Getting close to nature can be more than a grasshopper to the face shield. This corner of our state provides a chance to stay-and-play away from the raucous crowds that usually invade the gulf coast.
By Tom Wiley
Pssst!
Want to share a secret? Sure you do. Everyone loves a secret. There’s a part of the Texas coast where time slows down. Gulf views aren’t blocked by lines of high-rise condos. You won’t find hotel resorts trying to gouge bank accounts. Also missing are foo-foo restaurants serving minimalist portions at maximalist prices. Instead, we can ride through agricultural areas and examine a variety of wetlands and bays. Towns are small but welcoming. Eateries lean toward the local mom-and-pop variety. Best of all, nature rules. Welcome to Texas’ Secret Coast.
Our route will pass through five counties of the coastal prairie just southwest of Houston. This region possesses a rich and diverse economy. Extensive farming and ranching activities combine with massive deposits of mineral resources. Scattered throughout are water features in just about every form imaginable—river channels, sloughs, bayous, passes, marshes, barge canals, intercoastal waterways, tidal lakes, bays, estuaries. The result is a vast variety of wildlife, including a number of protected wildlife habitats. Mix in a healthy portion of tourism—not the “in-your-face” tourism you’ll find in Galveston or Corpus Christi, but more personal opportunities to enjoy birding and nature watching, rent a boat or kayak for the day, or charter a guide for a first-class fishing trip.
This area is also steeped in history. Nomadic bands of hunter-gatherer Indian cultures once had a dominant presence. It might have been possible to spy Alonso Álvarez de Pineda sailing by in 1519 on his quest to map the Texas coastline. A decade later, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and his party of shipwrecked survivors passed through. Stephen F. Austin and other empresarios established land grants here. This part of the territory also played a major role in the revolutionary fight against Mexico. Before we even thumb our bikes to life, we can already see that the Secret Coast has a lot to offer.
We’re going to need some people-fuel, which is good, since we’re starting in Blessing, Texas, at one of the funkiest eateries in the state. Hotel Blessing was constructed in 1906 by Jonathan E. Pierce. Pierce had donated a portion of his land for a railroad right-of-way, an act that eventually led to the establishment of the town. Motorcyclists throughout southeast Texas know about the Hotel Blessing Coffee Shop. This popular place is open seven days a week, except for Christmas Day. A menu of hearty breakfast items greets visitors at seven each morning. Beginning at eleven, it’s the lunch buffet that receives special attention. Guests belly up to stoves and serving tables to choose from three meats and numerous selections of vegetables, salads, homemade rolls and cornbread, and desserts. It’s a delicious way to mingle and make new friends.
Farm-to-Market Road 616 parallels a line of railroad tracks, railroads being the creative impetus in the early 1900s for the small towns we’ll be passing through. Past the community of Vanderbilt, we’ll cross Garcitas Creek, before it empties into Lavaca Bay. It is believed that René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle constructed a French fort on this creek in 1686, an act that spurred Spain to increase efforts to hold on to its colonial territory by encouraging settlements and establishing missions and presidios.
At Bloomington, we’ll turn southeast on Texas 185. Near our turn onto Texas 35 is Green Lake, one of the largest natural freshwater lakes in the state. It is a poorly drained marsh that provides habitat for a variety of waterfowl. We’ll ride through Tivoli and on to Austwell on San Antonio Bay. Signs will direct us to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The Visitor Center is open Thursday through Sunday and will rent us a set of binoculars. A looping road connects trails, boardwalks, and observation towers and platforms where alligators and other coastal critters can be spotted. The refuge is also a winter home for whooping cranes. Staff and volunteers can provide information on how best to observe these endangered birds during their mid-October through mid-March visits.
Backtracking to Tivoli, we’ll continue on Texas 35, then turn southeast on Texas 185 to Seadrift. Seadrift is the finish line for the annual Texas Water Safari, billed as the “World’s Toughest Boat Race.” On the second Saturday of June each year, canoes and kayaks splash off the starting line at Aquarena Springs in the Central Texas college town of San Marcos. Entrants paddle nonstop down the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers before finally crossing the bay to Seadrift, a total of 260 miles. Last year’s winning canoe completed the race in 40 hours. Tired and relieved, paddlers take home the most important prize—bragging rights!
