Port O'Connor vacation rentals

Texans celebrate their Secret Coast, where prairie farming and ranching intertwine with bayous, estuaries, and all the wildlife they shelter. Port O’Connor offers an intimate experience of the Gulf of Mexico, poised 98 miles northeast of Corpus Christi and 155 miles southwest of Houston. Fishing, kayaking, and birding reign in this quaint community. Its crown jewel: rugged Matagorda, a 38-mile-long barrier island with an 1852 lighthouse at its north end. This National Wildlife Refuge protects birds like herons, pelicans, and sandhill cranes, plus alligators and a large herd of white-tailed deer. A 40-mile paddling trail traces its northeastern edge and connects to Port O’Connor: a popular route for anglers seeking trout and redfish year-round. This is also a prime location to spot Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. Prefer a less intensive day in nature? Try King Fisher Beach, a popular park in town that bans motorized vehicles on the sand. Here you’ll find seashells and kids splashing in the shallow water, along with a volleyball court and fishing pier.

Winter runs chilly for a beach town and can even get icy when cold fronts blow in. On the flip side, summers tend to be hot and humid, making the shoulder seasons your friend. Both spring and fall bring pleasant temperatures, but swimmers and boaters will appreciate the warmer water in the fall. Events-wise, Port O’Connor tends to be pretty mellow. Late April sees the Crawfish Fest and Cook-off, and the town sets off Fourth of July fireworks at King Fisher Beach. Look to the town of Victoria, 48 miles northwest, for celebrations like spring’s Art Car Parade and October’s Bootfest, a free two-day music and food festival that includes country and Tejano music.

Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern

Wander an underground cistern that once held Houston’s water supply, 155 miles northeast of Port O’Connor. Built in 1926, this reservoir features 221 concrete pillars arranged in columns that extend for more than 100 yards into the distance. This unusual park has some lighting and a railed walkway, but has otherwise preserved the hushed, hauntingly beautiful industrial site. Stay alert for meditation sessions — featuring singing bowls and wind chimes — on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Eclectic Menagerie Park

This open-air giant sculpture museum presides over a Houston pipe yard. Highlights include a steel-plated armadillo, a giant spider, and a fishing rod reeling in a life-sized sedan. For safety reasons, the site is off-limits to pedestrians, but drivers can get terrific views from the service road off exit 610 on TX-288.

The Painted Churches of Texas

In the 19th century, Czech and German immigrants decorated several churches around Schulenburg, a town 113 miles north of Port O’Connor. Nostalgic for their traditional Gothic houses of worship back home, they hand-painted intricate angels, filigree, faux-marble, and stencils. One edifice in particular – the 1906 St. Mary Catholic Church – landed on the National Register of Historic Places. Known as the Queen of the Painted Churches, it has splendid stained-glass windows in addition to the lovingly created murals.