Galveston vs Corpus Christi

[Fermion]

Opinion? What would be the better place to "hang out" for a week while waiting on the eclipse? Galveston or Corpus Christi? We would probably rent a house or condo on the beach for a week. Eclipse path is about 200 miles away so we would head out very early in the morning (like 4am) to make sure we get to a spot in the path with the most sunshine.

 

[Trailwalker]

I vote Corpus Christi and would probably opt for a condo on North Padre across the bridge. Hope you have clear skies! I enjoy walking the beach on North Padre and there are a number of things to do and places to eat/drink.

 

[Fermion]

I vote Corpus Christi and would probably opt for a condo on North Padre across the bridge. Hope you have clear skies! I enjoy walking the beach on North Padre and there are a number of things to do and places to eat/drink.

Thanks! It seems quite a bit warmer, nicer weather in Corpus Christi than Galveston according to the forecast out until April 7, but obviously I think that is more of a guesscast. They don't seem that far apart to have that different weather though...

 

[Car-Guy]

Been to both many times but I vote Galveston. Lot's to see and do. A few higher end hotels too. Not sure where your end destination is but factor in driving through Houston to get there. Of course if you start at 4am (or earlier) it might not be so bad.

 

[Montecfo]

I would vote Corpus. Just was there in February. Been to Galveston many times. The beach is just much nicer in Corpus/North Padre.

Now, everything is a bit more "accessible" in Galveston as far as restaurants etc. Whereas from North Padre it is a bit more of a drive to say Corpus proper. So there is that.

Enjoy.

 

[aja8888]

Either place is fine, just bring your boots and western shirt.

 

[REWahoo]

Opinion? What would be the better place to "hang out" for a week while waiting on the eclipse? Galveston or Corpus Christi? We would probably rent a house or condo on the beach for a week. Eclipse path is about 200 miles away so we would head out very early in the morning (like 4am) to make sure we get to a spot in the path with the most sunshine.

As posters have pointed out, Padre Island beaches are better than Galveston but CC is a bit of a drive from Padre and Galveston has more/better restaurants.

What hasn't been mentioned is the huge population disparity and potential traffic congestion on the drive to the zone of totality leaving from CC vs leaving from Galveston. Of the two locations I'd expect less traffic on the route from CC than from Galveston the day of the eclipse due to the significantly larger population density along the route from Galveston.

Whichever option you choose, be sure to load up with a huge supply of patience before you head out.

 

[audreyh1]

I’d vote for Corpus area. You can even visit the Lexington while there if interested. We usually stay in the Port Aransas area on Mustang Island but North Padre is definitely an option.

Of course the beaches at South Padre Island are way better but it’s a very long extra distance to drive.

 

[RetireAge50]

I don't know if you are in to it but cruises go out of Galveston. Not on your list but for beaches South Padre Island is amazing and the bay would be fun if you are bringing your sailboat.

 

[Fermion]

Thanks all. We just entered Wyoming for the night (dang, there is nothing here) so we have a few days on the road trip before we will have to make the decision.

If I get close to South Padre Island, I would go see the SpaceX facility (rubber necking from the fences since they don't have tours). There seemed to be better lodging at Corpus Christi than in the South Padre Island area.

We ended up not bringing the sailboat. I noticed the bunks on the trailer were a little more worn than I was comfortable with for a 6000 mile round trip and it is also quite a bit of trouble to find parking when pulling the 17 foot sailboat on trailer. We did bring our Portland Pudgy which has a sail kit and electric outboard, but it fits on top of the tonneau

 

[Montecfo]

Well South Padre is a ways from North Padre, but I would favor that location above the other two. Better dining choices in my view, open air places, live music etc.

Even a bit more laid back for sure.

Plenty of choices of places to stay, generally cheaper.

 

[Car-Guy]

What hasn't been mentioned is the huge population disparity and potential traffic congestion on the drive to the zone of totality leaving from CC vs leaving from Galveston. Of the two locations I'd expect less traffic on the route from CC than from Galveston the day of the eclipse due to the significantly larger population density along the route from Galveston.

Whichever option you choose, be sure to load up with a huge supply of patience before you head out.

Not sure where your end destination is but factor in driving through Houston to get there. Of course if you start at 4am (or earlier) it might not be so bad.

I guess my post wasn't very clear.

