Gulf Shores Condominiums is back!

It has been an indescribable 27 month journey to get here but we hope you are as excited as we are to finally say we are back open for business: our Port Aransas rentals are available! Hurricane Harvey impacted our wonderful town more than anyone could have ever anticipated. It was a great effort made by so many, with days and weeks that seemed almost never ending. We think back to the weeks immediately following Harvey and remember the endless efforts of owners, employees contractors and even an army of volunteers from all over Texas bring water, supplies and most importantly… HOPE.

The Gulf Shores Rental Program is open with limited inventory. Our units are beautifully upgraded and we hope you enjoy the improvements and as always the incredible view from the closest condos and homes to the beach in Port Aransas.

Splash Into a Good Time:
Lets face it, the Gulf of Mexico is what initially attracted you to Port Aransas, it would be silly to start with anything but the enticing Gulf waters. So pack up that beach towel and sun screen and get to the sand. Whether you are walking down to the beach in front of your beachfront Port Aransas vacation rental or want to take a trip to one of our recommended beach locations you are sure to make some incredible memories.  If you have planned enough time in your trip, take a short drive to the Padre Island National Seashore and explore “Little Shell”.  Little Shell gets its name from its unique beaches, as you enter Little Shell you are no longer walking along sandy waterline, but instead your feet walk on top of millions upon millions of tiny shells.  It truly is a beautiful scene.

Get Energized –

Start your morning off with a little Island caffeination.  A few options to choose from, our local favorites include Coffee Waves and Coastal Beans. Coffee waves offers a bit of an island touch to the typical coffee shop and provides delicious breakfast pasties and even a few healthy options.  Coastal Beans is an outside cabana right in town, with unique swing chairs and nitro infused cold brew.

Explore Nature –

Step back on dry land for a scenic walk in the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. Bring your binoculars and see how many of our indigenous and migrating birds you can spot. Bicycle rentals and golf cart rentals are available in many Port Aransas areas to explore on wheels.  Robert’s Point Park is a also a lovely area to watch the ships come through, birds and dolphins.  You might even see a pirate sip cruise through the Port Aransas waters.

Most Port Aransas vacation rentals come equipped with kitchens for cooking.  Don’t miss out on the opportunity to try some of the famous island cuisine Port Aransas has to offer.  You can’t visit the Gufl Coast without at least trying some delicious fish tacos.  Make sure to stop by Iries as their fish tacos are award winning.  If you need a little more of a sit down and get together atmosphere Jay’s Seafood and Spaghetti works provides a wide variety of delicious entres that will satisfy adults and children alike.  Just in case you are part of the population that chooses to steer clear of Seafood, don’t worry, Port Aransas does have a bit of the ‘taste of home’ as MacDaddy’s offers delicious BBQ and tasty local brews.

Check back soon and we will let you know about great fishing spots, rainy day activites, the best breakfast and more.

It is no secret that we always strive to discover our new destination through food and drinks, in one way or another. Port Aransas might be a small city on a small island, but when it comes to Port Aransas Food & Drink – watch out! It is colorful, delicious, intriguing and healthy, and everything in between. Simply put: it is awesome and diverse! Dive into the finest locations for foods and drinks in Port Aransas that will cover the most popular and beloved areas for food and drink entusiasts!

Blending Taste & Spectacular Views

Port Aransas is an island, therefore it should be no surprise that many of us seek to combine fine taste with exclusive vistas that only a location like Port Aransas can deliver.

Meet FINS Grill & Icehouse – the premier waterfront dining venue of Port Aransas. Established in 2005, it has quickly become one of the favorites, with highly reviewed food and ambiance that is hard to match. Think of martinis and seafood blended with charming dock views. Simply a classic!
Looking for other dining options with beautiful marina views, try:  Trout Street Bar & Grill  Harbor Lights Grill, Virginia’s on the Bay

Get Tipsy with Exquisite Wine & Cocktails

When it comes to drinks and having fun, Port Aransas doesn‘t shy away from having great and unique venues. After all, what island is like without having fun? If wine is your thing, be sure to check out Island Wine. From wine tastings to live music and karaoke to a wine from a tap! You‘ll be sure to hit a jackpot here if you‘re a wine lover. However, if cocktails and funky pub atmosphere are what you are after, then let Treasure Island Bar surprise you in the most positive way with its lovely patio, vibrant music, and crafty cocktails!

Coffee Lovers Rejoice

Coffee is one of the world‘s most popular and beloved beverages. It’s delicious when made right, it energizes us, and its where lovely conversations about life happen. Luckily, coffee lovers like me and you can rejoice in Port Aransas as well, because Coffee Waves with its beachy location has got you covered! They are teamed up with small roasters who buy specialty coffee and roast their beans weekly, ensuring freshly brewed coffee on the table here in Coffee Waves, which is accompanied by a lovely interior and superb location.

