Explore Corpus Christi with Photographer Tara Kerzhner | Texas: Spirit & Soul - Gulf Coast | Nat Geo

I'm Tara Kirshner. I shoot photos all over the world, and I've been blown away by what I've seen so far on my first trip to Texas. I've paddled canyons, hiked through history, and photographed stars in one of the darkest skies in the country. After two incredible days, I decide to head down to Corpus Christi. But before I do, I want to make a quick stop in the charming little town of Marathon and check out its iconic attraction, the Gage Hotel. The Gage Hotel is very West Texas, built in 1927 by local ranching tycoon Alfred Gage, who owned half a million acres of prime grazing land. You can really tell that it's been there since the 1920s. There's a lot of history on the walls. I feel like I'm stepping into a movie. Oh wow, this is cool. Marathon and the surrounding area are rich in art and culture, and I found the same spirit at the Gage Hotel, like this art installation I found just outside, where even the smallest details tell a bigger story. It's the kind of place I love to shoot. I could have just stayed there all day taking pictures. I'm ready to eat, so I head over to the V6 coffee shop and order the migas. Thank you. You're welcome, they're your migas, enjoy. A local specialty with eggs, cheese, pico, and tortilla, all mixed together. Tex-Mex food is my jam. Literally, put anything in a tortilla and I'm happy. How was everything? It was amazing, thank you so much. Yeah, migas are very popular here. I bet, are you from here? Yes, born and raised, yes we are. Wow, one of the things I noticed is that the art scene here is unreal. Has it always been like that? I feel like it recently just kind of took over, kind of here, Alpine Marfa area. I'm obsessed. I walk like three feet and take a photo, and three more feet and take a photo. Awesome. Here for it. Well, thank you for coming and safe travels to Corpus. Thank you. My next stop, Corpus Christi. My adventure here starts at sunrise. Here on Padre Island, I'm meeting January from Horse House, and we're about to go ride horses on the beach. Hi, here we are. So beautiful. Thank you, nice to meet you. This is Levi and Yahtzee. Hi Levi, hi Yahtzee. Oh my gosh, it's so beautiful here. It's gorgeous, yeah. Do you mind if I take some photos? Not at all. Okay, do you mind if I take some photos? Being on this beach with these beautiful horses in a setting like this, I'm very lucky. Something I love about traveling is the people you meet. You learn so much about a place in the interactions you have with locals. North Padre Island, we're located on a barrier island. It's all sand, obviously. That's what that means, is all sand. All sand, all sand. But there's also the Lexington and the Texas State Aquarium and the local food. Right. So much, so much to do. It's so diverse. Yeah, we have a lot to offer, and I don't think people realize when they think about a Texas beach, white sand and miles of gorgeous beach. It really makes sense that seafood would be such a big part of the culinary culture. The gulf shrimp, that's the big thing. Yeah, gulf shrimp, I know. It definitely seems like all the birds are fishing also. They're out getting a snack too. South Texas and South Padre Island is known for its migratory board. It's one of the best places in the U.S. to see all the birds. You really get a sense of place when you're taking photos. That immersive feeling of being on the gulf is incredible. Oh my gosh, that was amazing. Thank you so much. Yes, I hope you come back and see us. I definitely will. Leaving Padre Island, Corpus Christi unfolds. Miles of beaches, open causeways, and a harbor that comes to life. And just beyond downtown is the trendy bar restaurant, The Mariner, where I'm about to meet Chef Eric, the man behind the gulf's boldest flavors. So what are some of your most popular dishes? I would have to say our smoked snapper dip, our coconut curry shrimp, and oysters on a half shell. Oh, very, very fresh. There are so many incredible flavors in Texas. What are your inspirations for these dishes? Oh, we have Tex-Mex, we have Creole, we have Cajun, you know, so I just like to mix a bit of everything and try to keep it fresh. Chef Eric's cooking is a real draw for the locals. They flock to The Mariner for their amazing food and their amazing cocktails. Amazing. And a pisco sour is exactly what I need while I wait for the main event. Gotta make it pretty. That's beautiful. Thank you, thank you. Wow. Just get a bit. So here's our coconut curry shrimp. Wow. Gulf smoked snapper dip, and then our locally sourced oysters. That looks incredible. There's something magical about eating something that was caught fresh on the gulf. The flavors are so bold and bright. I feel like I can taste the chef's passion for his food in every bite. Oh my God. I feel like I could just eat that with a spoon. Yes. Is the snapper caught like right out here? Yes, yes it is, it's gulf snapper. If you're interested, we can go out on the gulf tomorrow and I can show you exactly where all this wonderful seafood comes from. Yeah. I would love to do that. Great, great. Hey Eric. Hey. Man, yesterday was so great. It's so good to see you. Are you ready to go sailing? Heck yeah. Let's do it. I am so excited for today. Man, I saw someone kite surfing. Oh yes, yes. There's lots of kite surfing down here. Paddle boarding, kayaking, beach combing. I mean, there's all sorts of stuff to do down here in Corpus Christi. So here we are. Oh wow, this is the boat? This is the boat. Wow, so vibrant. Hey guys. How's it going? Captain Miles. Hey, I'm Tara. It's so nice to meet you. Y'all welcome aboard. Come on up. Oh, thank you. Make your way to the bow. Thank you, sir. As we head out onto the gulf, I'm looking back and seeing the coast and seeing Corpus Christi. I love shooting on the water, showing the movement and the energy of it and seeing the light as it glides over the reflections in the waves. There's an ever-present beauty you can see and feel. Hey, there's a dolphin in the water, guys. We're right in front. What? Oh, they're out there. Where? Right out there. Oh my God. Yeah. Okay, nobody told me that there were dolphins. What? Oh my God. So cool. So do you ever get out here on the water with your family or fishing or anything like that? I do every chance I get, you know. I mean, it just seems like it shapes so much of the culture here. It really does. It shapes how people live and eat and just live their everyday lives. You know, it's been just like so incredible to experience such diverse landscapes across the state. I think it's just cool to see so much change in such a short period of time. I agree. Going from Big Bend and like the towering walls and huge rock formations and just imagining, you know, the waters that we're on right now were the waters that shaped Big Bend, you know, and that all of those fossils, that's literally where they were was underwater. It's cool to see the whole scope of it. Like what an epic trip this has been. You really lose track of time when you're out here. When you get a really good sunset, it just feels like a magical experience. I know I'm taking like a thousand photos, but I can't stop, you know. I mean, this is just like. Yeah. Unreal. It's awesome out here. I wish this sunset could last forever, but eventually the day does have to come to a close. It's been an incredible trip to Texas. Truly amazing. The people, the landscapes, the culture. I feel like I've only scratched the surface of everything that Texas has to offer. I'm definitely coming back.