Island Time – South Padre Style

text and images by Rebecca Marrs

If you are dreaming of white sand beaches, sub-tropical weather, blue skies and heavenly ocean waves, South Padre Island, Texas, is the place to be sitting under your beach umbrella.  Situated at the most southern tip of Texas, Padre Island is the longest island in the world with the most undeveloped beach in North America.   South Padre is located on the south end of the island and bordered by the Gulf of Mexico and the Laguna Madre Bay.  The island is accessible to the mainland by the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway rising over the Laguna Madre.   

This barrier reef, initially named Isla Blanca for its white sand by the early Spanish explorer Alonzo de Pineda in 1519, is 34 miles long and about one-half mile wide at its widest point.  After the first Spanish Land Grant from King Charles IV, the settlement was established in 1804 by a missionary priest, Jose Nicholas Balli.  The City was incorporated in 1973 and the bridge from the mainland was completed a year later.   Currently, the population is around 5,000 with about one million visitors per year.

South Padre Island is a vacation destination year round because of its sub-tropical climate.  There are an average of 253 days of sunshine per year with average temperatures in the summer of 82 degrees and warm winters with an average of 65 degrees.

You can walk to your heart’s content, bask in the sun, read a book or just soak in the warm Gulf of Mexico if you are looking for relaxation.  If you are looking for more activity, adventure awaits for those who like surfing, skiing, kite boarding, windsurfing or horseback riding along the beautiful white sand of the beach.  And if you want a breathtaking view from the sky, there is parasailing.

The islanders take conservation seriously and The Dolphin and Nature Research Center is dedicated to the preservation of wild dolphins, birds and marine life.  Children can get a hands-on marine life experience at their Touch Tanks and view creatures native to South Padre Island.  It is great entertainment to watch the dolphins jump and play on dolphin watch excursions available on the island where you can learn how dolphins interact in their natural surroundings.  With over 300 species of birds visiting the area, birding has become one of the most popular activities on South Padre.  Visit the visitor center at the Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Center during the months of October through April and weekends in May.  Some of the best birding exists in the area around the visitor center. 

Another eco-tour favorite is available at Sea Turtle, Inc. which is dedicated to the preservation of sea turtles.  It is a great place to get out of the sun and learn about the big sea turtles, including the endangered Kemp’s ridley turtles.  The Laguna Madre Nature Trail is next to the Whaling Wall No. 53 at the Convention Centre.  The trail is a 1500-ft. boardwalk through four acres of wetlands that is the natural habitat of many visiting bird species and other wildlife.  There are signs along the way that contain information about the birds, animals and the dune system.   You don’t want to miss a close up view of the Great White Herons and Brown Pelicans taking off through the marsh with their huge wingspan.

At the end of the day, you are in store for spectacular sunsets over the bay.  You can see the view from the lookout deck with live music at Louie’s Backyard serving an array of seafood, steak, pasta dishes, ribs, and barbecue or Mexican dishes.  For an impressive view and casual fine dining there is Amberjack’s Bayside Bar and Grill with seafood, steaks, pasta, hamburgers and sandwiches.  Or you may want to end the day with a voyage to see the dolphins on board a sunset cruise available at Isla Tours next door to Louie’s Backyard.  For an amazing end to a beautiful day, you can take a Friday night fireworks tour and watch the dolphins, observe the sunset, then the disco lights and music are turned on while fireworks light up the nighttime sky. 

These are some of the things to go do and see in a place where adventure awaits.  Take off your watch and your tie and put on your flip flops for an escape to the white sand beaches along the Gulf known as South Padre Island.