When the residents of San Antonio look for a quick getaway, they usually head south to the Gulf of Mexico. It’s only two and half hours of freeway. One of their favorite vacation destinations is Rockport, Texas. Rockport is located at the very tip of Live Oak Peninsula and ideally situated for restful relaxation.
A key benchmark when looking for a place to go on vacation is to see if the residents of that state visit. Well, if that’s the case, Rockport is one place to plan on visiting. Like most coastal towns and cities, Rockport originally began as a slaughterhouse for cattle. Now, that’s romantic, uh? However, people have to eat and that was Rockport’s industry until ship building and fishing took over as the primary industries to support the locals. By the 1890’s, the tourism and resort trade began to flourish and in 1890, Rockport was illuminated by electric lights for the first time. The modern age was introduced!
Today, Rockport is a popular tourist destination for its access to various forms of marine recreation such as boating, fishing, duck hunting, swimming, bird watching, and seafood. The city's largest public beach, Rockport Beach Park offers a wide variety of events and activities to have fun including a playground and two beach pavilions. Ranked in The 100 Best Small Art Towns of America, and recognized among the top retirement spots in the nation by America's Best Places to Retire, Rockport is a wonderful place to live and visit alike.
When tourism is the chief industry in any town, there are several givens; good food, lots of shopping, things to do, places to go and people to see. Rockport is no different. There are restaurants in abundance with many of them being locally owned and operated. Fresh seafood makes the ambience and flavor even better. The beach is awesome. Because Rockport is on a peninsula, the sunrises and the sunsets are spectacular.
In addition, the city hosts several fairs and expositions each year including the Oyster Fest, Seafair, and a Wine Festival. There are also historic sites such as the Fulton Mansion, and a heritage district and aquarium in downtown Rockport that offers a friendly and fun shopping and restaurant environment next to Rockport Harbor.
Having mentioned all of these reasons for visiting Rockport on vacation, let me ask you this-why wouldn’t you want to come visit? You will be glad that you did.