60 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINE • Late Spring 2019 TheCoastalBend.com Corpus Christi, with a population of about 300,000, is the metropolitan center of the Coastal Bend, and is home to the fifth-busiest port in the U.S., a prosperous and growing petrochemical industry, Naval Air Station C.C. and the C.C. Army Depot, and the ever-expand- ing Texas A&M University C.C. Downtown Corpus Christi is located in the northeast end of the city along Cor- pus Christi Bay and is where you’ll find numerous hotels, the seawall, the Ameri- can Bank Center arena and convention center, and the city’s museums including Science and History, Asian Cultures and the Art Museum of South Texas. The Harbor Bridge extends over the Port of Corpus Christi to North Beach and on to Portland and the North Bay Area. North Beach is where you find the U.S.S. Lexington (aircraft carrier) Museum and the Texas State Aquarium, along with a full-service hotel and nu- merous motels and condominiums, plus a mile-long stretch of pedestrian friendly beach on Corpus Christi Bay. On the South Side of Corpus Christi be sure to visit the South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center on S. Staples St. past Yorktown Blvd. The South Padre Island Drive (SPID) freeway takes you to North Padre Island (“The Island”) and to our Gulf of Mexico beaches. The Laguna Madre is the long, large body of water that runs between Padre Island and the mainland, Flour Bluff. Baffin Bay is lo- cated farther south along Laguna Madre and is accessible by land at Riviera Beach, a few miles south of Kingsville. Padre Isles, on North Padre Island, is the largest waterfront community outside the state of Florida, and“The Island”of- fers miles of beautiful beaches, restau- rants, shopping, and the Padre Island National Seashore. Packery Channel separates North Padre and Mustang Islands and provides direct boating access to the Gulf of Mexico. Mustang Island is home to numerous beachfront condominiums and private homes, and KnowingYour WayAroundthe CoastalBend leads northward to Port Aransas (“Port A”), a fast growing “fishing village”that attracts affluent vacationers and second home owners, sportfishing and nature enthusiasts, golfers and beachgoers from across Texas and the US. Aransas Pass and Conn Brown Harbor are north of Port A, across the ship channel via a 24-hour vehicle ferry, and is home to a revitalized downtown area and excellent marina facilities. The Coastal Bend is just 2 1/2 hours south of San Antonio and east of Laredo, 3 1/2 hours south of Austin and Houston, and about a day south of DFW by car. Free online versions of The Coastal Bend Magazine & Texas Coastal Bend Tour Guide are posted at: TheCoastalBend.com Coastal BendTour Guide