Corpus Christi Aquarium?

[Guest Lobo]

We're gonna be seeing some folks at Port Aransas.  On the last day, I was thinking of going to the aquarium for about two hours on our way back to Austin.  Way our schedule works, we can't spend more than that.  I've never been.  It look pricey $40/person.  I haven't ever heard much and photos online are for shit.  Is it worth it to pay that much for the family to go for maybe 120 minutes (30 minutes of which will be spent with them at the snack bar)?  Anything else fun for kids to do in that area on the way back from Port Aransas to Austin?  I figure they'll be beached out after three days and thought we'd try something different.  Thanks.  

[Mighty fine 169]

Tickets for the USS Lexington look to be a little less than half that. I remember going to both when I was 12 or so (couple decades ago); I enjoyed both. The Lexington is probably the better value, but I'd probably pay 40 for the aquarium if my kids wanted to go

[Guest Lobo]

Shit, wrong thread.  My bad.  Mods-please move to travel or can you help me.  Starting boozing for the Gold Cup match tonight, sorry.  

[Guest Lobo]

2 minutes ago, Mighty fine said:

Tickets for the USS Lexington look to be a little less than half that. I remember going to both when I was 12 or so (couple decades ago); I enjoyed both. The Lexington is probably the better value, but I'd probably pay 40 for the aquarium if my kids wanted to go

Pos rep.  I think we're gonna do the Lexington as a break from the beach one of the earlier days in the trip.  We just have this window where we're leaving their condo at 11.   I have a quick meeting in Corpus at 2p and then on back to Austin before bedtime.  So we'll have two hours (tops) to do the aquarium.  I know they'd love it but the two hours might just anger them because we'll miss half the cool shit.  I know my 6 year old would love it, the 2YO would have no idea. 

[midtown 3346]

It's pretty low key.   I took my kids many years ago.  Probably when they were like 4 and 7.   We enjoyed it

[DalTxHornFan 3102]

Just go to the Whataburger by the Bay on Shoreline Drive.  Plenty of fun for a 6 y/o and 2 y/o!

Edited July 29, 2021 by DalTxHornFan

[Paper_jam 831]

I just can't really get my head around a Texas-based aquarium. I like to fish the coast but it's not not really a blue-water-coral-reef-tropical-fish kind of habitat that I associate with aquariums.  Also, we don't have seals, sea lions, killer whales, etc. You could put some hardhead catfish and maybe a redfish or spotted trout in a bucket of oily brown water and it would be pretty representative.

 

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

My kids enjoyed it years ago, but it was a lot cheaper then.  The maritime museum in Rockport is pretty cool, but your kids might be too young to appreciate it much.  It takes about an hour to get through.

[Updawg 2267]

Been a long time but they had a petting area where you could touch sting rays etc that they will like. No idea what it’s like anymore. Just do it. You only live once and your kids might love it

[bschoolprof 6255]

It's ok, nothing great.  That's how I feel about Port A in general though.  I think the Lexington is better, but YMMV.  

[hpslugga 4062]

3 minutes ago, Updawg said:

Been a long time but they had a petting area where you could touch sting rays etc that they will like. No idea what it’s like anymore. Just do it. You only live once and your kids might love it

Hasn’t changed. And yeah it’s really kid friendly especially the little water park at the end

[SimonBolivar 10958]

45 minutes ago, Paper_jam said:

I just can't really get my head around a Texas-based aquarium. I like to fish the coast but it's not not really a blue-water-coral-reef-tropical-fish kind of habitat that I associate with aquariums.  Also, we don't have seals, sea lions, killer whales, etc. You could put some hardhead catfish and maybe a redfish or spotted trout in a bucket of oily brown water and it would be pretty representative.

 

I'd go that aquarium.

[miguelito 11266]

3 hours ago, Updawg said:

....Just do it. You only live once 

No one ever laid on their deathbed and said, "I wish I had gone to the Corpus Christi aquarium."

[Guest Lobo]

that one exfiltrating sea turtle said that.  He remarked for that one pin, he could have gotten out 10 more turtles.  Damn shame.  

