Corpus Christi pulls out something special for the 40th anniversary of the original Top Gun — an eighties-themed outdoor screening right on the flight deck of the USS Lexington, with a decommissioned F-14 Tomcat standing by for photos. It's the kind of event that hits differently under an open Texas sky, surrounded by naval history and a crowd dressed for the decade that made aviator sunglasses iconic.
The drive down from Port Aransas takes about thirty minutes, leaving plenty of evening to spare — and when the credits roll, Beached Inn is waiting with the quiet of Cinnamon Shore, salt air rolling in off the Gulf, and a porch that makes every return feel like the best part of the day.