The mainland community of Aransas Pass is named for the pass between Mustang and St. Joseph Islands. Primarily a fishing community, it serves as a gateway to Port Aransas and Mustang Island, accessible by ferry or causeway from the city. The city’s annual Shrimporee festival showcases the biggest industry in town.
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Birding in Aransas Pass
Birding is a draw for Aransas Pass, with four locations on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail.
Head to Aransas Pass Nature Park at Johnson Community Park, Newberry Park (home of Texas’ largest hummingbird garden), Conn Brown Ship Harbor and Intracoastal Channel, and the Aransas Pass Causeway area between Aransas Pass and Port Aransas to spot the hundreds of resident and visiting species. And don’t forget to earn your Aransas Pass Birding Patch. To obtain the pack, stop by the Chamber of Commerce lobby from 9-5 weekdays to pick up a birding checklist. To earn the patch, which has a nominal charge, you must find 15 birds on the list.
You’ll also have the chance to look for feathered visitors at the Conn Brown Ship Harbor and Intracoastal Channel, and the Aransas Pass Causeway area between Aransas Pass and Port Aransas.
Fishing
Want to try your luck with some fishing? One of the best places along the Coastal Bend is Aransas Pass, nicknamed “Saltwater Heaven.”
Speckled trout, redfish, flounder, black drum, and sheepshead challenge anglers in the bay. You’ll also find deep sea excursions as well as guides for fishing the saltwater flats and the bay.
If the fishing doesn’t work out, don’t worry: the fishing industry here supplies most of the area’s excellent seafood restaurants. You’ll find plenty of dining featuring fish fresh from the sea at a variety of family-friendly eateries.
Kayaking
Another popular activity in Aransas Pass is kayaking, especially in the Lighthouse Lakes, a complex of small islands tucked near the causeway between Aransas Pass and Port Aransas.
Several operators offer guided kayak tours, a great way to experience this wilderness area.
Visit Conn Brown Harbor
This harbor is home to the fish-packing houses and the site of commercial shrimp boats docking and departing. Enjoy a dog walk at the Seamen’s Memorial Tower, a monument to the fishermen lost at sea; it marks the entrance to the working harbor.
To reach Conn Brown Harbor from downtown Aransas Pass, take Business 35N to Stapp Avenue, turn right, and continue to the water.
Best Aransas Pass Festival
In the words of Benjamin “Bubba” Blue in the Academy Award-winning movie Forrest Gump, “shrimp is the fruit of the sea,” and just like Forrest Gump’s lovable friend you, too, will be crazy about crustaceans after attending Aransas Pass’s annual ode to the ocean’s gifts.
A Texas tradition since 1948, the fishing community known as “salt water heaven” welcomes over 55,000 visitors to a three-day, seafood-themed festival where weekend grill masters throw another shrimp on the barbie during the shrimp cook-off and champion chefs show off their skills during cooking demonstrations.
Both the young and the young at heart will enjoy the carnival rides and the climbing wall, while tiny tykes can cuddle cute critters at the petting zoo or try their luck at the kid fish tank.
A variety of Tejano and country acts add that special ingredient to the Gulf coast gala.