Day Trip to Port Aransas Full Episode S8 E9

You know, there's just something special about tripping Texas. I mean, gosh, ever since I was a little kid, I've just loved it. It's just sort of like, you know, spoken right to my soul. Chad, the road. Oh, yeah, right, right, right. The open road out in front of you. The road, the road. Richie, come on. Where we're going, we don't need roads. What? Oh, but we will require a ferry. Port Aransas! Ooh. This episode was made for y'all with the help of our awesome partners. Check the caption for more info. So Texas has 367 miles of coastline, and about two-thirds of the way down is Port Aransas, which most just call Port A. It's along the northern edge of Mustang Island, and it's about an hour from Corpus Christi, unless you have a boat. And then it's probably about the same. Okay, so now we have crossed over to the island, man. You know, what I've learned from just talking to people, Port Aransas is one of those towns you've either been like 50 times or no times. Because this was either the place where you came like, you know, every summer of your childhood and you still come back every summer, or it's just a spot where you just, you just never made it to Port A. But there is a tradition on the island that requires us to have a different mode of transportation. Y'all ready? Hold on. Tradition on the island dictates you park the big car, rent a golf cart, and then you can cruise in the open air. You smell the salt, feel the breeze. Love it. Man, this is so much better than just rolling the windows down. Now that we got our ride fixed up, we can get to second things. And that's the beach. Port A's beach stretches for miles. It's wide, clean, and surfable. Yep, you heard that right. And today, we're going to get a lesson from Texas Surf Camps, owned by pro surfer Morgan Faulkner. Port A, surfing? Is this a really good spot to do this? Yeah, it's actually one of the best spots, I think, in Texas. It's kind of the unofficial surf city of Texas. Yeah, I mean, a lot of times you're surfing in choppy brown water, but today we got nice, clean, clear water with perfect little waves, so couldn't ask for a better day. Texas Surf Camps teaches folks of all ages, from surfing newbies to surfing pros. Maybe they can even teach this old tripper a thing or two. Yeah, we got your paddling down. All right, let's see your pop-up. Looks good. That was a sort of a fumble, a little bobble. That's going to be a deduction. That's going to be a deduction. Maybe I'll actually catch a wave. I bet you're going to get some good ones. All right. Wait, wait, hold up, man, though. You didn't say anything about sharks. Well, you know, we do have the shark test. What you do is you take your finger, dip it in the water. If it's salty, then there's sharks in it. Sharks live in the ocean. I can't do anything about that. Truthfully, in Texas, sharks are a non-issue on the beach. The only worry I have is catching a wave. These look surfable. Yeah, it looks really nice. You got to wait for the waves to come to you. Please, Lord, send me a set. Make it big. Here we go. Paddle strong. First try. First try, man. That was pretty awesome. I'm not saying I'm a natural, but I'm pretty much a natural. Perfect. That was a good one. So for an old man, not too bad. Not bad at all. I'd say it's a success already. This beach is perfect for learning how to surf. I'm feeling pretty good. And man, these waves are coming in, dude. Hey, not bad. I'm still on the board. It's so bright out here. I just... Hey, thanks. Man, this is much easier than I... It's cool. Morgan can just surf my board in. Who knew surfing Texas could be so totally tubular? But let's let that ocean breeze dry us off and hit the streets. I think I prefer kind of the older part of the island. I don't know, something about living on the coast. You must feel compelled to just paint your house and everything around you in like pinks and blues and greens. I like that. Our lunch spot certainly falls into the bright category. Irie's Island Food. While it's been on this physical island for about five years, its signature brand of what it calls island food comes from an even more magical place. And here's owner Marty Frania to explain. It's a mixture of American food and street food from around the world in mostly tropical areas. Okay. I spent a lot of time traveling with my dad growing up a lot of time in Asia, so there's a lot of Asian influence here. And then also, I'm from Texas, so we do a lot of tacos as well. Did you follow that? Basically, it's American-influenced, tropical street food with Asian flavors served occasionally in a Texas tortilla. Now, I don't know where that island is, but I want to go to there. So you read