The last time Chet Garner took a trip to Corpus Christi for his Lone Star Emmy Award-winning PBS show, The Daytripper, Texas drivers were still using the now-demolished “old” Harbor Bridge.
“The new one?” Garner said. “It’s like going over a spaceship. You feel like you’re on a portal to the moon or something. It’s awesome!”
With his latest visit, viewers are invited to see their own backyard with a fresh set of eyes.
“I love going to Corpus [Christi],” Garner said. “… that coastal humidity, the coastal breeze. Anytime I've got a chance to go down there, and Corpus feels very much like my hometown . . . very industrial city, but it's also got sort of this, this beach vibe to it as well. And so I just, I look forward to every chance I can get to go down to the coast. Corpus, specifically.”
The Daytripper, currently in its sixteenth season, takes a single Texas destination and explores its culture, food and the great outdoors.
“The Daytripper is my view of traveling Texas,” Garner said. “I love eating something, doing something, learning something; and it's a very multi-dimensional type of show, and so it's kind of like a buffet line.”
Featured stops in his latest visit include Southside Barbacoa, the Texas State Aquarium and U.S.S. Lexington.
Garner even got to fly a plane along the Texas Gulf Coast.
His first visit to Corpus Christi dates back to Season 4 in 2013. Twelve seasons (and one Harbor Bridge) later, he’s back with a spotlight on the city.
Previous episodes have also featured adventures in South Texas locales like Brownsville, Karnes County, Port Lavaca, Kingsville, Rockport, and Laredo. And Garner’s always looking forward to future adventures across the state.
“I'm looking over here at a map," Garner said. "I mean, what I would say is no town is safe, right?”
Garner said his wish list include trips to Mathis, Three Rivers and Sinton among others. And he’s already looking at ways to return to Corpus Christi for a future installment.
“We've left a lot on the table,” Garner said. “We could make six or seven episodes about Corpus.”
