THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINE • Late Spring 2019 71 TheCoastalBend.com Port Aransas No vacation to the Coastal Bend is complete without getting your time on the water, and unique adventures are abound include pirates, dolphins, jet skis and even sailing yachts. Woody’s Sports Center, located on the Port Aransas Marina, is home to a variety of waterborne adventures in addition to fishing, the most popular of which are its Dolphin Watch Nature Tours. The waters of the Coastal Bend are home to thousands of bottlenose dolphins that seem to find great fun traveling in the wakes of boats and ships. Dolphin Watch takes you up close to these magnificent animals in their natural environment. 136 W. Cotter Ave. • (361) 749-5252 WoodysOnline.com Especially during the spring and summer months, dol- phin excursions have been known to come under (mock) attack by watergun-wielding pirates aboard a second boat. Luckily, these are traditional, theatrical pirates, and not those that have made so much news in recent years. This super-fun adventure is ideal for groups of all ages! BIG FUN ON THE WATER IN PORT ARANSAS Chute Em Up Parasailing One of the most popular saltwater adventure sports is available all spring and sum- mer, offering an all-ages adventure and breathtaking views of the islands, channels and inland bays. (361) 749-4600 • ChuteEmUpParasail.com Red Dragon Pirate Cruises offers an interactive, floating theater, pirate themed experience that is fun for the whole family. The newly constructed ship features a crew of “pirates”who lead eager guests on cruises in the channels and nearby bays. Snacks and full bar. (361) 749-2469 • RedDragonPirateCruises.com Fisherman’s Wharf Home to popular fishing party boats the Wharf Cat and the Scat Cat, as well as private offshore and bay fishing charters and the Jetty Boat to St. Joseph’s Island, located across the Port Aransas Shop Channel. (361) 749-5448 While every category of visitor to Port Aransas continues grow, eco-tourists, and specifically birders, are among the fastest-growing. The town’s place on the northern edge of Mustang Island is a crossroads (and crosswinds) loca- tion for hundreds of species of birds, fish and mammals. Birders from across the United States, and in fact around the world, descend upon this seaside village each winter to make use of its modern, well-maintained birding facili- ties, as well as the island’s many natural birding vantage points. The Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center at the Port Aransas Community Park provides a boardwalk that extends into a freshwater marsh that is fre- quented by a wide variety of wetland species. Mustang Island offers few standing freshwater reserves, making this spot of particular importance. The Community Park is located off Cut Off Road; the entrance is at the bend in the road. You will find an observation platform overlooking a second freshwater basin at the Port Aransas Wetland Park, located off the main highway, TX-361, across from the U.S. Post Office. A native dune environment has been landscaped into the park, and attracts many species of migrating birds during the winter and spring seasons. Port Aransas is famously known for its many natural birding sites, including the Port Aransas South Jetty, which extends more than a mile into the Gulf of Mexico, creating the southern bank of the ship channel. Across the channel is the uninhabited St. Joseph’s Island that is accessible by taking the Jetty Boat from Fisherman’s Wharf. Across the ferry you will find the very active flats zone of Redfish Bay known as the Aransas Pass Wetlands, which is home to a vast array of water birds. South of Port A is Mustang Island State Park, which stretches the width of the island, including both gulf and bay front zones. Within the park Corpus Christi Pass extends into bayside flats, winter home to such species as the Pip- ing Plover and Long-billed Curlew. Many winter visitors are discovering the entire Coastal Bend while on their birding trek to the region, and Port Aransas offers so many reasons to return throughout the year. Some have even decided to stay! Grab your goggles! Port Aransas is home to superior, public bird watching facilities