Staying Healthy in Port Aransas

Health trend is still running wild, and that‘s not a bad thing as many of us try to stay healthy, even during our holidays. That‘s where smoothie and juice bars like Island Market come in! Every menu item here has a story behind it, whether its fresh fruits from Brazil and Hawaii or vegetables from Mexico. The organic and fresh produce allows Island Market to create smoothie bowls that are highly-rated and beloved by many, accompanied by an array of freshly squeezed juices, healthy foods, and fruit smoothies to spark new and healthy colors for your holiday here in Port Aransas.

Experience Island’s Fine Dining

If something is missing in your Port Aransas experience and you want to spice it up, then don‘t shy away from giving fine dining a chance, especially with Lisabellas. The service here is exemplary, ambiance is mature, and Port Aransas Food is made with striking attention to detail and taste, with a fine-dining approach. Classic American seafood entrees, juicy steaks & refined pasta served in a relaxed and upscale atmosphere will definitely take your Port Aransas experience to new heights. Enjoy!

Want to know more about Port Aransas dining diversity?  Check back for another edition of ‘Finest of Port Aransas’ where we will be proving you with some of our favorites including Breakfast & Coffee, Children Friendly Activities, and Relax, Restore and Refresh.

180 miles southeast of San Antonio, a town of Port Aransas is the only established settlement on Mustang Island. And once we hear the world island, our imagination quickly guide us to long summer days, sunbathing, warm waters and soft sand while great weather allows us to do almost anything! And rightfully so, summer definitely is a special time to visit Port Aransas, Texas. But moderate and pleasant Port Aransas winter weather, with only 5 rain days on average in the month of December showcases its own potential for a delightful, exciting and fun winter vacation here. Discover the winter beauty of Port Aransas with these four easy steps, and watch out, as they just might skyrocket Port Aransas to the top of your bucket list! Are you ready?

Step 1: Embrace Nature & Outdoors

Being one of the longest barrier islands on the Texan coast, the charming Port Aransas is surrounded by nature, while eco-tourism became a big part of the island‘s economy.

The potential for outdoor recreation here is outstanding, even in the holiday season. And once here, the overwhelming array of options will leave you with a fantastic opportunity to pick you and your family‘s personal preferences!

Birding is one of the main attractions here with many great spots such as Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center and many more to rock those binoculars and admire birds & other fascinating wildlife.

But that is just a tip of an iceberg, as exciting activities like horseback riding, beachcombing, windsurfing and beyond present a unique holiday in Port Aransas. And for that cherry on top, add those gorgeous sunsets for an unforgettable stay.

Step 2: Sail Among Historic Waters

Local lores mention pirate treasure buried in Port Aransas while history accompanies it by showing it was a big location for pirates in the early 19th century. But that‘s only a small part of rich history, as Native Americans, Spanish and French all played their part in reshaping Port Aransas to what it is today.

Sailing among these waters can easily become the highlight of your trip, and not only because of its extensive history. During winter months, coastal fishing is still very much possible and marine life species such as red drum, speckled trout, and flounder being caught during December prove that.

Whether it is fish surfing, entertaining cruises like The Red Dragon Pirate Cruises or Fisherman‘s wharf tours, you‘re bound to find a way to conquer these historic waters during your winter holiday in Port Aransas!

Step 3: Get Cultural

Port Aransas is a small island, and it might seem like it is all about the sand, waves, and nature. But this is where the intriguing Texan island can get you by surprise as getting into a cultural affair here is one of the best activities, especially during colder or rainy winter days.

Port Aransas Community Theatre and Port Aransas Art Museum are good places to start. But it definitely doesn‘t end here. Festivals like Port A Shop Around or Whooping Crane Festival are one of the Port Aransas winter highlights as well.

Combine that with many other special events, fairs, and auctions, and you got yourself a full package cultural experience!

Museums, festivals, and theatres are spread all across the neighboring coastline towns if there‘s a curiosity to discover more.

Step 4: Indulge in Fresh & Intriguing Cuisine

No holiday season or vacation is ever complete without cherishing an opportunity to visit great local restaurants and having fulfilling meals. And if you‘re a food lover like most of us, then the exciting and intriguing restaurant scene in Port Aransas will make you fall in love with an island even more.

As you‘ve might guess it, dining experience in Port Aransas is all about fresh seafood and with a strong dash of open-air atmosphere and beach vibes. Whether its the upscale restaurants or charming beachside cafes, everyone will find their perfect spot to enjoy delicious food and drinks. Many of those meals are accompanied by picturesque views waterfront and harbor views.

