Roberts Point Park: Outdoor fun with a view

Children play on playground equipment at Roberts Point Park overlooking the ship channel. If it’s an outdoor event and it’s in Port Aransas, chances are it is at Roberts Point Park, alongside the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. A variety of events, including fishing tournament weigh-ins, picnics and festivals, are held at the park, one of the first sights to greet visitors arriving in Port Aransas by ferry.

The city’s multi-purpose park was jointly developed in the mid-1980s by civic volunteers (Port Aransas Action Force) and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Volunteers furnished labor and supplies, and TPWD matched locally-raised funding to build the park. It was named in honor of the Roberts family, one of the oldest of the island fishing families.

Known from April to October as the home of the popular Sunset Sounds concert series, the Patsy Jones amphitheater overlooks the ship channel and provides a great view of passing ships as well as the ferries that transport passengers to and from Port Aransas. The park features a large special-events pavilion, named after the late fishing enthusiast Fred Rhodes, and it offers shade for spectators at fishing tournament weighins and provides a venue for performances, awards presentations and picnics.

Sunsets over the Corpus Christi Ship Channel at Roberts Point Park are spectacular The park is a favorite fishing spot, whether from the granite jetties marking the harbor, the lighted J.P. Luby Fishing Pier or the bulkheads that surround the park.

It’s also a great place for soccer players, boat enthusiasts and even dolphin-watchers to pass the time in Port Aransas.

The bulkhead-lined perimeter of the park doubles as a pedestrian trail.

Roberts Point Park has public restrooms and other improvements the City of Port Aransas has made recently.

The Tom and Corabelle Keeler observation tower provides an excellent spot for watching ship traffic and the dolphins frolicking in the ship channel as they lead the ships in and out of the channel -- watch for them at the water line at the bow (front) of the ships.

Also in the park, a picnic pavilion offers shaded tables adjacent to washer toss, shuffleboard lanes, and a bocce court (equipment can be rented for a refundable deposit at the nearby harbormaster’s office). There’s a special space for horseshoes, a basketball slab and plenty of space for playing volleyball, baseball or running races.

The nearby playground with all the requisite equipment is a favorite spot for children.

Roberts Point Park is to the left as you exit the ferry ramps in Port Aransas.