If you haven’t made your spring break plans just yet, consider a trip to the Texas Gulf Coast.
Six months after Hurricane Harvey, the idyllic fishing and beach towns are open for business and ready for tourists, according to valleycentral.com.
No matter the weather in Port Aransas, you always feel the warmth of “island time.”
“Port A is coming back,” says Kim Winton.
Her store, Winton’s Island Candy, is still as sweet as ever. But there’s a bitter memory now: The water line now marked in paint on the front door.
The Winton family took a sea of destruction and restored it to perfection in a jaw-dropping two months.
“To actually physically see it, it was devastating,” Winton says with tears welling in her eyes at the memory. “We have several customers that order lots and lots of candy at Christmas. They were a blessing. So we had to get open for them. We had to get open for the customers and the community.”
Now, they’re preparing for a make-or-break spring break.
“We feel like the worst thing that could happen is everybody comes and we’re not prepared,” says Kim’s husband Mark Winton.
Port Aransas, with its nearly $400 million dollar economy, was having a record year until Harvey hit.
Six months later, it’s a new day in Port A.
“We’re maybe going to look a little fresher. We just have a whole new approach to appreciating our visitors because I will tell you, we miss them,” says Jeff Hentz from the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce.
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