09/16/96 TROPICAL TEXAS

TROPICAL TEXAS

The vistas around Corpus Christi's International Airport contribute little to the ``Texas Riviera'' image that the city officials like to promote. All that's visible at first when you land is a flat landscape of cotton fields, decommissioned oil derricks, and a few wandering head of cattle. But just 15 miles away, there's a totally different world, where the palm trees sway along ribbons of undeveloped shoreline, and seashells crunch underfoot.
Corpus Christi lies along a semicircular nook on the Gulf Coast about 220 miles south of Houston--a site discovered in 1519 by Spanish explorers. A city of 350,000, it lies on the same latitude as Tampa and has the same warm weather, so it is able to attract tourists all year round.
INFORMAL REGATTAS. Even in the winter, visitors wear shorts downtown as they stroll past the distinctive seawall, which was designed by Mt. Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum. The raised gazebos that punctuate this two-mile beachfront and promenade are popular perches on Wednesday evenings, when people gather to watch local sailors compete in informal regattas. Adjacent to the seawall is the marina, where both pleasure craft and fishing vessels are moored. At midday, returning commercial fishermen sell their catch right at the docks. Charter boats are also available to take fishing parties out for snapper, redfish, amberjack, marlin, and sailfish.
The Corpus Christi region also attracts bird-watching enthusiasts, especially from October to March, when whooping cranes fly down from Canada to take up residence. Whoopers winter exclusively in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, which lies a short way north of the city. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the 54,829-acre nature preserve in 1937 specifically to save the cranes from extinction. Back then, the birds' population had dwindled to a single flock of 10. Today, their numbers have risen to nearly 150.
The best way to see these elegant white birds is to go on a $28 half-day cruise with a tour operator such as Captain Ted's (800 338-4551). Captain Ted's boat, the Skimmer, takes passengers on a quiet glide through the sanctuary's salty marshes. Birders crowd the upper observation decks hoping to catch a glimpse of the cranes. With wingspans of up to 7 1/2 feet, whooping cranes are among North America's largest birds. During their Texas winters, the cranes teach their young to probe the shallows for food. ``Starting in late February, they do their mating dance,'' says Brent Giezentanner, who manages the wildlife refuge. ``They jump up and down, throw sticks in the air, and raise their red crown. It's quite a show.'' Indeed, bird-watchers from all 50 states and from 34 foreign countries showed up last year to see it.
Whoopers aren't the only attraction. Some 392 other species of birds can be found in the Aransas refuge, as well as along the Padre Island National Seashore, which borders Corpus to the south. This 70-mile stretch of pristine shoreline is a prime pit stop for songbirds on their annual fall and spring treks to and from Central and South America. Colorful tanagers, buntings, hummingbirds, jays, and finches decorate the spiky dune grasses and low-growing cottonwood trees like Christmas baubles.
LOST TREASURE. Padre Island is also infamous for its shipwrecks. Casualties include a 20-ship Spanish treasure fleet that ran aground in 1553 during a hurricane. Other treasures might be found on the shore, too. Sewing-machine magnate John Singer buried $62,000 worth of gold coins and jewels in the shifting sands of Padre Island before fleeing his home there to escape the advancing Union Army during the Civil War. After the war, he was unable to find the loot, and it remains undiscovered to this day. So beachcombing might turn up more than seashells. That's why, despite disapproval from local authorities, folks routinely sweep the dunes with beeping and clicking metal detectors. Be aware that, like Daytona Beach, Fla., the southern tip of Padre Island is a popular spring-break destination, so you might want to avoid it in March or April, when University of Texas students take over.
After wandering around Padre Island in search of wildlife, wealth, or both, shake the sand from your shoes and head back to downtown Corpus Christi by way of Ocean Drive. The stately houses on this winding avenue are an amalgam of architectural styles. One block is reminiscent of Nantucket Island in Massachusetts, while the next looks like Acapulco, and the one after that could well be in the south of France.
BLUE GHOST. Stop short of the cantilevered Harbor Bridge, which is 250 feet high and has a 620-foot span over the bay. Take a water taxi across the channel instead (the better to see dolphins frolicking in the harbor) and visit the Texas State Aquarium. It opened five years ago and intends to have the largest collection of Gulf Coast marine life when its final building phase is completed in 2000. One of its most impressive exhibits reproduces the underwater habitat created by offshore oil rigs. Fish dart about iron pilings encrusted with sea growth. Divers enter the tank twice daily to feed sharks and barracudas.
Next, amble 100 yards over to the U.S.S. Lexington. Looming darkly in the harbor, the 910-foot-long, 16-deck aircraft carrier is hard to miss. During World War II, Japanese forces called it the Blue Ghost because it continued to appear in battle despite reports of its sinking on four different occasions. The self-guided tours recall the children's board game Chutes and Ladders, with all the climbing between decks and ducking through narrow passages. Highlights include the flight deck--which is larger than three football fields and displays a squadron of vintage aircraft--and the Ready Room, where combat pilots received their orders. It looks as though John Wayne could round the corner in a leather bomber jacket at almost any moment.
For a break from the nautical theme, stop by the Art Museum of South Texas. It hosts traveling exhibits of paintings, sculpture, photography, and folk art, and it has a fine, though small, permanent collection of contemporary art. The museum, which overlooks Corpus Christi Bay, was designed by Philip C. Johnson. Its facade is a stark white jumble of geometric shapes constructed of concrete mixed with shells and pebbles from nearby shores. (For more information about the area, including accommodations and restaurants, call the Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800 678-OCEAN or 800 766-BEACH.)
As darkness falls, the lights on the seawall, Harbor Bridge, marina, ships, and most buildings in Corpus twinkle in the bay. At night, the pace is slow. Visitors usually linger over dinner at one of the city's waterfront restaurants and then stroll along the seawall back to their hotels. Or they might relax on the deck of a rented beach condominium and watch the stars. Corpus is lush and serene--a welcome contrast to the harsh cattle country that makes up most of the rest of South Texas.
EDITED BY AMY DUNKIN By Kate Murphy