The history of the United States has been a short but highly eventful one. And it could be said, perhaps, that the rapid growth of the United States was and is down to the fact that it is a nation built on dreams. From Manifest Destiny to Martin Luther King, dreams have always been important to the American way of life.

A great place to see the realization of the American dream is the south-eastern state of Texas. Although having not always been part of the US (it’s famously been governed under the flags of six separate countries), Texas has always been part of the American dream. The original colonial belief in Manifest Destiny was based on the idea that it was the fate of the new land to stretch united from west coast to east, and reach down to the natural border with Mexico - the Rio Grande River in Texas.

Even before it became part of the US, Texas played a key role in American history. And since 1845, when it officially became one of the United States, is has become somewhat of a tradition for Texas to embody the ideals of America – so from its economic boom in the early 1900s (due to the discovery of vast oil fields – the largest in the country) to its moon-race winning NASA control centre in Houston, Texas has played an integral part in its nation’s history.

As well as being an important place in American history, Texas is also an area of outstanding natural beauty, which includes forested mountains, canyons, deserts and rivers; which are dotted with old battlefields and colonial missions, and are home to wildlife such as black bears, mountains lions, roadrunners, and an array of carnivorous plants!

As well as three of the nation's largest cities (Houston, Austin and San Antonio), Texas is home to a number of smaller cities, which quite often offer a good base for those looking to explore the natural and cultural history of the State.

One such example is Corpus Christi, or as it is nicknamed, ‘the Sparkling City by the Sea’, situated in close proximity to Palo Alto Battlefield - site of the first major battle of the US-Mexican War, the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, and is itself located on the coast opposite the Padre Island National Seashore, a teeming wilderness of sand dunes, grassland and ocean, inhabited by creatures ranging from black-tailed jackrabbits to sharks and dolphins.

Corpus Christi beach itself is also a great place to relax once you’ve seen some of the natural sights and cultural interests that Texas has to offer, and the city provides a fantastic array of seafood restaurants and a number of shopping malls. However for those who prefer home comforts when catching up on their beauty sleep there are also plenty of hotels in Corpus Christi available to those who'd rather not fall asleep on the beach!