Texas Now Magazine June 2015 | Page 10

matagorda matagorda C O U N T Y A FAMILY VACATION OF FUN AND DISCOVERY I f you’re looking for a great place to take your family this summer that includes great fishing, fun days at the beach, kayaking down the Colorado River, or just relaxing and taking in some rich historical ambiance, along with fine dining and shopping, then Matagorda has you covered. Relax and enjoy the friendly natives. You can stay in a motel or lodge, a historic bed and breakfast, rent an RV space or pitch a tent on the beach. Almost fifty-five miles in Matagorda County is the Gulf of Mexico’s shoreline. Twenty miles of beach is accessible by car and the remaining thirty-five miles by boat. The beach is a paradise isolated from much of the public and is a beachcomber’s dream. There are always treasures to discover. From driftwood, bottles, sand dollars and old Spanish coins, even petrified bones and fossils have been found. Matagorda is also full of history to discover. Back in the day when Mexico owned the land we now know as the State of Texas, the tiny coastal town of Matagorda was the third largest port in the territory. The Mexican government was worried that the French and Native American Indians would take over the territory, so in 1827 they hired Stephen F. Austin to bring colonists to the mouth of the 10 ✯ texas now & THE ARTS TAGE, EVENTS, HERI Get Your History On At TexasNOWmag.com