the menu, it may not make much sense, but if you know Marty, it makes perfect sense. Right. This is his life in a menu. Yeah, exactly. No matter what corner of the world it comes from, what all this island food shares in common is that it's homemade. We make everything we can. We can possibly make homemade. I don't make my own ketchup or mustard, but I make just about everything else that's important to us. Yeah. Oh, that's cool. Yeah. The man even roasts his own coffee. Yeah, I'd say this is exactly the sort of place that a pro surfer like myself should grab some lunch. And I've asked Marty to join me along with some of his favorite dishes. This looks amazing. I'm not sure where it fits. It's kind of a Caribbean-Asian island bowl thing. Actually, an adaptation of a traditional Vietnamese dish. Okay. It's got a name I can't pronounce, but I've changed it a lot through the years. Oh, man. It's so delicious. The glaze that you got on these cubes of beef, man. So good. Because the marinade contains some sugar, it's very difficult to stir fry it. So what we do is we deep fry it. Oh. It may not sound as healthy, but it actually absorbs less grease than a stir fry. And it's three times faster as well. And we're all about speed here. After quality, we're about speed. This is the crazy taco. Shrimp, that's appropriate. Pork. And then there's some homemade pineapple jam underneath there with some fresh avocado, red peppers, and tortilla strips on a homemade flour tortilla. Our tortillas are a lot different here. They're more like a pastry, and it makes it harder to eat. They fall apart. But I think it's more enjoyable than something that's built just for structure. You're so right. It's almost like a warm breaded pastry wrapping layers and layers of deliciousness. So what is it about Port A that drew you here? Well, there's a lot of things. What I find is everyone relates to each other very well. Because even though they may have different socioeconomic and political backgrounds, they're all in agreement that they love this island. They love the ocean. So everyone shares that no matter where they're coming from. Awesome. Yeah. Awesome. Pictures in now, Marty. Sure, absolutely. Thank you. You know, it's passion like that that keeps this island so vibrant. You know, one of the reasons I love Port A is it is a tourist town. But that just means there's lots going on here. Lots to do. But it's still Texas. So it's still very laid back. We got nothing but time on our hands. What do y'all say we go a little souvenir shopping? Shark! Every one of these souvenir shops on every coastal town has the same stuff. And it doesn't make it any less awesome. What is all this stuff? And this is, you know, your celestial rainbow dolphin. They have these here. People fall in love with celestial rainbow dolphins out in the ocean. And they want to take one home. You know, on second thought, maybe I'll just go with a beach hat. Next stop is an absolute tradition out here. And the sweetest place on the island. Whitten's Candy. Because every beach-going kid needs to stay amped up on sugar all summer long. Ooh, mint chippy things. I'll pay for that one, I promise. Is there anybody out there who still eats licorice? Gross. Milk chocolate raspberry jelly stick. Part of the fun is experimenting, right? I don't know if I'm going to put any more of that into the bag. Sour octopi. Count the legs. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven? They only have seven legs. Well, then I'm not paying for an octopus. I'm only paying for a septopus. You know, it seems my crew has also caught my sweet tooth. These are my favorite. Those. Those are the best. I found jawbreakers. A sucker for saltwater taffy. Pineapple. Goody worms. Big fan. And of course, like every good candy shop, there's a rattlesnake in the corner. Oh man, this snake candy I know. I've never seen this snake candy before. That's, that's a, is that a real snake? Oh, oh, it's moving, it's moving, it's moving, it's moving, it's moving. And truthfully, the real showstopper here is Winton's homemade caramel. We have our homemade walnut caramel, homemade pecan caramel, peanut and chocolate caramel, and our plain caramel. Oh man, that is good. I'm a pecan fan, so. Oh, thank you, thank you. Oh, yeah, look at that. That looks delicious. Look at that. What? Hey guys, come on, let's go. Yeah, you'll be fine. I'm gonna need another piece. Make it two more pieces. I'm gonna eat it in front of them. All right, my work here is done. I've got enough sugar to last for quite a few more road trips. Let's go. We now interrupt this programming to remind you to like and subscribe. Now back to the road. I think it's time to get back out and enjoy the coast. Now we are