Field Guides
Beeville, Texas
(Bee COUNTY)
Rich ranching history where wildflowers meet South Texas heritage.
Highlights
Bee County sits in the heart of Texas’ Coastal Plains region, where weather and animals dominate life. Beeville, a city of about 14,000, is the county seat and only incorporated town or city in the county. The remaining approximately 17,000 residents live in places with populations under 900. Thus, rural is a fair description. For typical sightseeing, Beeville is your one-stop in the county. Tourism consists mainly of hunters or beachgoers on their way to or back from Corpus Christi, Rockport, and Port Aransas.
Beeville punches above its weight for culture and has been recognized as both a Texas and a National Main Street city. The public art collection is impressive, and the downtown buildings retain their early 20th-century character.
Chase Field closed in 1992, but before then, 40 years of naval aviators had passed through Beeville for training. Thousands of flyboys have a special place in their hearts for this small, south Texas city. Theoretically, Maverick would have stopped here before getting the keys to his F-18.
The Bee County Courthouse
The Bee County Courthouse was built in 1912 in a beaux-arts style. A golden Lady Justice stands at the pinnacle over a terra cotta dome and a working clock. The structure is impressive but difficult to photograph without a drone based on the mature trees that crowd the courthouse square. Of interest is the rather cool-looking A4 Skyhawk jet in static display, paying homage to all those Navy flyboys who trained at Chase Field.
Things To See And Do
Across the street from the courthouse is the Rialto Theater, which served as the flagship location for the 22-theater chain, mostly in South Texas. The 1930s renovation of that building in an Art Deco style is eye-catching, although it is no longer in pristine shape.
The Beeville Art Museum is an impressive facility with permanent and rotating exhibits and activities. It is well beyond what one would expect in this size town and is a do-not-miss, particularly if you are interested in local flavor. The Simon Michael Art Gallery at Coastal Bend College often exhibits work by up-and-coming artists.
Birding is huge in the coastal plains, and Beeville is a hotspot. Of course, some people just want to spot them, and others want to shoot and eat them. To each their own. Quail, dove, and duck hunting are big in Bee County, as is the desire for white-tail deer, hogs, and turkey. Most hunting is by private lease. For a guided hunt, try Triple C Ranch or Bar J Ranch Outfitters.
There is great fishing virtually all around Beeville, particularly on the coast. Check out the Aransas County and Nueces County field guides for more details on coastal fishing. For freshwater fishing, the closest prime location is Lake Corpus Christi in neighboring San Patricio County. To pull gilled creatures out of the water in Bee County from other than a private stock pond, you are probably going to be on the Aransas River or Medio Creek. Big O’s guide service works out of Beeville, and if you want accurate local intel or local guiding, call him at (361) 318-7219.
Back to Maverick for a second. Although Chase Field no longer trains Navy aviators, there is still the need for speed. Every March and October, the Chase Field runway is put to good use for the Texas Mile. How fast can your vehicle turn a mile? Plenty of people come to answer that eternal question.
Food, Drinks, and Music (Eat Local!)
For date night in Beeville, it is probably Beeville Steakhouse. Lunch might mean sandwiches or salad at Steam and Spoon Cafe (no social media but a stream of good reviews across all the rating sites), Elder’s Country Store & Market (an old-time grocery store with a deli bar serving lunch specials), Uncommon Market (also breakfast and coffee spot). Box of Chocolates serves lunch. It has a limited menu, but it looks amazing. Box of Chocolates: As the name suggests, it has sweet treats you can have in-store or take with you.
Sammy’s Burgers and Brew claims to have the best burgers in town, while The Dinner Belle serves traditional Texas comfort food. Barbecue has several contenders in The Ranch House BBQ, Kino’s BBQ and Catering, and The Bomb BBQ.
Tex-Mex is the traditional strong point of South Texas cuisine. Beeville is no exception, with lots to choose from. Every single one of them has locals saying it is the best. We give up. El Jardin,
Mezcal de Jalisco (no social), Cancun de Jalisco, La Tequila Jalisco, La Herradura Mexican,
Taqueria Chapala, Taqueria Vallarta, El Rincon de Jalisco, and Jalisco Mexico Taqueria (no social).
You have three choices for Italian and better pizza: Roma’s Italian, La Linea Wine Bar, or Pizzarriffic. Improbably, two Filipino restaurants get high marks—either Rose’s Filipino or Beeville Pancit.
If you are in Beeville for the weekend, one great way to spend a Friday or (and?) Saturday evening is at the tasting room for the Coastal Bend Distilling Company. Coastal Bend is widely recognized as the top of the heap for South Texas. If you fancy vodka, gin, whiskey, rum, or agave, Coastal Bend has something for you. Other night spots are sports-oriented, with Scores Bar & Grill, Club Cowboyz, and Riverbend Sports Bar & Grill only a block apart.
Where To Drop A Dime (Shop Local!)
We already mentioned A Box of Chocolates. You do not have to eat lunch there to enjoy the treats. Or if you must, give them to someone special.
Women’s clothing to impress at Beautiful Babes, or Bella’s Cottage. For gifts and pampering in addition to the clothes, try A Perfect Fit or The Wicker Basket.
Antiques and vintage come from Full Circle Village and Country Roads Antiques (restoration services also).
Bee is for Books is a nice independent bookstore and coffee shop in a renovated space. Maybe you should search for that beach read on the way to the coast?
At The Crossing Boutique covers women, men, and kids in style.
