Attractions

Just north of downtown is the city's striking convention center. Nearby are a visitor center at 1823 N. Chaparral St. and a handful of small museums including the Art Museum of South Texas, the Asian Cultures Museum, and the Museum of Science and History. Before going to any of these, first step into the visitor center to see if any coupons are available. Visiting these museums, which are small to medium size, is a nice way to spend a rainy afternoon.

Adding to Corpus Christi's small-town amusements is a minor-league baseball team in the Texas league called the Corpus Christi Hooks (tel. 361/561-4665; www.cchooks.com). Home games are played at Whataburger Field, which is a beautiful ballpark at the water's edge near the foot of the tall bridge that spans the Nueces River. (Whataburger is a successful chain of burger joints with restaurants all across the South and Southwest. It began in Corpus in 1950. During your stay here, you'll see lots of these restaurants with their trademark orange-and-white roofs.)