currently on Mustang Island, inhabited by this town, condos, and more fun than you can shake a stick at. But instead of sticking around here, well, we're hopping on another ferry with local Shirley Fisher to a different island, one that couldn't be more different, even though it's just a short boat ride away. This is San Jose Island, known locally as St. Joe's. I understand like St. Joe's, just because it is so, I guess, remote or uninhabited. It's one of the best places in the world to go shelling. That's true. It's uninhabited, but it's not as remote as you would think. Well, yeah. How'd we get here? Yeah, right, exactly. Shirley is a shelling expert, and she's going to give us some tips on finding these ocean-tossed beauties. You never know what you're going to see. I don't like walking a straight line on the beach, because all you're going to see is that one little area. I got it. We're combing this place. Yeah, and I like to walk in kind of an S-shaped pattern. It's a search mission. One of the keys is getting out early before the beach is picked over. And well, we may be a little late today. I keep seeing like, oh, that's got to be something. And turns out it's just bird poop or trash. Trash, yeah. This is the carapace of a swimming crab. The exact name escapes me. Well, you knew the word carapace, which I did not know. Well, because I tell you I'm a nerd. Wow, now here we're getting to a bunch of debris, but none of them are whole. Well, hang on a minute. Yeah, let me see what these are. I'll hold the ocean back. Look quick. With 21 miles of beach to comb, there is a lot of shelling to be done and thousands of shells to find. And after an hour or so, well, it's time to check in with Shirley. See what we got. I'm going to need you to help interpret it. I just was picking up random stuff that I thought was interesting, but that's part of the fun, right? This is called a duck clam. Duck clam. If it was whole, that would be covered up. And the profile sort of looks like a duck. Oh, OK. OK. Shark's eyes. Atlantic moon snail. You see the way they look like eyes? Oh, OK. Do you have a conch over there or anything? Well, I found this. This is pretty cool. That looks like a little horse conch, I think. Horse conch? Yeah. I think I know what this is. OK. That's a piece of a lightning well. It certainly is. Yes. State shell of Texas. It is. It's a treasure hunt. Scavenger treasure hunt. Yeah. And then, you know, you find broken pieces, but you still got to get the taste to find a full one. The bug to find a whole one bites you. Whole shells or no shells, it's just fun being out here. But on St. Joe's, one's luck can change as fast as the Texas tide. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa. What? Sweet. What'd you get? Check it out. An actual sand dollar. That's a whole one. Oh, that is awesome. That is my first Texas sand dollar. At least my first whole Texas sand dollar. That right there makes a trip out to this island worth it. We're in a sweet spot. Keep looking. You know, I could do this all day. Probably the next one, too. But wait, what's this? Guys, guys, there's a message in a bottle. A message in a bottle. Oh, I've got to read this. Dear traveler on distant shore. A great peril has befallen us. We find ourselves on an abandoned beach with little water and no supplies. I fear we all may have scurvy. And I don't know if our crew member Kelly will make it. Kelly, there's somebody in this letter named Kelly. We traveled here with high hopes. A jolly crew with an optimistic spirit. But tragedy struck when we landed on this accursed shore. And our host went mad, taking us all hostage. Host? Wait, that's it. There's another bottle. Chapter two, morale is fading. Our host's endless search for bounty has caused us great turmoil. The gear is sandy. Supplies are gone. And Richie is hungry and angry. Richie is hangry. And we are just blowing right through nap time. Richie, gear, Kelly? Who's riding these? Huh? You guys are ready to go? Aw. Ah, well, it looks like the crew is all shelled out. That's all right. We can be done with beaches. But we're not done with boats. And as we catch this one back to the mainland, well, our next stop is the island's most historic boat shop. It's called Farley Boat Works. It was established back in 1950. And during some hard times on the island, well, these boats kept afloat and floated Port Aransas's economy. Today, it's both a museum and a historic workshop. This is Rick Pratt, director of the Port Aransas Museum. OK, all right. So it looks like you guys still make boats here. We do. As a matter of fact, we re-established this old historic boat shop to bring a skill back to our town. Little by little, all the boat builders went away. And