South Texas Trip

McKinney → McAllen → Corpus Christi

Late June Road Trip Itinerary

Departs: Craig Ranch, McKinney, TX — Tue, 9:00 AM
Returns: McKinney — Sun evening,  8:30 PM
Weather: Sunny / hot, 90-95°F+ daily

Dietary plan

1 vegan, 2 low-carb, 1 no dairy/soy.

Meals default to Mexican / Tex-Mex or Mediterranean spots with mixed menus (never vegan-only restaurants) — rice, beans, fajita veggies, guacamole, salsa, hummus, and falafel are naturally vegan; everyone customizes from there (skip cheese/sour cream for dairy-free, swap rice/tortillas for extra veg or protein for low-carb). Dinners are planned a little later in the day, eaten back near the hotel, except where a must-see spot includes a dinner stop.

Day 1 — Drive Day (Tuesday)

McKinney → McAllen

9:00 AMDepart Craig Ranch, McKinney
 11:30 AMSan Antonio River Walk — lunch + stretch,  1.5-2 hrs
 6:30 PMArrive McAllen, check in
7:30 PMDinner near hotel — Tex-Mex, build-your-own plates

Tip:  7.5 hr total drive with the River Walk stop. Try La Hacienda de los Barrios for lunch — it has a dedicated vegetarian section plus customizable fajita / rice / bean plates that work for everyone.

Day 2 — McAllen, Hiking & Nature (Wednesday)

8:00 AMBentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park (Mission,  25 min away) — 7 miles of trails, observation tower. Go early, before the heat.
11:30 AMMcAllen Nature Center — 2 miles of Tamaulipan thornscrub trails, free admission ( 1 hr)
1:00 PMLunch in McAllen — Tex-Mex, build-your-own plates
2:30 PMQuinta Mazatlan — historic adobe estate house tour + birding grounds ( 1 hr)
3:45 PMIMAS (International Museum of Art & Science) — fully indoor, A/C ( 2 hrs)
6:00 PMDowntime / freshen up at hotel
7:30 PMDinner at home

Tip: Bentsen Park is the only outdoor walk on this day — doing it first thing keeps the group out of the worst midday heat. Quinta Mazatlan and IMAS both offer shade/A.C. relief through the hottest hours.

Day 3 — Drive Day + Arrival (Thursday)

McAllen → Rockport via Kingsville

10:00 AMDepart McAllen
 11:30 AM1904 Train Depot Museum (Kingsville) — Local railroad history brought to life by volunteer docents, including an operational telegraph. Kingsville was built around this rail line.  45 min.
12:30 PMDrive to Rockport ( 1.5 hrs)
 2:00 PMFulton Mansion State Historic Site — 1877 Victorian mansion on Aransas Bay. Last admission 3:15 PM; open until 4 PM.  1 hr.
 3:15 PMRockport Center for the Arts — Four galleries + sculpture garden, one block from Aransas Bay. Free. Open until 4 PM Thu.  45 min.
 4:00 PMTexas Maritime Museum — Gulf Coast history from the Karankawa people through Spanish explorers, commercial fishing, and offshore oil. Free. Observation deck with bay views. Open until 4 PM Thu.  1 hr.
 5:00 PMHarbor stroll — Rockport Harbor and piers. Boats, pelicans, bay breeze.
6:30 PMDinner — Pier 77 — Top-rated Rockport waterfront spot. Seafood-forward with salads and flexible sides. Confirm menu for dietary needs before going.

Tip: Kingsville is the natural midpoint and far more interesting than a generic lunch stop. The Fulton Mansion is right near the hotel in Rockport; if the timing doesn’t work on arrival day, it can swap with something from Days 4–5.

Day 4 — Aquarium, North Beach, T-Head Pier (Friday)

10:00 AMTexas State Aquarium ( 2.5 hrs) — book tickets online ahead
1:00 PMQuick snack / break — lighter midday bite, dinner is later tonight
1:30 PMNorth Beach — free time ( 2.5 hrs): swim, shells, Gulf breeze
4:00 PMPeoples Street T-Head & CC Marina ( 1.5 hrs) — pier over the bay, moored sailboats, pelicans
7:30 PMDinner — Ginger Cafe & Grill

Tip: Ginger Cafe & Grill (Mediterranean) covers all four diets in one stop: hummus, falafel, and dolmas for vegan; kabobs and salads for low-carb; olive-oil-forward dishes for dairy-free. Menu is clearly marked for vegan and gluten-free items. The T-Head is a 10-min drive from North Beach — walk to the end of the pier for dolphins and pelicans up close.

Day 5 — Culture + Padre Island Beach (Saturday)

10:00 AMCC Museum of Science & History ( 2 hrs) — shipwrecks, local history, planetarium
12:00 PMHeritage Park — free, walkable 19th-century Victorian homes
1:00 PMLunch — Zambra Fusion Cafe
2:45 PMSelena Memorial Statue & Mirador de la Flor — free, open 24/7
4:00 PMPadre Island Seawall — Beach Block ( 3 hrs) — open Gulf beach, chair/canopy rentals on site, great for sunset
7:30 PMDinner at home

Tip: Zambra Fusion Cafe puts vegan, vegetarian, and regular dishes side by side on one menu — including an Impossible-burger swap — so nobody eats at a “vegan only” spot. Padre Island faces the open Gulf — better waves and shells than North Beach; canopy + chairs rent for about $65 on site.

Flag: Double-check Art Museum of South Texas hours for Saturday specifically — it was originally scheduled assuming a Sunday 1 PM opening. If hours don’t align, it can be dropped or the order adjusted. The Selena Museum (Mon–Fri only) no longer fits this trip’s weekday window — worth dropping unless it’s a must-see, in which case the schedule would need rework.

Day 6 — Botanical Gardens, Final Beach, Depart (Sunday)

9:00 AMSouth Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center ( 1.5 hrs) — orchids, butterfly house, exotic birds
11:00 AMPadre Island — final beach session ( 1.5 hrs)
1:00 PMLunch in Corpus Christi before hitting the road
2:30 PMHead home —  6 hr drive
 8:30 PMArrive back in McKinney

Overall, this was a fun trip. I got to spend a lot of time with family. Charlie had some problems with walking since he was limping, but overall he was able to make it through the trip without any problems. McAllen was very interesting - it is a food desert despite all the local agriculture south of the border. There was also a lot of border patrol presence. Corpus Christi was definitely more straightforward. It wasn’t too big, and was basically centered on tourism. The photos are below. The photos from the trip are here