Rockport, Texas: The Texas Riviera

We coasted into Rockport about 4pm after a long day of visiting towns on the Texas Coast.  It’s the county seat of Aransas County and it sits right on Aransas Bay. The name came from the rocky ledge underlying the shore.

Rockport was founded after the Civil War when agents of the Morgan Shipping line built a wharf on a site that would later become the town. They founded it as a cattle slaughtering, packing and shipping port. They used the cattle for the tallow and the hides as they didn't have a way to preserve the meat. So they would just toss the carcasses to rot in a field. Ick. Imagine the smell...and the flies!

As the cattle business began to wane, the town turned to shipbuilding, shrimping and fishing as new industries for the town. Tourism also began to blossom as the railroad brought passengers to the coast. This is the Rockport Marina.

We were initially enchanted by the town as we drove along the harbor. We were also eager to try seafood in this town, which we did. We found a little hole in the wall called Nemo’s that had great grilled fish.

Rockport has lots to see starting with the Fulton Mansion. George Fulton came to Texas to fight in the Texas Revolution. He was granted land in payment for his services. He built a cool mansion in 1874 right on the waterfront. It featured 4 stories, modern central heating and plumbing as well as gas lighting. George was one of the cattle ranchers in the early days of Rockport.

All the rooms had a fireplace across from a bay window. The fireplace never had a fire in it. The heat came from a furnace in the basement that pushed heat through ducts throughout the house. In the summer, they would open the flue and open the windows. This would generate a cross breeze that would cool the room. Ingenious!

They lived in the mansion until 1895. This is the view from the front porch of the house. I enjoyed touring the house. One of the docents said she used to play at this house when she was a kid. This would have been after the Fulton family moved out. She was older but not that old. 

We also visited the Texas Maritime Museum where you see the maritime history of the Gulf Coast. One of the exhibits documents the shipbuilding industry here in during World War I.

This plaque tells about the Heldenfels shipyard in Rockport that built Liberty ships in World War I. The shipyard was destroyed by a hurricane in 1919.

The inside was kind of shaped like a boat. Another exhibit they had was on Bernardo de Galvez. Did you know that the Spanish assisted during the American Revolution? Galvez was the Spanish governor of Louisiana and he controlled the activity on the Mississippi River. On the sly, he helped provide supplies to the colonists until Spain declared war on Britain. Then he helped out loud. I never knew.

There were several hands-on exhibits for kids. The museum was free, which was another benefit. It kept this kid occupied as we looked around. I thought the museum was cool and, it was free.

As I mentioned, Rockport is the county seat of Aransas County. The courthouse was built in 1889. Now this is a courthouse! Unfortunately, it was demolished in 1956 because it was not practical for their modern needs. Hmm..

That gorgeous courthouse was replaced with this one. No character. No charm. Just function, I supposed. Then in 2017, Hurricane Harvey hit Rockport. It caused severe damage to the city. It picked up a cargo trailer and hurled it into the courthouse. Huh. I guess Harvey didn't like the courthouse either. For several years, they used an old grocery store as a courthouse.

Now they have this beautiful courthouse, completed about eight years after the hurricane destroyed the previous one. They still hadn't moved in when we visited in early February 2026. When I asked one of the docents at the Fulton Mansion about it, she just shook her head and said that was a sore subject around here. It was originally voted down and then it ended up costing way more than originally intended. At least it looks better than the one they had before.

We found a little walking trail along "Little Bay", which is a body of water that is between the town and Rockport Beach. That was one thing that I was disappointed in. No seawall along the water of people to walk and enjoy the view without being in the way of cars. Rockport Beach is lovely. It's on Aransas Bay so no big waves or anything.

In walking around the beach, we found this big green crab - that used to be blue! In 1957, it sat outside the Del Mar Grill known for it's delicious crab cakes. The restaurant closed in 1965 and the crab was purchased by the Chamber of Commerce and moved here. After several hurricanes, the original crab had to be taken down. This one was built in 2012 using sturdier materials.

Rockport has a lot of older historical houses as well. This one is prominently displayed on the main street across from the Texas Maritime Museum. This is the Hoops-Smith House that was built in 1892. At one time it was used as a hotel and a boardinghouse. I'd love to go inside there now. I think it's used as a business.

Once you get past the courthouse, the vibe of the town seem to relax a bit. There are little restaurants, art galleries and shops along the main stretch of road. There are also lots of houses along the shoreline. I can see why it's called the Texas Riviera.

There have been four big hurricanes that have hit Rockport over the years. We were told that prior to Hurricane Harvey (2017) they didn't have any hotels that were more than one story for that reason. Now they do. Our hotel, for example, had four floors but it wasn't right on the water.

There are about 10K people that live here. It seemed much more lively than Port Lavaca even though it's about the same size with the same stuff - meaning the H-E-B and Walmart for groceries, the main fast food joints and only local sit-down restaurants.

If you enjoy birding, this would be the place for you. There are tons of birds here as it's on the North American migratory Bird route. Who knew?

I'd come back down here again. I liked the vibe but don't take my word for it. If you're in the area, check it out!