The refuge is open from sunrise to sunset for day-use only. There is no entry fee. The interpretive center has several dioramas with mounted animals, a short video on the refuge's history and an auditorium for groups. There are no guided tours. Feral hogs may be taken during this time by licensed hunters.
All hunts are by permit only.
The world's largest flock of whooping cranes, totaling fewer than 150, migrates to the Texas coast each fall and winters in and around the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. But each year a little more of the endangered birds' vital habitat is gone, eaten away by traffic in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Several groups and individuals are working to slow erosion until a more permanent solution can be found. Waves from the smaller boats crash against the shoreline, while the larger barges push enormous amounts of water that eat away the shoreline. The Intracoastal was built in the late 1930s to allow ships to travel safely between the coast and offshore barrier islands.