Visiting Corpus Christi

We have always wanted to check out Corpus Christi based on feedback from others. While we only spent a couple days here,  it was well worth it. We went to multiple brewpubs in town, met up with fellow world travelers Uncle Bob & Aunt Jane, paid tribute to Selena’s grave, did some metal detecting on the beaches, and explored the USS Lexington.

Wingate by Wyndham & The Tavern Bar – Corpus Christi

We stayed at Wingate by Wyndham which is dog friendly, includes a decent breakfast, and was quite nice for the price. The Tavern bar right across the street from the Wingate was a decent bar. The place was packed but had good service and selection.

McGee Beach – Corpus Christi

McGee Beach was OK. We did some metal detecting, but only found a bunch of junk. The amount of plastic we picked up was just plain sad. As avid scuba divers, we are always trying to keep the ocean clean. Too bad we were only here a few days, as I imagine Corpus Christi has better beaches to offer than this.

USS Lexington (CV-16)

The USS Lexington is an affordable and fun self guided tour. The aircraft carrier has been docked in Corpus Christi, Texas since 1992, and now operates as a museum. We had a great time viewing all the warplanes, and exploring the different levels of this massive ship.

The USS Lexington (CV-16), also called “The Blue Ghost”, is an Essex-class aircraft carrier built for the United States Navy. The ship was commissioned in 1943 during World War II. At first, she was going to be named Cabot, however, the USS Lexington (CV-2) was lost in the Battle of the Coral Sea. To commemorate the earlier ship, this new aircraft carrier was renamed during manufacture. In honor of the Revolutionary War Battle of Lexington, the USS Lexington (CV-16) was the fifth U.S. Navy ship to bear that name.

Selena

I have to admit that I had no idea who Selena was. Shawna had to school me a bit on her music and tragic story.

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was very successful mostly as a singer/songwriter, but also was a popular model, spokesperson, actress, and fashion designer. Nicknamed the Queen of Tejano music, she was one of the most famous Mexican-American entertainers.

Billboard magazine once named her the top-selling Latin artist of 90s decade. Media outlets often referred to her as the “Tejano Madonna” because of her clothing choices, and her posthumous collaboration with MAC cosmetics became the best-selling celebrity collection in history. To this day, she is considered one of the most popular Latin artists of all time, and was influential in bringing a music genre into the mainstream market.

Sadly, Selena was shot and killed by Yolanda Saldívar, at a hotel room on March 31, 1995. Yolanda Saldívar was the founder of Selena’s fan club, her friend and former manager of her Selena Etc. boutiques.

Corpus Christi Brewpubs & Restaurants

Our favorite breweries in Corpus Christi were Lorelei Brewing, Rebel Toad Brewing & Railroad Brewing. We tried to go to Lazy Beach Brewing, however, we had Ramsey with, and they are not dog friendly despite having an outside area with picnic tables.

Lorelei Brewing

We both really liked this little brewery. This was probably our favorite brewery in Corpus Christi. Both the staff and the patrons were super fun and friendly at Lorelei Brewing. They were heavy in IPA selections which I always like, and Shawna enjoyed their blonde. The double IPA was excellent. I also liked their red ale which is not my favorite style, but it was well balanced. The beer was true to style overall, delicious, and well received after spending so much time in Zapata where good beer is hard to find.

Rebel Toad Brewing

Rebel Toad is a good brewery and had a decent selection of beers for a brewery of this size. They have a selection of games to choose from as well as a couple televisions. Shawna beat me in several games of Connect 4 which I blame on beer.

Railroad Brewing Company & The Railroad Seafood Station

Railroad Brewing not only has a selection of great beers, but they also have a thriving restaurant called The Railroad Seafood Station. They feature a diverse menu including seafood, Cajun, burgers and more. The best part was getting to hang out with Uncle Bob & Aunt Jane who are also avid world travelers.

Railroad Brewing & The Railroad Seafood Station is located in the S.E.A. (Sports, Entertainment, Arts) District of downtown Corpus Christi. It is within walking distance of Corpus Christi Bay and other local venues such as The American Bank Center Arena and Concrete Street Amphitheater.

Their brewery is the first 5 barrel system in Corpus Christi providing a variety of delicious craft beers. Be sure and check their beer page here to see the current tap selection.

Cassidy’s Irish Pub

Uncle Bob loves an Irish pub more than a drunken Irishman if that’s possible, so I found myself drinking stouts with Uncle Bob at Cassidy’s Irish Pub. Big thanks to Uncle Bob & Aunt Jane for treating us to a few rounds after we left the USS Lexington. I usually drink Guinness at an Irish pub because I generally have a “when in Rome” mindset, but Shawna found a dill pickle beer she liked. Sour beer is good here and there, but I could not do this one.

Garrett’s BBQ & PSI Brewing

On our way out of town we decided to stop at PSI Brewing. We could not find it at first and then realized it was inside Garrett’s BBQ.  So we decided to also have lunch, and I am glad we did. They only had two beers on tap, but the BBQ was an excellent portion and pretty good flavor as well. Unfortunately, both have since closed, and they are looking for a new location.

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