We stayed for two days at La Blonte Park in Corpus Christi. La Blonte Park is named after the two Nascar brothers, who were from Corpus Christi. This is a park that's earning it's keep! The park is nestled on the west side of a deep bend in the Nueces river. The river bend harbors an estuary, so the park serves as a park, camping area, local fishing hole, and a critical green space, which helps keep the estuary healthy.
Price: Free - if you don't mind a bit of a hassle. Corpus Christi allows people to camp for three nights, but you must have a permit. How do you get the permit? In person, at the Parks Department, which is on the 3rd floor of City Hall, which is a 30 minute drive from the park. Let's think about this for a moment, shall we? You have to drive an hour to enjoy a park designed to protect a natural resource. Um....
Dog Friendly: We would rate this park as only so-so when it comes to dogs. There is a lot of local traffic, and very little shade. Because this is a local fishing hole, we also would not let our dog into the water. I had to take a fishing hook out of a dog's paw once, and that's not an experience I want to repeat!
Motorcycle Friendly: The park is paved and the pavement was in good condition while we were there. Since this park often floods, we would recommend using caution anyway.
Cell Service/Wifi: Verizon was 4-5 bars, without a booster.
Amenities: There are quite a few picnic tables and benches. The park does have bathrooms, but these are currently closed. We've seen some pretty negative reviews because of the lack of facilities, but we understand the park is downstream from a dam, and has had several significant floods. Add in Hurricane Harvey, and we're sure Corpus Christi has their hands plenty full right now.
Getting There: Warning! The park is directly off of the highway, but we would strongly recommend taking the southbound exit. If you take the northbound exit, you will have to go under a low clearance area, while making a pretty sharp turn. We also suspect the heights posted may not be accurate, since the road slopes upward under the bridges. Definitely not RV friendly!
Local Stuff: The park is well-known for great fishing, and it's on the outskirts of Corpus Christi, so there is plenty to see and do in the area. There is also a Walmart about 10 minutes away.
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