Austin to Cinnamon Shore

An afternoon down the coastal bend to Mustang Island, second year running.

8 stops · 242 mi · Sep 15, 2026

My wife and I drove from Austin down to Cinnamon Shore on a Tuesday afternoon in early September. We left around 1:30pm and pulled in a little before 7pm. Similar drive to what we did last year, but avoiding San Antonio in favor of some country roads.

This is the first road trip on the site: the small towns, the gas station finds, and the bridge over the bay.

1. Northwest Austin

Sep 15, 2026

Where the drive started, up in the hills off 360.

H-E-B storefront under a grey sky, red canopy and big red letters over a glass wall, a green SUV parked in front and the Texas Backyard garden center to the side

Modern H-E-B with a sweeping orange roofline and a green and yellow geometric entrance under a bright blue sky with puffy clouds

2. H-E-B on South Congress

Sep 15, 2026

First stop: the big HEB at South Congress to load up on goodies. Chips, dips, fruit, and pre-made meals rounded out the majority of the haul.

Wide small town main street with low brick storefronts, ornate street lamps, and a banner reading Kenedy on the corner building — The town of Kenedy as viewed through the windshield

Two lane highway seen through a windshield, dry grass and a fence on one side, a lone live oak on the horizon — The road into town.

Weathered two story house with a clay tile roof and arched entry, half hidden by trees, beside a traffic signal and an empty street — A weathered house I liked. Seemed significant, but I could not find anything about it online.

3. Kenedy

Sep 15, 2026

The town of Kenedy. It grew up around the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway in 1886 on land that Mifflin Kenedy bought, and started life as Kenedy Junction. In the early 1900s, bar patrons on South First Street shot at passing trains often enough that the place picked up the nickname Six Shooter Junction.

White wind turbine towering over a dark plowed field, with dozens of smaller turbines lined up along the horizon under a clear blue sky

4. Wind turbine

Sep 15, 2026

One turbine right up against the road with a whole field of them running off to the horizon behind and in front.

Pegboard wall hung with rows of Pokémon trading card booster packs and blister packs, orange price tags on each hook — Assorted Pokemon booster packs for $15-ish!

Hand holding a glass bottle of bright red Grandpa Joe's Ketchup Soda over a tile floor — Ketchup soda. Crazy flavor. Did not get it, but I should have.

Cooler shelf of glass soda bottles, two red Kool-Aid Soda Tropical Punch bottles in front and orange ones behind — Kool-Aid soda. Never seen that before.

Green bag of coriander flavor Doritos held over a car console with a green can and a Snyder's pretzel pieces bag in the cupholder — Coriander-flavored Doritos, lime Liquid Death, and honey mustard and onion pretzel pieces.

Three story tan hotel with boarded and blanked out windows behind a fence, empty concrete lot in front — An old, abandoned hotel of some kind right next door. Looked kind of eerie.

5. Mathis gas station

Sep 15, 2026

We stopped for snacks at the Speedy Express #38 gas station in Mathis. I was surprised to see the array of Pokémon card merch - nearly all the latest booster packs and more! They also had some rare, international treats/flavors so we had to stock up. I got some Coriander Doritos which were really good (and a bit spicy) while my wife got Kimbap-flavored Lays. They had other interesting candy and soda flavors including a ketchup-flavored soda.

View through a windshield of a divided causeway crossing open water, with the arch of the bridge ahead and a pickup truck in the next lane — Bridge view from the car.

Flat hazy water of the Laguna Madre seen over a concrete barrier from the passenger window, low land on the far horizon — The Laguna Madre as we drive over.

6. JFK Causeway

Sep 15, 2026

The JFK Memorial Causeway carries Park Road 22 out of Flour Bluff and across the Laguna Madre to North Padre Island.

Straight two lane road running to a flat horizon, tall grass and power lines on the left, low dunes on the right

7. The island road north

Sep 15, 2026

Heading up the island toward Cinnamon Shore. This is the scenery I remember most from last year's drive: flat and marshy with not much else.

8. Cinnamon Shore

Sep 15, 2026

Pulled into Cinnamon Shore North on Mustang Island just before close at 7:00 pm.