Destination: Corpus Christi

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Apr. 12, 2011
By LINKS Magazine

With more than 65 miles of beaches and a warm climate, the Lone Star State's largest coastal city is an ideal vacation spot with many good restaurants and attractions, like the Texas State Aquarium. Nature is also a big draw.

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For the eighth straight year, this bay-front locale was voted "America's Birdiest City." Now if that isn't a good omen for golfers, what is?

WHERE TO PLAY

Newport Dunes Golf Club: Newport Dunes Golf Club: Meandering through rugged native dunes with rumpled fairways, this challenging Arnold Palmer design looks like it was transported right from Scotland, especially if you happen to end up in one of the deep, stacked-sod-face bunkers. The stunning views of both the Gulf of Mexico and Corpus Christi Bay also add to the experience.

NorthShore Country Club: Just east of town in Portland, this links-style layout has probably the most scenic back nine around, with four holes along the bay that offer striking views of downtown, the Harbor Bridge and Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The legendary Texas wind really kicks up here, so work on your stingers before playing it.

Rockport Country Club: Bill Coore teamed up with Texas legend Jimmy Demaret to design this rolling layout distinguished by large sand dunes set amid clusters of coastal live oaks. Though the club, which is located north of the city, is private, it's pretty lenient with outside play if you belong to another club.

WHERE TO STAY

Omni Hotel Bayfront Tower: Located in the hopping downtown Marina District, this is the city's most posh hotel with the only AAA Four-Diamond restaurant in south Texas where the rooftop views are as good as the food. The 475 residential-style rooms and suites have private balconies and windows that actually open to let in the fresh bay breezes.

Port Royal Oceanfront Resort: The 210 one- to three-bedroom condos at this family-fun resort are clustered around a giant amorphous pool with a swim-up bar. The location right on the beach among the dunes of Mustang Island just down the road from Newport Dunes Golf Club couldn't be better either.

V Boutique Hotel: If you like stylish and hip, then the downtown V is the place. Each of the eight guest rooms are individually decorated and feature 400 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. There's also an excellent Vietnamese restaurant on site.

WHERE TO EAT

Corpus Christi Hooks: The Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros plays at Whataburger Field, cited by Minor League News as the best venue in the country. Designed by the same firm that did the Milwaukee Brewers' Miller Park, the portside stadium offers great views of the Harbor Bridge, loads of family amenities and, oh yeah, pretty good baseball, too.

Slowride Guide Services and Kayak Rentals: A great way to take in the area's incredible natural beauty is by kayak, and this outfit is one of the best. Captain Dean Thomas is perhaps the premier guide on the Texas Gulf Coast and one of the pioneers of kayak fishing. You think fishing is fun from a boat, wait till you do it from a kayak.

USS Lexington Museum on the Bay: In use from 1943--91, "the Blue Ghost" served the U.S. longer and set more records than any other carrier in history, participating in nearly every major operation in the Pacific Theater during WWII. There are five, self-guided tour routes covering 100,000 feet and eleven decks, as well as a flight simulator, virtual battle station and three-story theater.