Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:Padre Island, Texas
There are many reasons to visit Texas, but Padre Island has to be among the first. Located at the southernmost tip of Texas, Padre Island offers 70 miles of natural beaches with sparkling white sands, rolling dunes, and vibrant, turquoise waters. With more than 133,918 acres of protected land, Padre Island National Seashore is one of the largest and most undeveloped barrier islands in the U.S. The quiet, pristine northern end of Padre Island is home to some of the most beautifully preserved wildlife in the country. Endangered loggerhead and Kemp's ridley sea turtles lay their eggs on Padre Island sands, while laughing gulls, brown pelicans, and black skimmers soar above the coastline. And when it comes to the ever-popular South Padre Island, the Lone Star State is hardly alone. Millions of tourists flock to South Padre Island beaches year-round to enjoy warm-water swimming, snorkeling, diving, sailing, surfing, windsurfing and surf fishing. Naturalists, spring breakers, wildlife observers, beach bums and fishermen, rank Padre Island first on their list of beach destinations.
Situated about 40 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, TX, and 180 miles south of San Antonio, Padre Island beaches are crowd-pleasers in every respect. If you want action and bustle, surf and city, sports and boats, head to South Padre Island. South Padre Island is the motherland of beach bumming. With the gentle waters of Laguna Madre Bay rushing the western shore, and the Gulf of Mexico warming the eastern side, South Padre's shallow seas are as warm as 70 degrees most of the year. Extending about 25 miles along the southern coasts of Padre Island, the resort town of South Padre offers sun-and-sand activities, plenty of resort hotels and restaurants, and your choice of water sports to fit your every need. Power boating, sailing, kiteboarding, windsurfing, jetskiing, parasailing and scuba diving are popular South Padre pursuits on both the bay and gulf beaches. Novice surfers favor South Padre Island's Isla Blanca Park for its gentle, rolling waves, while the North Jetties are most popular with experienced surfers. Boat tours include dolphin and whale watching cruises, as well as dinner and sunset tours.Sea kayakers can launch from South Padre's Palm Street Pier, which also offers pier fishing for anglers. Alternatively, fishermen can head out on a deep-sea fishing charter to catch record-weight marlins or Wahoos on the Gulf and redfish, flounder, or speckled trout on Laguna Madre Bay.
For a ride down the South Padre Island sands with the sea breeze in your hair, try horseback riding or bicycling on the beaches. Sand castle-building experts will instruct you in the art of sand sculpting for a nominal fee, and birdwatchers can scan the neighboring dunes and grasslands for more than 350 types of birds native to Padre Island. Spring Break is South Padre Island's busiest time, and the nightclubs and bars provide dancing, music, and a good time.
Padre Island's northern end is the homeland of wildlife observation, and is one of the most important nesting beaches in the U.S. for loggerhead and Kemp's ridley sea turtles. At North Padre Island you can witness the frequent public hatchling releases when local volunteers release the small, incubated hatchlings into the Gulf of Mexico. White-tailed hawk, kiskadee, raptors, and thousands of migratory birds can be observed on Padre Island National Seashore, The best birding times are early spring, fall, or winter. Also living in the coastal sand dunes are ghost crabs, diamondback rattlesnakes, white-tailed deer, and coyotes. Beachcombing is a must on Padre Island. Right after a winter storm or the morning high tide you will find a wide array of seashells including moon snails, Atlantic cockles and sand dollars. Some of the best shelling and fishing is on Little Shell and Big Shell beaches, accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicles. Pompano, sea trout and saltwater catfish are common catches. Packed with sunbathers and swimmers (though the beach is not lifeguarded), North Padre Island's Malaquite Beach is popular for camping, picnicking, and boating. Remote and raucous, natural and commercial, Padre Island's beaches are a sight to behold.