Believe it or not, the one year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey is coming up in late August. If you don’t live in Texas, you probably haven’t thought much about the Category 4 Hurricane since last Fall, but Texans across the coast have been rebuilding their lives ever since. The storm dropped 19 trillion gallons of water on Texas, including a tiny beach town called Rockport. Gusts were recorded up to 132 mph. Entire blocks were leveled. Watch this CBS video not long after the eye of the storm passed over.
Fast forward to one year later. Our family was invited by the Rockport Chamber of Commerce to see how far their incredibly tenacious community has come. They asked us to use the hashtag #RockportIsBack during our stay, and I couldn’t agree more. We enjoyed activities, relaxing, eating, and so much more as if Harvey hadn’t just tried to wipe this place off the map. You wouldn’t believe the efforts they have made to resume life as normal. And I can tell you, that life is pretty sweet. Here’s four things we did in Rockport that I would recommend the next time you want to explore the Texas coast!
1. Stay at Pelican Bay Resort.
One of my favorite parts of the Texas coast is the beach bungalows. Always in bright colors, always adorably decorated, they just feel like Texas: welcoming, down to earth, and cozy. We stayed at Pelican Bay Resort and loved our time there with a full kitchen, pool just steps away, and easy access to the ocean.
Orlando ended up being out of town for this trip, so the bungalow was the perfect size for myself, the girls, and our au pair Monica to join us. They also offer poolside mini-suites if you don’t want a full cottage!
2. Take a sunset cruise.
When we set sail our first night on a sunset cruise, I asked our guide what the odds would be of seeing a dolphin. About 50-50, she replied, so I prepared the girls that there was a good chance we would enjoy the sunset and that would be the highlight of the evening. Little did I know, as we floated along near San Jose Island, I would spy a small fin dipping out of the water about 100 yards away from us. DOLPHINS! Lots of them! Swimming all around us, curiously checking out our boat. It was magical. If you follow my Instastories you heard the screaming. I wish I could tell you I captured a beautiful shot of the majestic animals, but alas, these photos of us will have to do. 😉
3. Fish or birdwatch off a pier.
I’m giving you two options for this one in case you’re Picky Patty and don’t like one or the other. 😉 Rockport is probably best known for those two things: fish and birds. And we saw both! Our pier at Pelican Bay was just a few steps away from our bungalow, and we met a very friendly boy who showed the girls the ropes when it comes to gulf coast fishing. They literally made us stay on the pier until he caught a fish. Do you know what it takes to occupy a 3 and 6-year-old’s attention like that?!
That evening we had dinner at Paradise Key Dockside Bar and Grill (and saw MORE DOLPHINS OMG) to take advantage of their birdwatching piers after a delicious meal. I highly recommend their blue cheese burger if you’re not a big seafood person like me. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised how long the girls were content to simply watch the birds float over the gulf. With the sun setting below us and a breeze coming off the water, it was absolutely heavenly.
4. Visit the Texas Maritime Museum.
Do you ever walk into small town “museums” and sort of fear for your safety? Like you’re not sure if it’s going to be more of a side show experience or a legitimate educational opportunity? I can assure you, the Texas Maritime Museum is quite the latter. We walked through their exhibits on our last morning in Rockport, a perfect ending to a wonderful stay. The girls learned about Texas’ history on the water, explored an oil rig’s emergency ejection vehicle, and discovered just how many countries have fought in these waters to control this land. It’s about a 45-minute experience, which is perfect for little ones. And the staff were incredibly sweet and informative!
Thank you to the city and people of Rockport for welcoming us with open arms. We truly loved every minute, and I’m so glad #RockportIsBack! If YOU have any questions about this city or the Texas Coast in general, let me know in the comments!
XO,
A
P.S. This post is sponsored by the Rockport Chamber of Commerce. Don’t worry though, all opinions are my own!