 

Seriously-please move the thread or delete it.  I make many mistakes on the board but starting threads on the wrong forum ain't one.  

 

Man, that'd be so cool to see some baby sea turtles hatch and make their way into the ocean next month though.  

[956 Worldwide 34715]

6 hours ago, Paper_jam said:

I just can't really get my head around a Texas-based aquarium. I like to fish the coast but it's not not really a blue-water-coral-reef-tropical-fish kind of habitat that I associate with aquariums.  Also, we don't have seals, sea lions, killer whales, etc. You could put some hardhead catfish and maybe a redfish or spotted trout in a bucket of oily brown water and it would be pretty representative.

 

There are killer whales in the Gulf. They’re offshore, we don’t have the type of fairly narrow but deep and inlets they like in places like Alaska. 
 

A lot of cool stuff is down there, like at the Flower Garden Banks, but it is harder to get to. 
 

Anyway, CC Aquarium is pricey, but fun. Touch tank, dolphin show, and river otters all worth the price of admission for the little kids. And I love the Lex, but would visit it in fall or spring, that flattop will be baking. 

[idigTexas 2289]

I visited over 10 years ago, but was very underwhelmed.  For it being the state aquarium, I expected more.  

[TornACL 7698]

I worked there when I was 16. I used to work at the touch tank a lot. Once I put a hermit crab shell in this girl's hand. Once the crab started to poke out, she let out a blood curdling scream and fired that hermit crab shell against the wall.

RIP Hermit Crab.  It wasn't your fault, dear friend. 

[kevwun 15790]

I would do it.  My cousin's kids have been multiple times over the years and all 3 of them really like it.  It has gotten pricey though.

[Pescado_Rojo 19416]

8 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

There are killer whales in the Gulf. They’re offshore, we don’t have the type of fairly narrow but deep and inlets they like in places like Alaska. 
 

A lot of cool stuff is down there, like at the Flower Garden Banks, but it is harder to get to. 
 

Anyway, CC Aquarium is pricey, but fun. Touch tank, dolphin show, and river otters all worth the price of admission for the little kids. And I love the Lex, but would visit it in fall or spring, that flattop will be baking. 

This. The Lex is hot as fuck in the summer. The indoor spaces are sweltering too, with shitty AC (If there is any) and tons of people crammed into tight spaces. 

[HenryJames 66080]

Lexington tour: Here’s where the planes take off and land. The end.

[Teamdirtyleg 1060]

2 hours ago, idigTexas said:

I visited over 10 years ago, but was very underwhelmed.  For it being the state aquarium, I expected more.  

They’ve added a few things since then.  The Caribbean Journey exhibit is pretty cool.  
I know it’s hard to spend $40 per person and keep your expectations low, but you’ll probably enjoy it if you’re not expecting Monterrey Bay

Edited July 30, 2021 by Teamdirtyleg

[kevwun 15790]

10 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

This. The Lex is hot as fuck in the summer. The indoor spaces are sweltering too, with shitty AC (If there is any) and tons of people crammed into tight spaces. 

For real.  I bet the overnight camping they do on board it is fucking miserable.  You almost can't breathe in the smaller indoor rooms like the pilot ready room.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21907]

31 minutes ago, kevwun said:

For real.  I bet the overnight camping they do on board it is fucking miserable.  You almost can't breathe in the smaller indoor rooms like the pilot ready room.

You’re not wrong.  I had to do it with Cub Scouts.

[956 Worldwide 34715]

39 minutes ago, Teamdirtyleg said:

They’ve added a few things since then.  The Caribbean Journey exhibit is pretty cool.  
I know it’s hard to spend $40 per person and keep your expectations low, but you’ll probably enjoy it if you’re not expecting Monterrey Bay

Also keep in mind they don’t get any state funding. The lege just proclaimed them “state aquarium.” 
 

