We’ve been touring the USS Lexington for years, and during each visit we learn something new about this incredible aircraft carrier that participated in World War II! The ship is now a permanent museum in Corpus Christi Bay, but while you’re deep inside the ship, you can just imagine how it felt to be out for months, living on the ocean!
Thank You to the USS Lexington to inviting us out for a terrific day aboard the ship and museum! My dad saw the world from aboard the Lexington’s sister ship, the USS Saratoga, and I’m so proud that the Lexington was preserved, and avoided the Saratoga’s fate at a scrapyard! 
Know Before You Go
Parking is $3.50/car for all day.
Wear comfortable shoes, because you’re going to do plenty of walking and climbing up and down stairs!
Don’t forget sunscreen! There’s a lot to see on the top deck, and it gets hot during the summer! If you can, arrive early and do it first!
Click HERE for a $! off coupon.
Allow plenty of time for your visit! I originally planned to start early, do the Lexington in the morning, have lunch at Pier 99, then walk over to the Texas State Aquarium in the afternoon! We spent all day on the Lexington! We changed our plans and spent the night at the funky new Hotel Deville, rode the ferris wheel and had a great dinner at Fajitaville, played on North Beach and then did the Texas State Aquarium the next day!
The USS Lexington is located on Corpus Christi’s North Beach. It’s a long walk up the ramp, but if you wait a few minutes, a shuttle will come pick you up!
It’s hard to understand just how large all the working parts are on the ship, until you’re standing next to them!
The Hangar Deck has many attractions, and some fun photo ops! The 3D Mega Theater, Flight Simulator, cafe and gift shop are also located on this level!
The Battle of the Coral Sea was a battle between the US and Japan during WW II. It was during this battle that the USS Lexington, the fourth ship with this name, was hit and sunk. The aircraft carrier now known as the USS Lexington was under construction at the time, and the name was changed to the USS Lexington! I always think it makes a visit like this more interesting if we read up on a few of the exhibits, first. Click HERE to read more from Wikipedia!
Each level has a different tour, which you can take on your own! You’ll get to see the officers quarters, machinery of the ship, galley, engine room and much more!
Flight Deck
We spent most of our time on the Flight Deck, because it’s just SO amazing! My youngest loves planes, too, so we had to read everything about each of them!
The guns on the ship are HUGE!
While on the Flight Deck, look over the side into the water! The cannonball jellyfish were in bloom, a term used to describe a large concentration of them, usually tied to migration or mating times, and it was fun to watch the green sea turtles swim up to take a bite out of them! These cannonball, or often called cabbagehead jellies, are relatively harmless and you’ll see people out wade fishing and swimming among them!
It’s thrilling to be on the Flight Deck, but can you imagine be here during storms, a surging sea, a rocking boat, planes landing and taking off and NO fence keeping you from falling over? Incredible!
The Volunteers really bring the ship to life with incredible stories of World War II! If you can, don’t miss one of their presentations, which often include the kids in the telling! My kids loved it!
Overnights!
As a cub scout, my son spent the night on the USS Lexington during a HUGE Scout event! They had the best time touring the ship, eating in the galley, hearing ghost stories and then sleeping on the ship!
Halloween
Each October, the ship tells it’s own ghost story!
Things To Do in Corpus Christi
Play
The Texas State Aquarium is a world-class aquarium with amazing exhibits and animals from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean!
North Padre Island National Seashore offers so many amazing activities, from windsurfing lessons and rentals, star parties and sea turtle hatchling releases! Click HERE to read more!
Watch the Houston Astros minor league baseball team, the Corpus Christi Hooks at Whataburger Field! Click HERE for more information!
Explore the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History! Click HERE to read more!
Marinaville is owned by Fajitaville and the Hotel Deville, and has kayak and paddleboard rentals and a lighted fishing pier! Click HERE to read more!
Eat
Again, we loved Fajitaville, which has a ferris wheel for the kids, and serves breakfast Thursday – Sunday!
Stay
Located next to Fajitaville is the Hotel Deville, which has bike rentals, too! Click HERE to read more!
USS Lexington
2914 N Shoreline Blvd, Corpus Christi
Click HERE to visit their website.
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
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