Chapel on the Dunes — Local services in Port Aransas

We took the free tour of the chapel that occurs on 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month. Sign up at Port Aransas Museum; our tour had 20+people. Meet at the museum at 9:15am, the tour starts with a presentation on the history and a short video. Our guide, Ms. JB Smith was excellent, you can tell she loves telling people about the chapel, about Aline Carter who commissioned the chapel and John Cobb the painter of the chapel. The chapel is not far from the museum, the group followed each other in cars, bicycles or golf carts. There is a small parking lot. The site is picturesque with a short walk up a path to the chapel. Once in the chapel, Ms. Smith gave us a thorough presentation of the art, the restoration and interesting stories of the artist, the Carter family and surrounding neighborhood. As far as the art goes, don’t expect the Sistine Chapel…we kind of wondered what pharmaceuticals the artist took when he painted the interior! It was the 70’s after all when he painted it. The overall tour took about 2hrs, you are allowed to linger a bit and ask questions. Overall an interesting part of the history of the island. Well worth the time. Be sure to...

It's beautiful, inside and out and there's an interesting history. I recommend you opt into the tour given by the Port Aransas Museum (read the local paper/website about dates and times). The tour starts out at the Museum where they show you a short video about the chapel. Then you take a short drive to 11th Ave and Ave B. The chapel is there on the corner on top of the dunes. If you don't go with the tour all you can see it's the outside of the chapel.

It is not what I expected at all. First of all it isn't close to the ocean, it's several blocks back. You can see the ocean from the chapel windows though. Second, the paintings are childlike and look almost like watercolors (thin and bright colors). I was expecting more like the Sistine chapel with recognizable figures and saturated colors. Still, it is quite beautiful and moving.

With a guide you get to hear stories about the Carter family and how the chapel has been used while you look around. It was a very nice experience and this is a place I would probably bring visitors...

In order to walk and see inside this beautiful Chapel make sure to contact the Port Aransas Museum to reserve your spot the day before the tour as space is limited. Tours are held on the 1st & 3rd Saturdays starting at the museum then moving to the Chapel. The tour is free of charge but I'm sure they would be more than happy to accept a donation if you were so inclined.

We were there on a non tour day.....

You can visit and wiew the exterior anytime but please be respectful of the property and its neighbors. It is very beautiful and serene, sitting...