A variety of restaurants delivers food diversity, whether its Italian cuisine, juicy steaks, spicy Mexican foods or an island‘s signature fresh seafood. But there‘s always more in Port Aransas!

Enjoying a cocktail while watching the sunset or participate in games and live music events that many of the Port Aransas restaurants boast will contribute greatly to the restaurant experience. And let‘s not forget funky bars, clubs, and taverns that will deliver a final punch of entertainment for those late-nighters. Enjoy!

Beachtoberfest is an annual series of events us locals look forward to each year, beginning September 13 through October 30, 2019. A time in Port Aransas you definitely don’t want to miss, Beachtoberfest 2019 is our celebration of the end of the Summer season moving into the fall festivities. The weather is close to perfect with the high temperatures decreasing, the beaches empty out a bit and there are plenty of family friendly events every weekend ranging from concerts to 5k runs, fishing tournaments, food competitions, art festivals, beach parties & more!

Here are some upcoming Beachtoberfest events just to name  a few:

9/28 – Port Aransas Jailbreak Beach Escape: A 5k covering 20 challenging obstacles on the wide sandy beaches of Port Aransas. Can compete individually or in teams!

10/4 – Port Aransas Education Foundation’s Casino Night: A Las Vegas style casino night with blackjack, craps, roulette, live auctions & more benefiting the Port Aransas education Foundation.

10/4 – 10/6: Port A Live Music Fest: Experience Port A’s live music scene with numerous acts performing at different venues throughout town all weekend long.

10/19 – Shoptoberfest: Shop Port A’s unique, locally owned stores and boutiques offering discounts and specials.

10/26 – Sand Pumpkin Patch: Bring your carving skills to the sand and create Jack-o-lanterns right on the beach!

We hope you will come and join us for Beachtoberfest 2019! 

**View the full schedule of Beachtoberfest events listed here. 

Every year the Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Parade and Block Party is a local favorite! Everyone decorates their vehicles, golf carts, bikes, and more in the holiday spirit as the parade travels throughout town starting from The Gaff and ending whenever everyone is ready to go home!

To join in the parade, simply decorate your golf carts, bikes, floats, trailers, cars or whatever you’ve got and line up in front of The Gaff, 323 Beach St. beginning at 4 p.m., it’s that easy!

The parade will begin at 5 p.m. and will travel Begin a the Gaff on Beach Street. Go straight to Alister and turn right onto Cotter. Turn right on Station Street. Take Station Street to Beach Street. Turn left and end at the Gaff.

Location: The Gaff

Date/Time Information: The fun begins at noon and the parade line up begins betweeen 4 and 4:30, the actual parade will begin at 5 pm.

Springtime is approaching which means we have sunshine and warmer weather to look forward to…THANK GOODNESS; but on top of fabulous bikini weather in the near future, there are so many exciting events and happenings around Port Aransas with fun in store for the whole family! Here’s a few of the upcoming events you’ll surely not want to miss:

Whooping Crane Festival

February 21-24th, 2019

The Whooping Crane Festival is the kick off for Port Aransas Spring time events around here and is always a fan favorite in Port Aransas. Make sure to bring your binoculars and camera as you won’t want to miss these spectacular and rarest of cranes; (actually one of the most endangered birds in the world!) as they make their annual trip to Port Aransas. The Whooping Crane Festival celebrates the annual return of the cranes to their wintering habitat at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The last naturally-occuring population of Whooping Crane can only be viewed up close here in the Coastal Bend.

World renowned crane expert, Dr. George Archibald, Co-Founder of the International Crane Foundation, will be one of the featured speakers, along with representatives from Wood Buffalo National Park, the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, and more.

Wine, Whine & Design Night

Sunday; February 24, 2019 @ Port Aransas Art Center

5:00pm – 8:00pm

Paint in simple steps guided by an artist. Kelly Schaub is our guest teacher for Wine, Whine & Design night.
The Port Aransas Art Center will provide a 16 x 20 inch canvas, brushes and paint. “BYOB” and snacks, and we will provide the wine glasses. This is a stress free, fun and creative event.

Spring Break

March 10 – 31st,2019

The water is warming up, you can feel spring in the air, and as soon as you reach Port Aransas, it’s time relax and enjoy the good life. Because Port Aransas and Mustang Island has several miles of beaches, it’s easy to get away from the crowds and enjoy Port Aransas Spring Break with your family and friends.

SandFest

April 26 – 28th, 2019

THE BIGGEST PORT ARANSAS EVENT OF THE YEAR

The Texas SandFest started in 1997, and no wonder it’s still going on, it’s seriously amazing to see what these artist and sculptors can do with just thier medium of sand! Since then it has grown into an extensive 3 day long festival. Artists from around the world come to Port Aransas both as amateurs and professionals and compete each year in the competition. There are always changing themes each year but the main theme/mission stays the same: “Texas Sandfest Gives Back”  Mission: To give back to the community by raising funds for local charities and scholarships for high school seniors.

