Port Isabel Historical Museum

"Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 my grandkids & I had requested from the museum, a virtual tour. The grandchildren are 6 and 9 years old and they LOVE museums. I sent a request through their website and got a near-immediate response from Marketing Director, Valerie Bates. My husband & I live in Port Isabel 3-4 months a year, and each October, my daughter & her family come to this little gem of an area during their Fall break. Except this year mostly because we have a May trip scheduled for attending the 100th anniversary of our family's horse, Black Gold, winning the 1924 Kentucky derby. Both trips couldn't be managed. But in visiting them just this past September, they were telling me they were so sad that they couldn't come and just didn't know what they would do during Fall Break. One of the activities they requested in a previous visit was to go to the Nevada State Museum. We did just that and truly, I've really never seen anything like it. They were like little docents...they knew the facts and wanted to show their grandmother the ENTIRE museum. I told the visitors' desk attendant as I was being drug from one side to the other, "you really need to hire these two kids!" Relaying this to my daughter, she said, "amazing, they've only been there once." Well, every time my husband & I have visited Port Isabel on our annual trek to our home in Port Isabel, we've been intrigued by the building, and have always said we wanted to visit it. So, upon leaving the grandkids with hopes dashed about what they would do the next week while they were off, I decided to call the Port Isabel Historic Museum and just see what the possibility was of accomplishing a virtual visit. Valerie was super enthusiastic and I could immediately tell she was up for the challenge. She literally had a couple of days to figure out how to make this happen. And she did! While there is much to see here, especially if you are intrigued with the prospects of sunken treasure, Valerie made the shipwreck come to life for the kiddos! From what I could tell, they loved it and Valerie was so accommodating to our needs! Great job and many thanks for following through AND making it so much fun for the children. They will be visiting in person in Oct. 2024! They were so inspired, that they went on a treasure hunt on their property in Reno today as a follow up activity! Please support this museum by visiting!"

"This is a pretty small museum that mostly gives you insight into the history of the Port Isabel area. Most kids would probably be bored here pretty quickly. Ours are 13 and 10 and we've raised them to be nerds so they didn't get bored. It's worth a visit if you want to learn more about Port Isabel."

"They do a lot in a small space. To get the full effect there is a lot of reading of informational signs. It did strongly focus on the history as related to the european decedent's of the area. The veterans did include a number of those of Hispanic decent."

"Cool little museum. A great place, if you're interested in history, to learn about early Port Isabel, TX. It's across the street from the lighthouse and at one end of the bridge to South Padre Island."

"When your last name is Champion you enjoy a Champion museum! You could spend a short visit or hours in this two story museum. Lots to read and see, from Port Isabel history, wars, etc. Very interesting and only $4 for adults."