The FDR Suite at The Tarpon Inn

Tarpon Inn

After checking in, registering, and paying, we haul our suitcases up the outside staircase of the one-hundred-and-forty-five-year-old Tarpon Inn in Port Aransas.

Michael carries our large suitcase plus the computer and another small bag. I drag my one small rolling suitcase — heavy with what I consider necessities — up the old wooden staircase. It is a thump thump, BUMP, thump thump, all the way up.

Inserting the key into the old-fashioned lock, Michael opens the door to the FDR Suite and says, “Welcome home.”

Given a choice when laying my head somewhere other than my own bed, I will always search for and normally choose — if available — old and historic charm. We stayed in the FDR Suite last Thanksgiving, and I fell in love with it; filled with antiques, reproductions, and photographs of the past, it keeps me busy for hours just looking and imagining.

Inside the FDR Suite at the Tarpon Inn

The living room and bedroom are beyond spacious; there is enough room in the bedroom to waltz with your partner — if anyone remembers how to do that these days. I wish I did. And — on the off chance you want to bring friends, children, or grandchildren — against one wall in the living room is a trundle bed. The bathroom is old-fashioned and spacious and the small kitchen is serviceable, containing all of the necessities. In the light and bright dining room, graced with three walls of windows, there is a large round oak table with chairs.

Beyond the bedroom’s double French doors is a more than adequately sized, covered balcony where one can watch the sunrise each morning. Then there is the pièce de résistance — the upper veranda that goes on forever and is filled with pristine white rockers. I could sit here every day watching the world go by — massive tankers, as well as pleasure boats, make continuous treks up and down the Intracoastal waterways of Texas while bicycles, golf carts, and the ubiquitous Texas pick-up cruise the street beneath me.

Dream a Little Dream with Me…

Unpacked and ready to absorb my surroundings, I find Michael in a rocker; an ice-cold martini is waiting for me along with a bowl of salty flavorful potato chips to share. I am where I want to be; I’m back near the sun and sand, seagulls and pelicans, crashing waves, and calm seas. The old and historic, the tattered and torn — with no obligations but to dream

History of the Tarpon Inn

During one of many daily explorations, we bumped into a couple who call Port Aransas their second home. A discussion ensued about storms and the horrible damage Hurricane Harvey wreaked on this area several years ago. My one thought was how did the venerable Tarpon Inn weather that storm? It called for a little research.

Built in 1886 with surplus lumber from Civil War barracks, it was first used to house workers for the Port Aransas south jetty. After work was completed on the jetty, the building became a hotel and has been one ever since.

Due to a series of disasters in the early 20th Century—fires, hurricanes, and tidal waves—the main building was rebuilt; this time with major reinforcements against future storms. Pilings were placed in concrete, with the ends extending up through the entire structure into the attic. Because of the protected shelter it offers, the Tarpon Inn has housed many area residents during storms over the years. It has also served as headquarters for the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and Military units.

In 1979, the Tarpon Inn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.