The event continues to be held in the same area of the beach over the past few years. Mile Markers 10-14 experience most of the action. Island Retreat Condominims is the closest accomodations to the event.  Sandcastle Codnominiums and the Aransas Princess are also within walking distance. Don’t worry, try the latest Global Search feature of the website and quickly find accommodations for any dates at any of the 12 resort properties we manage.

In 2014, 2015, 2016, & 2017 CCMS Inc. (portaransas-texas.com) was the primary sponsor for the event.  CCMS Inc. stressed the theme “Salute the Troops: Past, Present, Future” CCMS Inc. Portaransas-texas.com went so far as to pay for the admission to the event for all of their guests included in their managed resorts.

We can’t wait to see you there!

**You can also view more details of these events under our Events tab!

Fishing has been great at Deep Sea Headquarters this Easter Weekend! Our deep sea fishing trips have been catching limits of nice Red Snapper as well as some huge Blacktip Sharks. You can have a catch like this on our State Water 12 hour. They normally depart every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 6am. We only have a few of these left before we switch over to our summer season so make sure to book your trip now! In the bays we have been catching limits of redfish and black drum, as well as big stringers of gafftop on our party boat trips. As always we continue to see large numbers of dolphins on both our Day Cruise and Sunset Cruises on the Scarlet Lady. So whether you are coming for a day or a weekend come by and see us at Deep Sea Headquarters!!

It’s a great day for Deep Sea Fishing.

The Nueces County Water District reported that customers in Port Aransas are not included in the current Port Aransas water usage ban in Corpus Christi.  Currently the district is pumping water from its othr water source which comes from the San Patricio Water District located in Ingleside. The Water District will continue to be in close contact with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality along witht he City of Corpus Christi. While the water ban has been lifted for some residents of Corpus Christi, many people within parts of the city remain under the water ban, and unable to drink, cook or bathe using city water.

Residents and guests who are enjoying the Port Aransas water are still encouraged to conserve water according to the water notice. Water plays an important role in Port Aransas, a widely popular location for Texas vacations and getaways— most notably for its beaches, fishing, surfing, restaurants and condo rentals.

Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce Info on Water Reports

City of Port Aransas Info on Water Reports

3 Alternative Ways to Get Around in Port Aransas

My family and I travel pretty often and very rarely are we in our own vehicles. We tend to fly to our destinations, rent an RV or carpool with another family. I rely heavily on ride share programs such as Uber and Lyft, the city’s public transportation system, and my savvy abilities to book hotels in areas of walking or biking distance from attractions and popular restaurants. I’m excited to tell you that traveling in Port Aransas is one of the easiest things to do!

If you find yourself looking for places to vacation this summer or fall consider Port Aransas as a travel destination. We not only have some of the best beaches, yummy eateries, it is also extremely easy to travel in Port Aransas.

If you are like my family and I this is something important for you. Here are 3 alternative ways to help you travel around and make your stay in Port A more convenient and fun.

Public Transportation System – CCRTA

The Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority (CCRTA) is the public transit system of the Coast Bend area. The CCRTA not only provides their services throughout the City of Port Aransas, but you can also commute to and from Corpus Christi to Port A or over the Ferry from Aransas Pass. The RTA also provides shuttles that travel to and from local attractions like the Schlitterbahn Waterpark and some of our beaches like Bob Hall Pier. Traveling on the CCRTA bus is also extremely inexpensive at just $.25. To look up specific routes and schedules visit http://www.ccrta.org/

Buggie or Golf Cart

Here in Port A there is no need for large vehicles on the streets. We’re a beach town… just rent a golf cart, buggie or beach cruiser (whatever you want to call them)! There are tons of places where you can rent your golf cart or beach cruiser such JackFish Cart Rentals, they “rent fun.” Whether you are on a custom golf cart rented from Jackfish Cart Rentals, in a boat or soaring around Port Aransas from above, there is much to do and see. The town is big enough to offer all kinds of entertainment yet small enough to make you feel like you discovered a lost treasure! They have Marine Grade MP3 Stereo and speakers on ALL golf cars. Reserve for the day or for the week. I bet you will enjoy cruising around in one of them.

Walk/ Bike

Although renting a buggie would be fun and taking the bus would be very inexpensive our beach town is small and charming that most of our condos and hotels are within walking or biking distance from our beautiful beaches and great restaurants.  No need to get in and out of your vehicles just enjoy the scenery on foot or bike.

Regardless of how you choose to get around Port Aransas whether it is on foot, by bus or in your own vehicle you will without a doubt enjoy your stay here in Port A! It’s not too late to book your Labor Day vacation with us!