Gulf Coast (Texas)

Texas's Gulf Coast stretches for hundreds of miles, from the Louisiana border to Brownsville on the Rio Grande. The beaches are excellent, and oil-rich cities like Houston make for fun nightlife, too.

Regions

• Rio Grande Valley - from the Mexican border at Brownsville up to Baffin Bay.
• South Barrier Coast - from Baffin Bay in the south near Kingsville past the Corpus Christi area and up to Port Lavaca.
• North Barrier Coast - heavily developed coastal areas from Point Comfort in the south to Galveston Bay east of Bay City. Includes the sprawling Houston Metropolitan Area.
• Bayous - marshy land from Galveston Bay east to the Louisiana border.

Cities

• Alice
• China
• Corpus Christi
• Galveston
• Houston
• Rockport
• Port Lavaca
• Lake Jackson
• Port Arthur
• Palacios

Other destinations

• South Padre Island - Resort town on Padre Island.
• Port Aransas - Town on the northern tip of Mustang Island.
• Crystal Beach - Just a ferry ride from Galveston Island
• Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

Itineraries

• A Taste of Coastal Texas, from Houston along the coast to Corpus Christi.

Culture and History

Home to some of the best beaches in America, the Texas Gulf Coast region draws millions of visitors to this Texas playground. Stretching some 350 miles from South Padre Island & the Rio Grande Valley, all the way to Beaumont & the Louisiana border, this region is renowned for its wildlife & natural beauty, as well as the home of America's space program.

The Texas coast is like no other. Stretching about 367 miles as the crow flies along a gentle arc that makes up the northwestern edge of the Gulf of Mexico, there are actually over 3,300 miles of shoreline along its islands, bays and river mouths.

It’s no wonder that coastal communities are the most densely populated and fastest growing areas in the country. The opportunities and resources that originally lured Native Americans and settlers continue to attract people to the coast today. Throughout the year, tourists travel to the shore to enjoy recreational activities and visit locales with relaxed surroundings.

Coastal residents and tourists seek out beaches and bays for fishing, swimming, wildlife viewing, picnicking, camping, boating, and other activities. Tourism is big business in Texas, and coastal communities rely on their beaches and bays to attract tourists, who spend billions of dollars each year.

Texas coastal communities continue a coastal historic heritage with an active economy. Whether the coastal traveler is interested in fishing, birding, beachcombing, or simply sightseeing, the Texas coast has something to offer everyone.

Talk

Travel to Gulf Coast (Texas) - Visa Requirements

Tours and Getting around Gulf Coast (Texas)

Gulf Coast (Texas) tourist attractions and sightseeing

Gulf Coast (Texas) city tours

Gulf Coast (Texas) Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Gulf Coast (Texas) nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

Stay safe

Hurricanes frequently occur in this state in the summer months. Check for local weather updates while in the area.

Get out

Destinations in Gulf Coast (Texas):

• Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
• Bay City (Texas)
• Bayous
• Beaumont
• China (Texas)
• Corpus Christi
• Jamaica Beach
• North Barrier Coast
• Port Aransas
• Port Arthur (Texas)
• Rio Grande Valley
• South Barrier Coast
• South Padre Island

This page was last edited by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by David, Stacy Hall, Nick Roux, Michael Stuart, Jordan Mills, Tom Holland, Colin Jensen and Evan Prodromou, Wikitravel user(s) Texugo, Matamaniac, Eco84, Bolivar and Episteme, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license