Lamar Peninsula Loop

E Main Ave access, Lamar, TX 78382

Start at Lamar Burton Wetlands Sanctuary, 203 Seaside Loop S — 105 acres of donated conservation land. From November through March, Whooping Cranes use these wetlands as part of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo flock's winter range. ADA-accessible parking. Scan carefully — the cranes are large but the vegetation can be dense.

1622 12th St, Rockport, TX 78382

1622 12th St — The Big Tree, a coastal live oak over 1,000 years old. The Karankawa people held ceremonies here long before European settlement. At 35 feet in circumference and 75 feet tall, it's been a Texas State Champion Live Oak since 1969. Warblers and buntings move through the canopy in spring migration.

202 Lamar Beach Rd, Rockport, TX 78382

A reliable wildlife stop on Lamar Beach Road — alligators bask here year-round. Pull off carefully and scan the bank. Wading birds work the shallows alongside them.

222 Hagy Dr — Stella Maris Chapel, the oldest structure in Aransas County. Built in 1854 with hand-mixed oyster-shell cement (shellcrete) by Irish colonists. Mass is still held here today.

Hagy Drive

224 Hagy Dr — Lamar Cemetery, established 1854. Walk the grounds: Patrick O'Connor, buried here, was a direct descendant of the last High King of Ireland. A 1978 essay places Samuel Colt on this peninsula while he perfected the Colt Walker revolver.

Also at 224 Hagy Dr — the John Fagan marker within Lamar Cemetery. Fagan served in the Texas Revolution at Goliad in 1835–36, part of the wave of Irish colonists who shaped this peninsula.

202 S Palmetto St, Rockport, TX 78382

202 S. Palmetto St — Goose Island State Park (entry fee required). Take your time on the drive in — there are several marsh birding overlooks along the way. Work your way out to the fishing pier at the mouth of Saint Charles Bay: always active with birds diving, loafing, and fishing alongside the anglers.

134 Front St, Rockport, TX 78382

134 Front St — a small waterfront shrine overlooking Copano Bay. The Schoenstatt movement established chapels worldwide; this one sits in a remarkably peaceful spot at the edge of the peninsula.

44 Front St, Rockport, TX 78382

44 Front St — these ruins are not just a house. This shellcrete structure was a Confederate ammunition magazine during the Civil War. Union naval forces bombarded Lamar in 1862 and again in 1864, targeting the magazine and the town's salt works — both critical to the Confederate war effort. The shelling destroyed much of the town and it never recovered. Cannonballs are still found across the Lamar Peninsula today. The walls that survived are built from the same hand-mixed oyster-shell cement used in Stella Maris Chapel — shellcrete — made from what this peninsula had in abundance.

5802-5866 Highway 35 North

5810 Hwy 35 N — Mills Wharf historical marker. The wharf served the Lamar Peninsula community as a commercial and transport hub in the 19th century, connecting this isolated coast to the wider Texas economy.