trip, thankfully. It's a great place to visit indoors when there is bad weather out!

This was a great place to visit for a few hours while in Corpus Christi! We came first thing in…read morethe morning at 10 am when they opened. We got street parking right across from the entrance. When we left at 1:15, it was much more crowded! People were at the little beach area, and a bunch visiting the USS Lexington! We really enjoyed the entire history! The restorations that were in progress and those completed on the flight deck. On the flight deck, there is so many great planes to see and read about. On the aft of the flight deck, we saw an arrow and stairs to the arresting gear room that had the arresting equipment. (how they stop the landing aircraft within a few hundred feet). It was a wonderful little area that I think many miss. When you climb back out, you're right back on the landing deck. You can the. Go,to,the pilot house. There was also a 3D air carrier movie that was absolutely amazing! Well worth admission to see this part of history!

We enjoyed this tour! It was HOT I don't know if it's because of the day we went or bc the boat is…read moreon water but it was Hot lol. So I recommend bringing a hand fan and wearing light clothes. Getting to go up and down, see everythinggggggg, and have it explained was really cool. They have plenty of picture opportunities set up all around. You can touch things to make it more real. They also have a 3D theater that you can go in and watch the documentary. Our boys had a lot of fun!

Thoughtful and beautiful displays mostly focusing on the LaSalle failed attempt at colonization…read more The artifact collection is amazing especially the cannons recovered from the failed Fort St Louis. The forensic reconstruction of those who perished along with their biographies was thought-provoking. The gift shop had many amazing books and the staff was both professional knowledgeable and friendly. Being able to visit a museum like this for absolutely free or just give a donation was an amazing delight.

I could not find this museum. The area my GPS lead me to was under construction and there was no…read moresign for the museum.

We visited the Texas State Aquarium on an impromptu trip after extending our stay in Port Aransas,…read moreand we are so glad someone recommended it to us! The aquarium is large and offers plenty to see, but it is still manageable enough to enjoy in just a few hours. What impressed us most was how clean, spacious, and well managed everything was. Even though we visited during the busy Labor Day weekend, it never felt overcrowded. There was a wide variety of exhibits, and the interactive experiences were fantastic. The dolphin show was especially fun, and our kids loved touching the stingrays. The staff members were knowledgeable, kind, and engaging, which made the experience even better. The outdoor splash pad was another huge highlight. Our kids had an absolute blast, wore themselves out, and slept for most of the drive home, which every parent can appreciate! We have visited other aquariums that felt crowded and poorly organized, but the Texas State Aquarium was the complete opposite. It was clean, thoughtfully designed, family-friendly, and extremely well run. Our entire family had a wonderful time. Highly recommended, an 11 out of 10 for us!

Let me start by saying this place is EXPENSIVE. They charge $50 per person just to walk through the…read moredoor after you already paid for parking. Fortunately, my wife and I are members of the San Antonio Zoo so we got in for half price. It still cost me about $200 for the whole family, even though I knew we would only be there for about three hours due to the baby's schedule. Was it worth it? I'd say it was. My grandson really seemed to enjoy wandering through the place looking at things. One exception is the dolphins. We saw them from the underground viewing area, and they were just too big and scary for him. His favorite thing was a found tank with fish swimming around and around in a circle. He ran around it for about twenty laps since we were the only ones there. My biggest takeaways were these: 1) the famous octopus is no longer there. 2) The seahorse tank was empty. They are evidently extremely hard to keep alive. 3) The staff here is fantastic. I realized it was a slow day without any crowds. But, anyone we talked to gave us their complete attention and answered all of our questions. I think this is a great place for a rare visit while in the area. I doubt that my family would visit much at all, if we lived in Corpus. It is priced too high for a lot of families. If you are going, look for possible discounts and coupons.

8/23/2025: Nice little museum. We visited on a Saturday afternoon. No cost for the self guided…read moretour, but they do recommend donating $5 per person. The gentleman who greeted us was very friendly. We didn't have cash for the suggested donation, but we were introduced to the QR code on the wall and were able to donate that way. We spend a little under an hour in the museum. It is some, but they have a lot of neat Texas items inside. There is also an observation deck on the third floor that faces the marina. Parking is free along the street and just steps away from the entrance. We enjoyed out day learning more about maritime.

The guy at the front counter was very helpful snd knowledgeable. There was no fee and it was very…read moresmall but quaint. I really enjoyed the exhibit about the navy.I loved the video about the texas navy and how informative it was. I learned a lot. The view from the top was very pretty. I think my favorite thing was the old life raft that I saw.I really liked the curator that we talked to and all. He was very knowledgeable about the maritime and the navy and the marine life. The stock less anchor was cool. The curator talked to us for about fifteen ti twenty museums. He was very knowledgeable. The restaurant paradise key is part of this area. I learned so much and want to learn more.

We came here on the recommendation of the city website. It's a small but nice art museum. There was…read morea dedicated art showing of one artist. The docent mostly stuck to her phone call so we never really spoke. Parking is streetside so it can be a bit tricky.

An amazing museum! This FREE museum looks like a morgue. It's not. It was left to the city by some…read morephilanthropist, and is a great asset for Victoria. This museum doesn't seem to have a permanent collection. Instead, it houses a continuous array of touring exhibitions. You can eat and drink in the gallery! When I came, two women had gotten lunch to go from Dairy Queen down the street, and were enjoying their Belt Busters in front of a magnificent work of art in the cool breeze of the air conditioning. For my visit, they had an exhibition of linoleum etchings. It was really cool, because they had a couple of places where you could sketch your own linoleum tile to try it out. They have a gift shop here, with high priced works of art, but you're not going to find this stuff anywhere else. It seems that they have a little bar in the back for parties and events. Parking is only available on the street, but when I went, there wasn't a big crowd, so it was easy. The gallery attendant was extremely nice and welcoming, and went on to explain the history of the museum and a bit about the artist. I was really impressed, and can't wait to return for the next exhibition!