Things to Do

Texas Surf Museum Features a Part of Lone Star State History Often Overlooked

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Hang 10 at the Texas Surf Museum in Corpus Christi, where many an artifact narrates the history of the sport of surfing and how it’s closely connected to the state of Texas. Opening in 2005, the museum boasts the stories of thousands of Texan surfers who are as dedicated and talented at the sport as any throughout the world.

Texas Surf Museum Features A Part of Lone Star State History Often Overlooked

Photo: Flickr/Justin Jensen

Home to a variety of classic surfboards, some of which date back to the 1960s, this 2,500-square-foot museum also holds reproductions of boards from the 1930s and 1940s, pen/ink surf art by Rick Griffin, and original surfing movie posters. Visitors can also listen to a soundtrack of surfing songs from such collectible artists as The Beach Boys, Dick Dale, and The Ventures. Legendary lifeguard from Galveston, Leroy Colombo, is also featured in an exhibit on Texans that pioneered surfing, as well as Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz (both of whom were prominent in the sport in the 1930s and 1940s) who started in Galveston and wound up taking second place in the San Onofre Pacific Coast Surf Riding Championships held in California in 1941.

Texas Surf Museum Features A Part of Lone Star State History Often Overlooked

Photo: Facebook/Texas Surf Museum

Also featuring an exhibit on former Texas surf champion, Pat Magee, the museum has Pat to thank in part for its existence, having partnered with a Corpus Christi businessman to construct the project at 309 N. Water St. in the city. Visit the Texas Surf Museum, perhaps relax on a surfboard bench, view a surf-focused film in their projection theater, and enjoy the stories behind the stars of the sport (both old and young alike) in the many hundreds of pictures dedicated to their talent throughout the museum. For facility hours of operation, and a brief history, visit the museum’s website and catch the surfing craze in Texas!