Finally, we loved Hogue’s Jewelry for its stately presentation and sense of tradition. If you have a lot of dimes to drop, they will take care of you.
Special Places to Lay Your Head (Stay Local!)
VRBO, Air B’n B, or hunting lodge is definitely the way to go here.
For the Professional Traveller (Campgrounds and RV Parks)
Beeville and Bee County do not have many RV Parks, but the coastal counties are awash in them. So, if nothing hits home below, look at the guides for Nueces, Aransas, or San Patricio counties for more options.
The Texas Rose RV Park (Beeville)
Beeville RV Park (Beeville)
Moore Like Home RV Park (Beeville)
Twin Oaks RV Park (Beeville)
Special Events
The Texas Mile is a unique event each March and October for those who want to see how fast their car or other cars can go.
The livestock show is held in January of each year.
The biggest shindig is Western Week, which occurs the first week of October. Western Week organizers have always had an eye for talent. George Strait and Reba McEntire were headliners right before they became mega-stars.
Fore! (Golf Courses)
There are two options, one public and one you need to know somebody about. Both are nine-hole courses with differing tee setups. John Beasley Municipal Golf Course is the municipal, and Beeville Country Club is fully private. Both have great reputations for smaller facilities.
Getting to Bee County
Bee County sits in the lower “hook” of Texas, about 50 miles northeast of Corpus Christi. Beeville is at the intersection of SH 181 (north/south) and SH 59 (east/west). The nearest interstate is I-37, which is about 15 miles to the east. More broadly, Beeville is approximately four hours southeast of the state’s geographic center in Brady, Texas.
Flying to Beeville via major carrier can be done by flying to Corpus Christi, served by United, American, and Southwest, or San Antonio, which is an hour and a half from Beeville, probably 45 minutes more than Corpus Christi but with more flight options. Smaller craft can land directly in Beeville, either at Chase Field or a municipal airport.
History
6,000 to 10,000 years ago, Bee County was inhabited by Skidi Pawnees, who left arrowheads near Sulphur Creek. The Karankawas, who settled along the shorelines, were the first Natives to have contact with the Europeans. At the same time, the Lipan Apaches and Borrados were nomadic and hunted the more southwestern portion of the region.
In 1789, Carlos Martínez was granted land in exchange for service to the king for killing an Apache chief. A few years later, settlers came to this area, including Mexican Empresario Martin De León, who established a ranch in 1805 near Aransas, and others who received Mexican land grants. It wasn’t until Irish immigrants sailed to the Bee County area near Aransas in 1826 that they established the first permanent Anglo settlement. Three years later, in 1829, Irish women and children arrived to join their loved ones and build the community of Corrigan. Bee County, named for Bernard E. Bee, chief negotiator of Texas Independence, was officially formed in 1857, shortly after the “Cart War,” which had erupted due to racial sentiments against Mexican teamsters or “Carters,” as they were then called.
Despite racial conflicts, Bee County relied heavily upon ranching income and the cowboy culture. As a result, few enslaved people were in this part of the region, and the Civil War had little effect on the county. Though some men enlisted in the Confederate cause and the economy experienced a downturn, it recovered by the early 1870s. While many post-war ranches to the west were moving their cattle along the Chisholm trail, ranchers in Bee County had only to drive their cattle as far as Rockport and Fulton, in nearby Aransas County, where hide and tallow plants were springing up. Sheep ranching saw a brief uptick, but this only lasted until 1910.
Large-scale farming of corn and oats began to increase in the 1880s, with the opening of an Agricultural Experimental Station in Beeville in 1887. As a result, local farmers started to thrive. The completion of the San Antonio Aransas Pass Railway served to open more markets and brought an influx of settlers to the area. In addition to the successes in farming, livestock raising also increased. By the 1930s, most of the population was white, and tenant farmers operated most of the land. The Great Depression hit this area hard as many farmers fell victim to the prices of agricultural products, and by 1940, fewer than half of them had remained on the farms.
The discovery of oil and gas in the early 1940s offset some of the losses from the Depression. This period also brought the building of necessary military installations due to WWII, and the economy turned around. In 1954, the first U.S. Navy all-jet base opened, known as Chase Naval Air Station or Chase Field. When the base closed in the 1990s, Chase Field was converted into an Industrial Complex, leading the way for more agribusinesses to open.
Today, principal crops include grain, sorghum, corn, and wheat. The local economy continues to rely upon oil and gas extraction, and several petroleum plants have been built there.
The first schools in the area opened in 1858; today, 11.5% of the population holds a bachelor’s degree or higher, significantly below the state average. Median household income follows suit at just over $50,000 annually, again below the state average. As with many Texas counties, residents favored Democratic candidates in national campaigns. A change in voting habits began to favor Republican candidates and interests after 1972, with the election of Richard M. Nixon. Despite the lean towards Republicans in state and national elections, Democrats consistently hold a majority in local government. Bee County’s population as of the 2020 census was 30,850. Of this number, 60.2% are Hispanic, 29.7% are white and non-Hispanic, and nearly 10 % are black or mixed race, reflecting the rich diversity and inclusivity of the community.
Bee County is proud of its accomplished citizens, including early football great Byron Bradfute of the Dallas Cowboys, MLB catcher Edward Kenneth Tabensee of the Indians, Astros, and Reds, and Texas musician Santiago Almeida.
Primary Sources:
Texas State Historical Society
Primary Sources:
OTHER: PETTUS