Texas 185 points east to the last town at the end of the road. (“Ya gotta go there to get there!”) Port O’Connor is a perfect example of the quaint, friendly communities found along the Secret Coast. P.O.C. is best known for fishing and tourism. Guides can assist anyone who is eager to tackle the area’s renowned bay, offshore, and wade fishing. Boat rentals are available, as are kayaks for those who want to enjoy a float on the 25-mile Port O’Connor Paddling Trail. We can always park the bikes at King Fisher Beach, slather on sunscreen, and join others wading the shallow shoals, watching for migratory birds, or searching the beach for oddly shaped shells. There are several local cafés specializing in fresh seafood, and comfortable motels if we don’t want to hurry home.
Farm Road 1289 heads north toward Port Lavaca. But let’s take a detour to visit the former site of a very famous port city. The history of Texas is full of references to the Port of Indianola. While the handful of residents in this sleepy, unincorporated fishing village might be offended today if we called it a ghost town, the term does fit, given what Indianola once was.
Indian Point was founded in 1846. Its location on Matagorda Bay made it a natural port. The town’s name was changed to Indianola in 1849, and it was the seat of government for Calhoun County from 1852 until 1886. Often referred to as the Queen City of the West, Indianola grew to become the second major port in Texas, after Galveston.
Indianola became a favored point of debarkation for new settlers from Europe and the United States. The town was the eastern terminus of the Ox-Cart Road (a section of the Chihuahua Road), the shortest route to the Pacific at that time. For more than 30 years, the army used the port as a depot for supplies to frontier forts in western Texas. That included two shiploads of camels, part of an experiment to use the animals for transportation throughout the Southwest. There were few actual Civil War skirmishes in Texas, but several of those incidents involved Indianola. The town developed after that war, growing three miles south to Powderhorn Bayou. Rail lines were extended to its docks, and by 1875, Indianola was at the peak of its prosperity.
But there would be trouble in paradise. The flat prairies and coastline offered little natural obstructions to storms. Gale-force winds hit the town on September 15, 1875, but that was nothing new. By five o’clock on the afternoon of September 16, however, winds had increased to 82 miles an hour. By midnight, they were slamming into the port at more than 100 miles an hour. A huge dome of water rose out of Matagorda Bay and washed inland as far as 20 miles. That devastation was nothing compared to what would follow. A storm surge that took 18 hours to travel inland took only six hours to sweep back to the sea. The town was virtually erased. Approximately 20 percent of its population perished. Herds of livestock simply disappeared. Only a few remnants of the strongest buildings were left standing. Even the topography was affected by the erosion: beaches, bayous, barrier islands, and coastal lakes were all reshaped.
An attempt was made to rebuild, but a second, even more devastating hurricane sounded the death knell for Indianola on August 20, 1886. It was the fifth hurricane of the season and one that would stand in the record books for decades. A 15-foot storm surge overwhelmed the town. Every building was either destroyed or left uninhabitable. Miles of railroad tracks became twisted coils of scrap metal.
Thankfully, the storm occurred during the day, so many of the residents had an opportunity to escape. Fatalities were listed at only 46, compared with more than 400 in the 1875 storm. But the deed was done, and Indianola would rise no more. Its loss significantly changed the economic impact of the state, placing greater importance on the port at Galveston and encouraging the development of an inland port in Houston. Of course, Galveston came close to suffering the same fate as Indianola in the infamous Great Storm of 1900.
The remains of Indianola lie at the eastern end of Texas 316—a small collection of homes dispersed along the beach overlooking Matagorda Bay. A statue of French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, stands guard over the location (at the Texas Highway 136 terminus and Beach Road). It was dedicated in 1939. Other historical markers nearby tell the story of this once significant port city. Otherwise, it’s a fun ride along the coast and a chance to stand where history was made.
Backtracking up the coast, let’s make a stop in Port Lavaca. I love small-town museums, and the Calhoun County Museum in Port Lavaca demonstrates why that is the case. It has a detailed eight-foot diorama of Indianola and information about La Salle and his ship La Belle. The Belle went down in the murky waters of Matagorda Bay in 1686. After years of research and numerous attempts to find the shipwreck, the Belle was finally discovered north of Matagorda Peninsula in 1995. A fascinating display of artifacts from La Belle and the story of its excavation were recently on exhibit at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. Another point of interest, Half Moon Reef Lighthouse, now resides at nearby Bayfront Park. Constructed in 1858, this three-story hexagonal lighthouse was originally located in Matagorda Bay, at the southern tip of Half Moon Reef. It remained in service until 1943. Boardwalks and other stops around the bay provide opportunities for some nature study on the wetlands. As we continue across Lavaca Bay on Texas 35, we might see tankers or other large commercial ships heading into or out of Port Comfort.
