In Port Aransas it’s all about fun in the sun and sand! The beaches of Mustang Island are fantastically unique. There are eighteen miles of uninterrupted public shoreline, open for street legal vehicles and all things beachy! The warm Gulf waters and soft Texas sand are the perfect backdrop for a day full of beach, recreational activities, and nights highlighted with moonlight strolls.
Port Aransas is the only established town on Mustang Island and inhabits 5 miles of the 18 mile long barrier island. Mustang Island is located north of Padre Island, the longest barrier island in the world and south of San Jose Island, renowned for its shelling. Running parallel to the mainland, barrier islands protect the coast from the full force of powerful storm waves. Surrounding waters include the Corpus Christi Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, the Lydia Ann Ship Channel and the Corpus Christi Ship Channel.
We visited Port Aransas this summer and fell in love!
From the Ice Cream shops and coffee shops to shopping and dining, they have it all!
Here are some things to do in Port Aransas with kids or without. For us it was a family vacation and we had a blast!
Coffee! We visited Coffee Waves which is an adorable, fun, hip coffee shop with a variety of drink options. I enjoyed a iced coffee while planning our day! 
Boating – Fishing isn’t the only way to go overboard on fun in the sun! Port A may be known as one of the best places in the country to take a dolphin tour, but they’re not the only characters you’ll see out on the water.
Desserted Island Ice Cream Shop. This was such a fun, family friendly place! They had games and books and serves ice cream, smoothies, brownies, and coffee drinks. 
Farley Boat Works – Farley Boat Works started in 1915 and is best known for producing the first sport fishing boat designed to catch Tarpon. Today, re-established in 2011, Farley Boat Works is a part of the Port Aransas Museum and has reinvigorated the heritage and passion of boat building in Port A. Boats are being built and visitors are welcome to come by or start a boat building project.
Search for sea shells. The beach is full of shells. My family was on a mission to find San Dollars.
Theater- Add a little variety to your getaway, and catch a live play. Port Aransas talent is set to entertain the entire family at the Port Aransas Community Theater (PACT).
Dining! There are so many options but I recommend Moby Dicks! It has a gift shop and restaurant all in one. It is decorated with fun island themed decor from fish coming through the wall to fish tanks with live fish.
Fishing – Known to casual and serious anglers alike as the “Fishing Capital of Texas,” Port Aransas offers challenges and a string of rewards for everyone. Virtually every type of angler casting around for a hot spot will find their own paradise here. You can even bring your fresh catch to a local eatery and have them cook it up, just the way you like it, while you sit back and enjoy dining waterside.
Shopping! There are so many great stores for shopping for everything to hermit crabs to painted shells and shark teeth to beach towels and boogie boards.
Ride through the town on a golf cart! The streets are all golf cart friendly except for the main highway. There are lots of places to rent a golf cart and I highly recommend this for getting around this small town. We rode into town each night while driving on the beach! We saw the sunset and got to see miles of beautiful beaches while exploring on our golf cart.
The beach! We spent hours on the beautiful beach! Playing ball in the ocean, reading under the umbrella, building sand castles, and jumping the waves in the crystal clear water!
We cannot wait to go back. This little town with big fun is now a family favorite for us!
For assistance on planning your travels visit Port Aransas online.
Follow along on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Be sure to stop by the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce and Tourist Bureau on your way into town for brochures and more info on where to stay and where to play!
That does sound like a fun place! I never would have thought to visit Arkansas, but this sounds like a great little town.
This looks like so much fun! That ice cream shop is precious! Also, I love live theatre so seeing a show like this on vacation would be awesome!
Wow not only does this look pretty and like the perfect way to relax the ice cream shop is mega cute. I would so love to spend a weekend there during the summer time! or maybe more than just the weekend hahaha.
I love small towns, and this looks lovely! There is always so much more to do than meets the eye with small towns. You can always find a lot of fun and unique things and places to go.
I would love to live close enough to go there whenever I wanted! It looks like a lovely place!
What a cute little town! It looks like you had so much fun, this makes a nice day trip for sure!
Oh for fun! I love little towns like that with a beach. What an awesome place to visit!
It’s so nice to just sit by the beach and enjoy the weather! I think Port Aransas is beautiful and the perfect place if you want some peace and quiet! There are plenty of things to do as well! I’d love to go boating there!
I have never heard of Port Aransas but it looks like my kind of place! I love small beach towns!
I love visiting small towns! I feel like their so much more fun because of all of the character and history of the town! I would love to go here!
I love to stop and visit small towns they have so much to offer. Im going to save this list should I find myself in the area I will be sure to stop by and check them out.
This sounds like my kind of place to go visit. I love all of the things you listed off as things to do. I’d definitely have to take boat rides and ride the golf cart around town. This sounds a lot like Put-In-Bay Island.
Wow, sounds like a ton of fun! 🙂 I absolutely love anything dealing with the beach, haha!! Awesome post.
That’s really awesome! There are so many things to do here! I’m pretty sure that the kids will have a lot of fun as well. I’d love to go to Port Aransas someday.
I’ve never heard of this place but it looks so cute! It looks like there are tons of things to do but it’s still relaxing.