It’s not yearly that the 4th of July and my birthday collide in such fabulous trend. However this 12 months? It was fireworks-worthy. I needed one thing equal elements festive and enjoyable, family-friendly however teen-approved—and I discovered it in Port Aransas, Texas. We packed up the children, some sparklers, and a wholesome urge for food for seafood and enjoyable, and headed straight for the coast.
However the true win? Reserving our five-bedroom seashore home by way of Whimstay—a platform I’m now formally obsessive about. Suppose Airbnb or VRBO, however with higher costs and customer support that doesn’t ghost you. Whimstay makes a speciality of last-minute trip leases—aka when you’re the type of father or mother who forgets to e book till faculty’s already out, that is your new greatest good friend.
We booked our home lower than 30 days earlier than check-in and scored an ideal deal on a spacious residence steps from the seashore. It had all the pieces we wanted: sufficient bedrooms for everybody to have their area, a kitchen for snacks and birthday cake, and loads of area for the children to unfold out, hang around, and burn off vitality (whereas I sipped espresso in peace—bless).
Right here’s all the pieces we did throughout our lengthy vacation weekend in Port Aransas that stored the teenagers, the children, and me very pleased.
Day 1: Arrival & Dinner at Tortuga’s
We rolled into city simply in time for a sundown dinner at Tortuga’s Saltwater Grill. It’s the proper first cease after an extended drive—laid-back however upscale sufficient to really feel like a “deal with your self” meal. Don’t need to exit to eat, they’ve obtained loads of grocery shops and Domino’s on the island.
Day 2: Jet Skis, Fireworks, and All of the Festive Vibes 🇺🇸
Morning Thrills:
We kicked off the 4th of July vivid and early with a jet ski journey by way of Gettin’ Salty. This was the spotlight for the older children—nothing bonds siblings like racing one another at 40 mph throughout the bay.
Afterwards, I took my nieces to the seashore the place they boogie-boarded and constructed sandcastles.
Lunch:
We dried off and refueled at Grumbles Seafood Co.—an informal spot with killer harbor views and seafood so contemporary it could have winked at us. You don’t want a reservation to dine right here. You stand in line to order after which seize an out there desk. The road was lengthy after we had been there, however you may seize a drink on the bar as you wait in line.
Within the afternoon, we relaxed on the pool as a result of the wind was fierce. That’s one factor concerning the seashore in Port Aransas, the wind can actually kick up at instances, to the purpose you’d moderately be doing one thing else.
Night Magic:
Our night time ended with the Fireworks Boat Cruise hosted by Deep Sea Headquarters. Watching fireworks burst over the water whereas floating within the bay? The right view.
My cousin and his household didn’t go on the boat cruise, and so they might see a number of fireworks exhibits from our home rental, together with the one we noticed. So, primarily based on this, I might say that you may see fireworks from nearly wherever on the island.
Day 3: Espresso, Pickleball & Catching Dinner (Fishing)
Morning:
We began the day gradual at Coach’s Island Grill — a comfortable spot with espresso sturdy sufficient to revive even the grumpiest teen and reasonably priced breakfast choices ok for my single mother finances. My meal was simply $5!
Noon:
Subsequent up: Pickleball on the Port Aransas Neighborhood Park. One way or the other, this sport has turn into an ideal generational unifier—children, teenagers, adults, everybody had a blast. Jonah and I play on a regular basis. Not within the temper for pickleball or it’s simply too sizzling, hit the seashore once more!
Lunch:
We tried FINS, but additionally heard rave opinions about The Gaff and Trout Avenue if you wish to shake issues up. The advantage of consuming at Fins was that it was proper subsequent door to the place we had been catching a fishing constitution from. We didn’t have a reservation however managed to stroll proper in.
Afternoon:
Time to fish! We hopped aboard a Bay Fishing Constitution with Deep Sea Headquarters. The youngsters obtained to reel in fish (and bragging rights), and we even introduced some again for a sundown dinner.
I did suppose primarily based on the outline, we had been doing a brief deep-sea fishing expertise. I shortly realized that the rationale it could possibly be carried out in 3.5 hours was that we went out to the delivery channel to fish. We caught plenty of fish, it simply wasn’t remotely deep-sea fishing. The good factor about that is no sea illness. The final time we went deep-sea fishing, everybody threw up. On this tour, nobody even felt queasy.
Adults want a one-day fishing license for all waters. Children don’t want a fishing license.
Dinner:
For dinner, we feasted at Virginia’s on the Seashore. They’ll cook dinner the fish you catch for $15 per individual. Didn’t catch something, don’t fear, they’ve obtained an in depth menu.
They don’t take reservations, however you may be part of the reside waitlist on Yelp. There are solely two eating places with reside wait lists; the opposite is Seafood and Spaghetti. As quickly as we had been carried out fishing, I put our occasion of 14 on the waitlist for each locations. It took slightly over an hour, however we obtained a desk no drawback at Virginia’s. I assumed all their meals was nice, however the service was tremendous gradual. Took two hours to eat right here.
Bonus: Seashore Bonfire & S’mores at Cinnamon Shores
What’s higher than a seashore bonfire? A seashore bonfire you didn’t need to arrange. Cinnamon Shores dealt with all the pieces—from the hearth pit to the s’mores kits—so we simply confirmed up, made gooey marshmallow masterpieces, and watched the celebs come out.
Why I’ll Be Reserving with Whimstay Once more
Reserving a seashore home with Whimstay was a game-changer. Right here’s why I’ll be utilizing them for future household getaways:
- Higher Costs: Whimstay provides the identical properties you discover on Airbnb or VRBO—typically at as much as 40% much less if you e book inside 30 days of your journey.
- Final-Minute Pleasant: Nice for us spontaneous varieties (or these of us who neglect to plan till the week earlier than… not naming names).
- Buyer Service That Truly Solutions: Rated 4.3 on Trustpilot, in comparison with Airbnb’s 1.3. Sufficient mentioned.
- 365 Days of Offers: Sure, they concentrate on last-minute, however you may e book with them year-round.
Ultimate Ideas
In case you’re seeking to create core reminiscences with out core stress, Port Aransas is the final word vacation spot. It checks all of the bins for household journey: seashore, meals, actions, and loads of room to calm down.