South Barrier Coast

Essential Destinations

Corpus Christi

Photo: Terry Ross, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Corpus Christi is Texas's largest coastal city and the gateway to Padre Island. While Corpus Christi isn't on the way to much of anything except itself, it offers enough to fill a visit in its own right, or a multi-day trip from San Antonio, Austin, or Houston.

Port Lavaca

Photo: Adavyd, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Port Lavaca is a city in Calhoun County, located in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 12,248 at the 2010 census and 11,557 at the 2020 census.

Victoria

Photo: Nv8200pa, CC BY 4.0.

Victoria is in the South Barrier Coast of Texas. At over 60,000 residents, it is the second largest city on the South Barrier Coast.

Destinations to Discover

Kingsville

Photo: Nv8200pa, CC BY 4.0.

Kingsville is a city in the South Barrier Coast region of Texas. Originally meant to be a supply/commerce center for the King Ranch when it was created as a planned city in 1904, Kingsville has evolved to incorporate a naval air station and a Texas A&M campus as well.

Rockport

Photo: BrianGrunberger, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Rockport is a small city in the South Barrier Coast region of Texas, about 45 minutes north up the Gulf of Mexico coast from Corpus Christi. It's right between Copano Bay to the west, on the coast of Aransas Bay.

Goliad

Photo: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Goliad is one of the oldest and most historically significant towns in Texas. There are the remains of a ruined Spanish mission, a restored mission Espiritu Santo, and a state park.

Refugio

Photo: Nv8200pa, CC BY 4.0.

Refugio is a small town on the South Barrier Coast of Texas. The county seat of Refugio County, Refugio is one of the older settlements in Texas, founded as a Catholic mission during the Spanish Texas era of the 18th century.

Port Aransas

Photo: Gloria Bell, CC BY 2.0.

Port Aransas is a town in Texas on the northern tip of Mustang Island on the Gulf of Mexico about 30 minutes drive north from Corpus Christi.

Ingleside

Photo: Wikimedia, Public domain.

Ingleside is a city primarily in San Patricio County, with small parts in Nueces County, in the U.S. state of Texas. Its population was 9,519 at the 2020 census.

Fulton

Photo: Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Fulton is a small town in Texas, just north of Rockport and about 45 minutes north of Corpus Christi, along the Gulf of Mexico. It is along the coast of the Aransas Bay, with the Gulf of Mexico about 5 miles out across the bay.

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

Photo: Wikimedia, Public domain.

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is in the Gulf Coast region of Texas, between Corpus Christi and Galveston.

South Barrier Coast

Satellite Map

Explore These Curated Destinations

• Deutsch
• Español
• Français
• Português