Museums of Port Isabel

The tiny town of Port Isabel in Deep South Texas is steeped in history. As one of Texas’ oldest towns, Port Isabel served as a strategic port during both the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. Over the last decade or so, Port Isabel has begun to showcase its history. At the center of this movement have been the Museums of Port Isabel.

The Museums of Port Isabel are actually three separate facilities – the Historic Port Isabel Museum, Treasures of the Gulf Museum and the Point Isabel Lighthouse. The Historic Port Isabel Museum showcases the area’s history from Native American times to modern day, while the Treasures of the Gulf Museum features the three Spanish shipwrecks of 1554, which occurred in the nearhshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The Point Isabel Lighthouse is a piece of history in itself, having played an important role in the area since its construction in 1852. All three locations are adjacent to each other, making viewing all three at once as easy as walking across the street.

The Museums are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The Point Isabel Lighthouse grounds are open to the public seven days a week. However, admittance into the lighthouse structure is only available during operating hours, which are Sunday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. during the summer. The Lighthouse is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. the remainder of the year.