North Beach

North Beach demonstrates that you don't have to leave Texas city limits to enjoy quality beach time. One of the best beaches in the state is just across the Harbor Bridge from Corpus Christi, the second-largest metropolis in south Texas (after San Antonio). Two of Texas' most popular attractions are easily accessible from this 1.5-mile stretch of sand. The most well-known is the USS Lexington, a WWII aircraft carrier turned naval museum that can be photographed from North Beach.

A paved Beachwalk from North Beach leads directly to the non-profit Texas State Aquarium, which has a 4D theater, a 400,000-gallon tank habitat for sharks, and a jungle exhibit with Yucatán flora and fauna like flamingos and southern 2-toed sloths.