we at the museum wanted to bring that back. And so this shop passes along not just the history of Farley Boats, but the blood and sweat that goes along with it. Well, anybody who really has dreamed of ever building a boat, this is the place to come. We have the tools, the space, and we also teach people how to do it. This is boat building manager Frank Coletta. And if you're standing around, well, Frank's probably going to put you to work. Sanding is a big part of boat building. Oh, no. So I just happened to bring a sanding block for you. Oh, thank you. Thank you. Puts you right to work, man. Did I hear you say this right? A boat can be built in three days? If we do the prefabrication, the pre-cutting, and we have everything ready for people, they can start with a pile of parts on the first day, and on the third day, they row in the harbor. And that'll actually float. And they float, and they take them home and paint them. Wow. We've got families that come. We have retirees. So we're trying to make as accessible as possible. I think in the age of technology, there's something really great and cathartic about using your hands again and kind of working with a family or a father doing something physical. Couldn't say it better than that. Yeah. I am a TV show host. Yeah. When we opened the doors here in 2012, we thought we'd probably build three, four, maybe six boats a year. Now it's 2016. We've built 64 boats. So we're way more popular than we thought. This boat made in the shop here? It was. It was made in the shop. This is boat number six. And it was built by a husband and wife team. They never built anything in their lives. Oh, man. Yeah. When we get people in and they begin to build these boats, first, they're very confused. And then they get the idea. And then it starts to move. And then their creativity kicks in. By the end of the second week, they're talking like boat builders. Well, blah, blah. By the end of the third week, they're experts. Here at Farley Boats, your creativity is the limit. They've built everything from skiffs to schooners. But the true fishing legends of Port Aransas go back to this boat right here. These are the original Port Aransas tarpon fishing boats. Man. Imagine coming to Port A here and staying in some primitive little cabina and hiring a local guy you've never seen before. And he picks you up in a rowboat like this and takes you out to catch an 80-pound tarpon. That's sport. Someday, it would be awesome to catch a Texas tarpon. Who knows? I might even build the boat that I use to catch it. All right. So I got to come back here and build a boat. Although I would be highly suspect to take anything out of the water that I actually built. That will have to wait for another day trip. But great work to the museum for keeping this tradition alive. Now, boating and fishing are still huge in Port A. And a place that can tell more fishing stories than any other on the island is the Tarpon Inn. This historic hotel was first built in 1886 and has attracted many a salty visitor over the years to sit on its endless porch and soak in the breeze. But the coolest history you'll find is definitely in the lobby. Oh, yeah. So if you've never seen a tarpon, this is what one looks like. And people really did come from all over the country to fish for them here in Port Aransas. And if you caught one while staying at the Tarpon Inn, well, you got to pull off its scale, sign it, tack it to the wall. These are all tarpon scales. This is the oldest one right here. Check it out. 1892. That's awesome. By far the most famous person to ever catch a tarpon here in Port A, the president himself, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. May 8, 1937. The president. Here he is on the back of a Farley boat, nonetheless. This was so famous, even the president got in on the action. And while FDR may have only been here for a short time, well, his memory lives on. And it's here to help fill your stomach. Right behind the Tarpon Inn is Roosevelt's. It serves fresh, upscale seafood. But just like everything on the island, it's still pretty laid back. However, I'd put this food up against any big city seafood. And while the dishes are flying out of the kitchen, well, I thought we'd step into the fray and chat with Chef Vinnie Fiore. Welcome to Roosevelt's kitchen. Good to be here. It's a great place in Texas and obviously a great place in Port Aransas. Absolutely. It's even better now that you're here. Oh, hey, thank you. Thank you. I can tell by your accent you're a native Texan. Well, I'm from the south. Yeah, sure, sure. South Brooklyn. There you go. But today what we're doing is we're going to make mussels and clams a la Roosevelt. It's probably one of our most