Trout Street Bar & Grill

After considering some nearby options, we decided to have dinner at the Trout Street Bar & Grill. As I recall it was a pretty good option with a view of the harbor and an abundance of salad (among other sides, which in my case was a baked potato). 

Roberts Point Park revisited

One of the places we visited back in 2010. This time on a pre-dinner stroll we saw the ferry and a dolphin! (The latter is visible in the photo below if you look to the right of the ferry).

Tarpon Inn revisited, part 3

From top to bottom: the famous tarpon scales on the lobby wall, an old photo of FDR's yacht, and the room itself - small and rustic but comfortable.

Tarpon Inn revisited, part 2

 

This I don't recall from the first visit - the inner courtyard with Roosevelt's (the in-house fine dining restaurant) and the 1886 Bar (it's casual counterpart) across the way. We didn't eat at either on either visit, but this time had a peek out of curiosity. 

Tarpon Inn revisited

Actually this was the first time we ever stayed at the historic Tarpon Inn in Port Aransas, TX. The first time we just marveled at the fish scales in the lobby. Not sure if Franklin D. Roosevelt actually stayed here, but he did visit the area to do some fishing and scout for a location for a Navy base. The restaurant is named in his honor.

the Mustang Island State Park fiasco

Or, how to spend good money to see a flooded parking lot.

rest area history lesson

 'Ol Zachary Taylor was here, before it was a rest area.

Javi in Margaritaville

South Padre beach stroll

A couple more scenes from our beach stroll. To me that looks like an oyster shell (below). It was a nice beach, but could you swim there with the jellies and the rip tides?

man-o-war jellies

We famously encountered these in Galveston in 2010. They are equal parts weird, beautiful and dangerous. As long as no one gets hurt, they make a stroll on the beach more interesting .

Margaritaville

Something possessed us to stay in the Margaritaville resort. The website made me decide to give it a chance. When we got there things seemed different - the parking was confusing and we were given a "free upgrade" we couldn't refuse in the form of an oversized condo. I didn't realize the resort was a high rise, and that we would be staying on the seventh floor. The view was nice (below), but the loud music that went until 1 am wasn't. A part of me thinks that the Marriott at the other end of town may have been more our style. Not complaining, just wondering.

 

South Padre Island

It was a long drive to South Padre Island. I guess we were curious to see the most southern part of Texas. The beach was nice enough, if you disregard the high rises. In a way the above photo was the best thing to come out of our stay there.

Inn of the Hills breakfast

The breakfast at Inn of the Hills was nothing unusual, but from the point of view of just wanting warm eggs and coffee in a cozy environment while waking up and preparing to travel, it was as good as it gets. I also liked the big historic photos of forgotten Kerrville that adorned the walls.

post-1011 Bistro vistas

As mentioned, this complex by the river with swimming pool and restaurant and viewing platform is all very well designed. This may be the most desirable address in Kerrville for all I know, and even if the nearby condos are not quite as beautiful to behold, the views from their windows and balconies probably are.

1011 Bistro

The mighty Guadalupe River was not far from our hotel and some very competent architect had the sense to celebrate this beautiful natural feature by perching the 1011 Bistro right over it. From a design standpoint this restaurant gets the highest marks possible. The fine dining menu was also very good, and if the salmon was undercooked that was possibly our fault for not emphasizing how well done we like it. (We like it very well done).

the mighty Guadalupe River

Any serious conversation about major rivers in central Texas would almost certainly include the Guadalupe River, whose headwaters are west of Kerrville.