 

[Texas Proud]

I vote Corpus Christi and would probably opt for a condo on North Padre across the bridge. Hope you have clear skies! I enjoy walking the beach on North Padre and there are a number of things to do and places to eat/drink.

+1 on this... one of my sister's rents a house on South Padre for a month each year...


They are much better beaches there.

 

[Fermion]

+1 on this... one of my sister's rents a house on South Padre for a month each year...


They are much better beaches there.

When we are talking South Padre, that is not Corpus Christi, right? It is down near the border?

 

[Montecfo]

Yes. Port Isabel.

Not Corpus. That is North Padre.

 

[audreyh1]

When we are talking South Padre, that is not Corpus Christi, right? It is down near the border?

Correct- it’s much much farther to the City of South Padre Island which is close to the border. North Padre is close to Corpus Christi - across the causeway. Padre island is a very long barrier island split by a ship channel for Port Mansfield.

Ironically the expressway out to the causeway from Corpus is named SPID South Padre Island Drive. But you can’t drive to South Padre Island that way. I guess they like to confuse visitors.

 

[Pluperfect]

Ironically the expressway out to the causeway from Corpus is named SPID South Padre Island Drive. But you can’t drive to South Padre Island that way. I guess they like to confuse visitors.

No, the "south" in South Padre Island Drive is a directional, I guess you'd call it, for the road that goes to Padre Island, named "Padre Island Drive." Like, "S. Padre Island Drive," similar to "S. Main St." The "N. Padre Island Drive" part of that street/road/expressway is from where it starts at I-37 down to Bear Lane.

You can see it on Google maps. Coastal Bend Blood Center is at 209 N. Padre Island Drive. Fed Ex Ship Center is at 201 S. Padre Island Drive. They're across Bear Lane from each other.

To the OP: I don't know how much totality you're looking for, but if you're coming from Corpus, I assume you'll be heading toward San Antonio or Austin, and that could be a nightmare. I'm in Austin right now, and they're declaring states of emergency, school closures, and there are already signs on I-35 in town telling people not to park on the side of the road during the eclipse.

To get any totality in the San Antonio area, you'll have to traverse the city because totality is on the north side of town, and you'll be pushing into rush hour if you leave at 4:00am. If you want the full 4 minutes or whatever, that would be even more north, in Kerrville or Fredericksburg, and I don't think anybody would recommend trying to drive there that day.

Austin won't be any better. Maybe over toward Uvalde? It's definitely less populated, but liable to be full of people from San Antonio who know not to go north to Kerrville. And I know someone who booked a cabin on the Sabinal River near Uvalde at $900/night.

From Houston, if you're okay with a couple of minutes of totality, you might be able to go up I-45 and stop short of Dallas. Nobody will be coming from the west (like I-35) or the north (like Dallas) to be there because it's fewer minutes of totality than either of those places. But I'm sure lots of people from Houston will be doing the same thing you are, only they'll have a shorter drive because they're already in Houston.

And all of that assumes behavior where cloudiness in certain areas affects what people do.

FWIW, I'm not sure what your standards are for beaches, but Galveston and Corpus are okay only by Texas standards. Corpus has unrelenting wind (which feels like a damp towel slapping you), while Galveston does not.

 

[Fermion]

We were watching the weather today while staying in Colorado and saw this huge band of rain/clouds sweeping across almost all of the states in the path of the eclipse. What if something like that happens April 8? There are going to be a ton of disappointed people, especially if they paid $900 for a hotel

 

[Trailwalker]

We were watching the weather today while staying in Colorado and saw this huge band of rain/clouds sweeping across almost all of the states in the path of the eclipse. What if something like that happens April 8? There are going to be a ton of disappointed people, especially if they paid $900 for a hotel

It's definitely a risk. We have friends flying from the Bay Area to Eagle Pass, Texas for the eclipse and wondered the same thing. Weather can be variable on the gulf coast also. It can be foggy in one place with the sun shining twenty miles away.

 

[Fermion]

So the house we are going to rent for a week starting tomorrow has a private dock and a boat ramp. We have our little Portland Pudgy and 3hp electric outboard so we can putter around. The larger body of water off the canal is Copano Bay.

My wife was wanting to get a saltwater license and fish also maybe do some crabbing. Anyone familiar with this particular bay and what we should go for?