For a family-friendly spring break, try Rockport, Texas

Rockport, Tex.--If you're looking for a spring break filled with girls gone wild or legendary beer busts, then keep looking. But for a walk on the mild side through art galleries, museums, state parks, unique shops, and clean, award-winning beaches, Rockport is the perfect small-town stop for young families who want to avoid the hordes of college-age spring flingers.

Located 34 miles from Corpus Christi, the area is chock-full of family-friendly, low-key activities that revolve around its natural scenic beauty, Victorian architecture, and peaceful ambience.

“What attracts people with young children is our wonderful beach,” says Janie Ellis, director of tourism and events for the Rockport/Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce. “Our beach is on the bay side, so we get the gentle waves and shallow waters of the bay, not the giant crashing waves of the gulf.” 

Rockport Beach Park is Texas’ only certified Blue Wave beach, with a focus on cleanliness, human health, and environmental protection. It has pavilions for picnics and grilling, volleyball courts, and three separate playgrounds. “Teenagers want a little more excitement,” says Ellis, “but the younger children love it.” 

An art-ful experience

The charming setting draws not only families but also artists from all over the world. Named one of the Top Ten Art Colonies in the United States by Coastal Living magazine, painters, photographers, sculptors, writers, filmmakers, and other artists regularly flock to Rockport. More than 300 artists make their home here, and the area boasts more than fifteen art galleries featuring coastal and wildlife art and contemporary works.

The Rockport Center for the Arts is almost 40 years old and has a main state of the art gallery and two parlor galleries, allowing the center to display three separate exhibitions and up to 100 works. The center also features a 10,000 square foot Sculpture Garden, visual arts classrooms, pottery studio, and gift shop.

The annual Rockport Film Festival in November pays tribute to the power of independent cinema on the Texas Coast. The first festival received more than 150 entries and screened more than 50 films from Texas and the U.S. as well as Italy, Mexico, France and more.

Sights to see, things to do

For indoor and outdoor enthusiasts -- with or without children -- Rockport offers a wealth of activities.

The Fulton Mansion is an extravagantly elegant Victorian mansion overlooking Aransas Bay, with ornate trim work and furnishings, and featuring a gift shop brimming with Victorian-style souvenirs. Check out the Windmill in the Tree – the blade of the Fulton’s windmill apparently became lodged in the tree behind the Fulton Mansion during the hurricane of 1919.

The Texas Maritime Museum is the official maritime museum of Texas, telling the rich maritime history of the state. They also present the Annual Rockport Festival of Wine & Food, celebrating its thirteenth year this Memorial Day weekend, May 23-24, 2009.

Fish for speckled and sand trout, drum, redfish, and flounder off the Copano Causeway Pier. It provides 24,500 feet of fishing at the south end and 6,190 feet of pier on the north.

Still need more to do? Visit the Connie Hagar Wildlife Refuge, the Aquarium at Rockport Harbor, or the Stella Maris chapel, the first church built in Aransas County. Go deep-sea fishing, play golf, or stroll an interpretive nature trail with 19 interpretive stops. 

Birds, birds, and more birds

Kayaking in Rockport is not only a relaxing way to spend the day, it also offers an up close and personal look at marshland birds. Nearby Port Aransas and Mustang Island also offer a variety of birding centers to observe both migratory and year-round species.

In fact, the entire area is a birder’s paradise – pick up the Birders Guide at the Rockport Chamber of Commerce for a small fee. If you can’t get your fill of birds and have some time, stop by nearby Corpus Christi, named The Birdiest City in America for the sixth consecutive year by the San Diego Audubon Society.

Sleep, eat, and relax

Whether you want a quaint seaside room, a luxury resort, or budget accommodations, you’ll find them here. Area cottages, inns, bed and breakfasts, hotels, and motels abound. One of the newest hotels in the area is the Hilton Hampton Inn & Suites, within easy reach of a mile-long beach where you can swim, boat, or fish.

Or go back in time at the charming Victoria-style boutique Lighthouse Inn, with 78 rooms and private balconies that feature either water views or courtyard views. Picturesque B&Bs with names like Angel Rose, Anthony’s by the Sea, and Cygnet also beckon with serene settings, luxurious touches, and complimentary breakfast.

Local dining features the freshest of seafood, including Charlotte Plummer’s and their famous seafood platters. For more gigantic shrimp right out of the bay, dinner at Paradise Key Island Grill features delightful waterside dining and live music in a Key West-style atmosphere.

With average spring temperatures of 70.6 degrees (March), 76.9 (April) and 83 (May), you don’t yet have to worry about the summer sun (but you’ll still need sunscreen and a hat).

What you won’t need are earplugs, though, at least not because of spring breakers. “People call us and say, ‘Are you going to be full of screaming teenagers this year?’” says Ellis. “I tell them no. Even our own teenagers get out of town.”

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For more info, http://www.rockport-fulton.org/

Photos courtesy of Corpus Christi Photo Tour