Palacios is yet another quiet coastal village. This area was once the domain of cattle barons and rice farmers. Several grand homes designed and built in the early 1900s stand along scenic boulevards. Visitors stroll out to the events pavilion to enjoy sunsets and sunrises over Tres Palacios Bay. More than 300 shrimp boats and other vessels call the harbor home. The Chamber of Commerce guide can point us to fishing services and guides, as well as businesses selling off-the-boat seafood. The Texas State Marine Education Center is just one spot to observe nature along this area’s bay and estuarine habitat. As seasons pass, an abundance of migratory birds and butterflies can be spotted from the shoreline and the bayside parks. On our last visit, my wife and I enjoyed excellent fried shrimp at Palacios Mexican Restaurant. Accommodations are available at local motels, B&Bs, or the historic Luther Hotel.
Texas Highway 35 heads north. I wonder if we can still make Blessing by 2 p.m. That’s when the Hotel Blessing Coffee Shop stops serving lunch for the day. It would be a fitting end to a leisurely trip around the Secret Coast!
Along The Way
Stay-and-play away from the raucous crowds that usually invade the Gulf Coast with this ride that promises to get you close to nature. On this route, you’ll pass through five counties of the coastal prairie area just southwest of Houston. You will motor past gorgeous water views, including river channels, marches and bayous, barge canals, intercoastal waterways, tidal lakes, bays, estuaries, and more. And there are plenty of opportunities to get off the bike for a bit and go bird watching, hiking, kayaking—or hire a charter for a first-class fishing trip. This corner of Texas also provides plenty of fascinating history. The Secret Coast truly has a lot to offer!
Blessing
HOTEL BLESSING COFFEE SHOP
FM 616
361-588-6623
Palacios
LUTHER HOTEL
408 S. Bay Blvd.
361-972-2312
lutherhotelpalacios.com
Port Comfort
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS
2629 TX Hwy. 35 N.
877-859-5095
ihg.com
Port Lavaca
ART’S FISH HOUSE CAJUN KITCHEN & BOILING POT
711 TX Hwy. 35
361-482-0417
THE BOX LUNCH
146 TX Hwy. 35 N.
(Immediately before the bridge across Lavaca Bay)
361-552-2959
PORT LAVACA–CALHOUN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
2300 TX Hwy. 35
361-552-2959
portlavacatx.org
PORT LAVACA CVB
202 N. Virginia St.
361-552-9793
portlavaca.org
Port O’Connor
CATHY’S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
2581 W. Adams St.
361-983-2880
JOSIE’S RESTAURANT & CANTINA
610 Adams St.
361-983-4720
PORT O’CONNOR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
PORT O’CONNOR PADDLING TRAIL
tpwd.texas.gov.fishboat/boatpaddlingtrails/coastal/port_oconnor
Seadrift
BARKETT’S SEAFOOD
321 Broadway Ave.
361-785-2441
barkettsrestaurant.com
BAY FLATS LODGE
391 Bayside Dr.,
Swan Point Landing
361-785-2686
bayflatslodge.com
BUBBA’S
1142 TX Hwy. 185 E.
361-785-2645
REEL TIME MOTEL & GUIDE SERVICE
604 W. Broadway
888-309-3442
reeltimelodging.com
SEADRIFT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Tivoli
CANALES CAFÉ
302 Main St.
361-286-3255
On the Road
Pit Stops
1. BUC-EE’S
2318 W. Main St., Port Lavaca
2. EXXON
FM 616, Blessing
Grab a Bite
1. CAPTAIN G’S
SHRIMP BASKET
712 W. Adams St., Port O’Connor
361-983-2160
2. PALACIOS MEXICAN RESTAURANT
511 Main St., Palacios
361-972-2766
3. SHELLFISH SPORTS BAR & GRILLE
2615 TX Hwy. 35, Port Lavaca
361-552-5300
shellfishdining.com
Stay The Night
1. THE INN AT CLARK’S
101 7th St., Port O’Connor
361-983-2300
theinnatclarks.com
2. PEACEFUL PELICAN B&B INN
317 E. Bay Blvd., Palacios
888-972-0317
thepeacefulpelican.com
Diversions
1. CALHOUN COUNTY MUSEUM
301 S. Ann St., Port Lavaca
361-553-4689
calhouncountymuseum.org
Only In Texas
1. COASTAL SAFARI GUIDE SERVICE
7th St. at Intercoastal Canal,
Port O’Connor
361-550-8552
coastalsafaris.com
2. TEXAS WATER SAFARI
Seadrift
texaswatersafari.org
