The unabashed resort town of
CORPUS CHRISTI
is reached along the coast on Hwy-35 from Houston or Galveston, or on I-37 from San Antonio. Originally a rambunctious trading post, it too was hit by a fierce hurricane, in 1919, but recovered, transforming itself into a center for naval air training, petroleum and shipping. Much of the population is Hispanic, and the community was devastated in March 1995, when the 23-year-old singer
Selena
was shot dead in a motel parking lot by the former president of her fan club. Selena was on the verge of becoming the first major cross-over star of
Tejano
music, a hybrid of Mexican rhythms, German polka and reggae-influenced Colombian
cumbia
, and fifty thousand fans turned out for her funeral. In addition to the Selena Auditorium at the Bayfront Convention Center, there's a memorial to the singer just south of Peoples Street on Shoreline Boulevard; a new
Selena Museum
, 5410 Leopard St, is stuffed with Selena memorabilia, from her famously extravagant gowns to her Porsche (Mon-Fri 9-11.45am & 1-6pm; free). The visitor center can supply a free map of Selena-centric stops.
Apart from fishing, sailing and water sports across the channel on Padre Island, there's not a great deal to do in Corpus Christi. The impressive collection of the Philip Johnson-designed
South Texas Institute for the Arts
, 1902 N Shoreline Blvd (Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm, first Thurs of the month until 9pm; $3; tel 361/825-3500,
), includes pieces by Monet and Picasso. Further along N Shoreline Boulevard, at no. 2710, is the massive
Texas State Aquarium
(summer Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-6pm; rest of year until 5pm; $9; tel 361/881-1200 or 1-800/477-GULF,
), which nonetheless feels cramped compared to the aquarium in Galveston. Adjacent is the
USS Lexington
(summer daily 9am-6pm; rest of year until 5pm; $10;
), a World War II aircraft carrier that's impressive to walk around, though the few exhibits on board are weak. The
Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History
, 1900 N Chaparral St (daily: summer 9am-6pm; rest of year 9am-5pm; $8; tel 361/883-2862,
), specializes in hands-on natural history exhibits, on topics ranging from shipwrecks to shells to, curiously, the building of the Selena memorial. Moored in the harbor a short walk from the museum, the
Columbus Fleet
(included in the museum admission) consists of life-size replicas of Christopher Columbus's
Santa Maria
and
Pinta
.
