Port Aransas ยท Old town, near the harbor
The Tarpon Inn
Founded in 1886 in an old barracks; the main building is a 1925 rebuild after the 1919 hurricane, and FDR fished for tarpon here in 1937.
- Built
- 1925Current main building rebuilt after the 1919 hurricane by James M. Ellis (NRHP significant year 1925; Ellis bought the inn in 1923). The inn itself dates to 1886, when Frank Stephenson opened it in a former barracks.
- Architect
- James M. Ellis (builder/owner)
- Type
- Inn
- Area
- Old town, near the harbor
- Credentials
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The story
Boat pilot and assistant lighthouse keeper Frank Stephenson opened an inn here in 1886 in an old barracks and named it for the tarpon in nearby Gulf waters; Port Aransas was known for a time as ‘Tarpon’. The building burned in 1900 and the main structure was destroyed by the 1919 hurricane, and James M. Ellis rebuilt it to resemble the old barracks after buying it in 1923, setting pilings in concrete against future storms. President Franklin D. Roosevelt fished for tarpon here in 1937.
Good to know
- Pets welcome
- Address: 200 E Cotter Ave, Port Aransas, TX 78373
Sources (4)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.