For its first quarter-century, the Texas State Aquarium was a beloved staple in Corpus Christi as a place where people of all ages were able to learn about the coastal bays while beating the heat. But in 2017, everything changed.
With the opening of its $60 million Caribbean Journey expansion, the aquarium doubled its water capacity, staff and animal population.
“When [the aquarium] first opened, it was just the Gulf of Mexico building, and we all thought it was the most amazing thing ever,” former volunteer Jan Thornton said. “We eventually got other exhibits over the years, but the Caribbean Journey really put Corpus on the map. I saw the increase in tourism and foot traffic right after it opened.”
Thanks in part to that exhibit, the Texas State Aquarium has become known as the largest aquarium in Texas and one of the best in the country, earning spots in rankings by publications such as Texas Monthly and USA TODAY.
Having celebrated 36 years, the aquarium continues to cement its status as a national destination for marine conservation and tourism.
The start of the aquarium
In January 1978, the Corpus Christi Aquarium Association was formed. The nonprofit was started to help create an aquarium in the Coastal Bend after community members called for one.
Art Zeitler, a founding board member, said the board met with consultants, talked with specialists and visited other aquariums to gain inspiration.
The original master plan had four components: the aquarium itself, research and education, the Dolphin Bay exhibit and the Caribbean Journey exhibit.
After the board created a plan and budget, finding a site location proved to be the most difficult part, Zeitler said.
“We originally thought about being the size of the Corpus Christi Museum of Science & History, but realized we needed to be bigger than that,” Zeitler said.
After Hurricane Allen tore some buildings on North Beach in 1980, the board was able to purchase seven acres for the future site of the Texas State Aquarium. After years of community support, the aquarium opened on July 6, 1990.
Zeitler said the project cost about $30 million, which is more than $76 million today.
When it opened, the aquarium had one exhibit — the Gulf of Mexico building, which showed the marine life from Texas bays and estuaries.
Birth of the Caribbean Journey
Over the years, other exhibits and departments were created, including Otter Creek, the Wildlife Rescue Program and Dolphin Bay.
President and CEO Jesse Gilbert joined the aquarium as a biologist just after the Dolphin Bay exhibit opened in May 2003.
“Dolphin Bay was the catalyst for major growth of the aquarium,” Gilbert said. “From the early 2000s through about 2012, we were adding something new every single year. There was something always new happening.”
The Caribbean Journey exhibit was the last component of the original master plan left to be completed.
Gilbert said the aquarium started the first steps to build the new expansion in 2013. Four years later, it opened the $60 million, 71,000-square-foot project.
The Caribbean Journey brought the sights and sounds of the Yucatan Peninsula to Corpus Christi, including a 400,000-gallon H-E-B Sea Shark exhibit with a 68-foot tunnel display window — the largest in North America at the time.
The expansion changed the visitor experience by letting guests roam the ocean floor and then head up into a vibrant tropical canopy. The multi-level facility introduced immersive habitats including the Coral Reef, the Blue Hole, the Caribbean Jungle and the Caribbean Overlook.
The exhibit houses a collection of wildlife ranging from nurse sharks and stingrays to macaws and flamingos, allowing visitors an up-close look at ecosystems they might never have seen.
Thornton, who volunteered from 1990 to 2022, said that after the Caribbean Journey exhibit opened, she knew the aquarium had made a name for itself.
“When I first saw it, it was mind-boggling,” Thornton said. “When people go fish in Corpus Christi, you don’t see flamingos. The Caribbean Journey is a great place for people to take a break and view wildlife, while also learning a thing or two.”
‘Our job here is to teach people’
Since the opening of the Caribbean Journey, Gilbert said the aquarium averages 515,000 to 525,000 visitors annually.
Staying in the national top tier means guaranteeing the experience never feels stagnant for guests, Gilbert said. To keep visitors returning, the aquarium is preparing for several major upgrades, including a revamped habitat for its otters and a new interactive experience that will allow guests to swim alongside stingrays.
Its biggest upcoming undertaking expands its rescue mission beyond the state line.
Over the next four to five years, the aquarium will begin housing Florida manatees for rehabilitation amid a crisis in their native waters. Once recovered, the manatees will be returned to Florida, giving Corpus Christi visitors a rare opportunity to learn about the animals while providing relief to national conservation partners.
“Every time you come to the aquarium, you will see something new,” Gilbert said. “It’s not a static space. People come here to have a good time with friends and family, but also to learn about wildlife, learn about the Coastal Bend and connect with each other.”
Since last volunteering in 2022, Thornton said it is heartwarming to see the aquarium continue to thrive all these years later.
She recalled a quote that used to hang in the foyer of the aquarium from oceanographer and filmmaker Jacques-Yves Cousteau: “We only protect what we love, we only love what we understand and we only understand what we are taught.”
“I always felt our job here is to teach people what’s out there and inspire them to protect it,” Thornton said. “If people don’t know about the beautiful animals living in our bay, they won’t protect them. We have to be the ones to lead them, and I think the aquarium will continue to do so.”
John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Have a story idea? Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: How a top nationwide aquarium sprouted in Corpus Christi’s backyard
Reporting by John Oliva, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By John Oliva, Corpus Christi Caller Times | USA TODAY Network