Aquariums are as expensive as hell in general. I do like them, but they always seem to be charging about 15 to 20 bucks more than I want to pay for them. But something with AC, stuff for kids, and a snack bar in Corpus in August? Hell yeah.

[abuelo gringo 321]

11 hours ago, Lobo said:

Man, that'd be so cool to see some baby sea turtles hatch and make their way into the ocean next month though.  

That is cool, and my four grandchildren really enjoyed it.  Kind of a pain to get up at dark thirty to drive from PA to PINS to watch it, but really a great experience.

How to See a Sea Turtle Hatchling Release - Padre Island National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

 

They all have enjoyed the Aquarium several times, also.

[zman13 180]

Maybe a trip to Funtrackers or another go-kart/arcade/games place?

If you really want to see wildlife up close and not spend $40 a person, check out the Texas Sealife Center:

https://www.texassealifecenter.org/

[HenryJames 66080]

Just go to Petsmart and look at their fish with the rest of the poors.

[shnsajax 3591]

I know they have remodeled it a lot over the years. We took the kids I think in 2015 and it was fun. If you are a member of any other Zoo's you will probably get a discount, plus I would almost assume there would be coupons at HEB or on a Dr. Pepper case.

[Teamdirtyleg 1060]

23 hours ago, Lobo said:

 

Man, that'd be so cool to see some baby sea turtles hatch and make their way into the ocean next month though.  

I don’t know if it makes any difference but the sea turtles eggs are collected from their nest and hatched out.  They’re already hatched by the time they return them to the beach for the release.   
I grew up fishing all up and down the laguna Madre, Baffin Bay and the beach.  When I was a kid you never saw turtles.  They’re all over the place now.  The program has made a big difference evidently 

[Guest Lobo]

Yes, I've learned a great deal from the NPS and UT's MSI about that program.  It's phenomenal.  They're apparently doing their last "release" the week before we'll be down there.  Bummer, but we'll make it a point to go back one day.  It's a wonderful story of environmental restoration.  I'm only a freshwater fisherman, I don't know the lay of the land/sea as it were down there, but I love efforts like this.  Having said that, I hope the baby turtles like the sound of thundering rockets, FUCK YEAH! 

[Hmbre97 6308]

The aquarium is fun and you could easily do it in 2 hrs. Last time we went was kind of a bummer though because they had a big fish kill due to mislabeled chemicals from one of their suppliers and they were still trying to get exhibits set back up. That had to be 5 or so years ago so I'm sure they've long since recovered from it.

The Lexington is also cool but probably not for kids unless your kids like WWII history. We did an overnight camp with the cub scouts but it was in late October and the weather for it was *perfect*. The kids were bored but all of us dads loved crawling all over that ship. We also got a nice high because they were in the middle of restoring one of the planes and they were painting it the weekend we were there. The resto shop is on the lower deck so the whole ship filled up with paint fumes that night. 

 

Whoever said the Whataburger on the bay is spot on, depending on the age of your kids. Mine are young so they were flipping out about getting to ride an elevator in a Whataburger.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

CC. Science museum is likely a better Chou for kids that age and limited time.

https://www.ccmuseum.com/museum-exhibits/

[GreenspointTexas 9606]

Heading to the hatchling release tomorrow, the taking the kids to Oso bay nature preserve and then the Lex. Im expecting bitching from everyone throughout

[PantsTent 2002]

10 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Heading to the hatchling release tomorrow, the taking the kids to Oso bay nature preserve and then the Lex. Im expecting bitching from everyone throughout

We did a hatchling release 2 years ago. Kind of cool, but those things are so damn small you can hardly tell they are turtles from behind the ropes they have out.  A ranger might bring one by for a closer look.  They look like tiny turtles.  Of course this info is 2 hours too late for you.

[Whatever 700]

We went to Port A in June. The wife and I took our 2 boys (8 & 5) to Lady Lex and the Whataburger by the Sea. It’s was a great day. We spent 2 hours at the Lexington and I could have stayed for 6. 2-story Whataburger was good and the kids loved that as well. I’ve been to the aquarium but I prefer the Lexington.