popular appetizers. And I know you're, you know, you guys are from Texas, right? Oh, yeah. You like things a little spicy? A little bit, yeah. So in that case, we'll put a little bit of red chili flakes in there. That sounds good. We're going to add some white wine. I like to use a chardonnay. A little bit of lemon juice. Let me get in here. Yeah, get in there. You like that? Oh, I love it. I mean, this is, this to me is sort of like stepped up coastal cooking. Garnish it with a little red pepper. And there you have it. Mussels and clams a la Roosevelt. Oh, dude. Enjoy, my friend. Dig in. Work of art. Dig in. Right here? Okay. Oh, man, I'm jealous. Get in here. I am good. So here's another popular dish at Roosevelt. The coconut shrimp. What I like to do is, once again, give it that creamy flavor. So I use coconut rum, coconut milk, this Malibu rum. Put it all together and watch what happens. Nice. We're going to dip this in a little flour. We're going to put a little bit of coconut flakes on here. And if you don't mind, try to put those nice and gentle in that deep fryer. Oh, I'm dropping them? And don't get burned. You drop them because I'm cooking. All right. I think that's the first time I've ever done that. And you didn't get burned. No, no, I didn't. All right. Well, you take those shrimp over here. Coconut sauce right over it. And there you have it. Coconut shrimp a la Vincenzo at Roosevelt's at Tarpon Inn. A la Vincenzo. I'm so excited about this. Every opportunity I get to eat seafood when I'm near the coast, I'm going to jump on it. This moment will capture in my memory for the rest of my life. It's like, look at that. Clams, mussels, butter, white wine, heaven. Plate swap, plate swap. That is not your traditional fried shrimp. It's dripping in coconut milk. You can find fried shrimp up and down the coast, but I've never in my life seen fried shrimp like this. That is really good. Wow. That is one of the greatest meals I've ever had in my life. But I think we should finish the day getting a little nitty gritty. Let's kind of head across the track, so to speak, on the island. Time to get a little salty by heading to the self-proclaimed coolest bar on the Texas Riviera. This is Salty Dog. And yes, they are very dog friendly. Someone let a horse in here. What? Wow. It's huge. But the king pooch around here? Well, that's old Salty himself sitting on his throne. But Salty Dog is also the name of their signature drink, consisting of a salted glass, gin, and grapefruit juice. Oh, that's good. Very beachy. You know, it's like refreshing. I think the whole crew needs to get one. Let me just, let me just. Wait, no, you need to get your own one. No. What a day. With beautiful beaches to surf and shell, mouthwateringly inspired food plucked fresh from the sea, and history as deep and rich as the Gulf itself. Well, you'll quickly realize that you may need more than a day in Port A. But hey, you gotta start somewhere. Doesn't get much better than a salty dog in the salty breeze. So I'll see all y'all out on the road. Vaya con Dios, amigos. Let's go play some darts. All right. Y'all ready? Let's do it. Are we next? Oh, dolphins. Awesome. Dolphins! From the road. Dolphins! That's pretty good. They're just fellow travelers on this open road. Every souvenir shop sells sharks, shot glasses, and sharks. Wait, no. Every souvenir shop sells shells. Every souvenir shop sells sharks, seafood. Don't mind me. I'm just walking out in the ocean with a $9,000 camera. Trying not to get it wet so I don't get in trouble. You want to get yourself a crop top? I love crop tops. Get yourself a crop top. Whoa, my gut sticks out. Hey. Hey, baby. I should get one of these. Howdy, y'all. Follow along with my adventures at Chet Tripper on Instagram and at TheDayTripperTV on Facebook and YouTube. Or head to thedaytripper.com for travel guides, past episodes, and info on our mobile app and Team Day Tripper. This episode was made for y'all with the help of our awesome partners. Check the caption for more info. Howdy, y'all. Chet the Day Tripper here. Thanks so much for tripping with us. Remember, while you're here, like this video, subscribe to our channel so that we can stay out there on the road and keep on tripping. Did we miss anything in this town? Leave us a comment. Let us know. We love finding out about new stops with all your tips. And if you love epic Texas day trips, remember to check our channel. We got a lot of them on there. Also, don't forget, if you want some sweet Day Tripper merch or another cool Texas-made product, come see us in Georgetown at the Day Tripper World Headquarters. You can also shop online if you check the link down there in the caption. All right, y'all. Vaya con Dios, amigos.