
Beautiful beaches,
warm gulf waters, fishing, boating, bird watching, shopping and a
diversity of year-round activities make South Padre Island one of the
fantastic vacation destinations in the world. Check out our lodging offers
on south padre island. South Padre as a destination weddings location Adds
a Taste of Tropical Texas, See if you can fit everything this tiny
island has to offer into one trip! Nature tours, fishing, surfing, dining
- plan ahead so you can fit it all in and still find time to lie on the
beach
We'll
begin with the most obvious attraction at South Padre Island-the wide,
clean, soft-sand beach. Unlike some other beaches in Texas, South Padre
does not allow vehicles on the beach. That's a plus not only for
aesthetics but for the environment and overall safety as well. It also
means, however, that you should be prepared to pack a big beach bag!
If you're staying at
our Gulf-side hotel it's just a short walk out to find your
preferred spot of sand. There are no private beach areas, so take your
pick. To get there from anywhere else, drive along Gulf Boulevard and look
for the "Beach Access" signs. There you'll find free public parking and
convenient wooden bridges leading you directly onto the beach.

On the Laguna Madre
Bay
The Gulf waters are
not the only venue for water sports enthusiasts visiting South Padre
Island. The Laguna Madre Bay, between the island and the Texas mainland,
offers a variety of ways for visitors to enjoy the water without the big
waves.
Perhaps two of the
fastest-growing sports at South Padre Island over the past several years
are windsurfing and Kiteboarding, and both owe their popularity to the
windswept waters of the Laguna Madre.

Windsurfers head for
South Padre to sail the bay because it ranges in depth from three to five
feet, and wind speeds average about 18 miles per hour. Some of the more
experienced windsurfers also test their
skills at other South Padre locations, including the Jetties, Boca Chica,
and the Ditch, site of some of the fastest windsurfing speeds achieved in
North America.
Kiteboarding is a
relatively new water sport in the States, and the Laguna Madre Bay at
South Padre Island is widely recognized as one of the best spots in the
country to learn and hone your skills. Imagine standing on a surfboard and
being dragged across the water by a big parachute, and you've got the
general idea. More-experienced boarders perform jumps, flips, and aerial
tricks, making Kiteboarding as much fun for the observer as
for
the participant.
Those who want their
entertainment to be somewhat less athletic need only check out the many
boat charters available on the bay side. Guided boat tours leave the bay
several times a day for dolphin watches, sunset cruises, glass-bottom-boat
and marine ecology tours, and deep-sea fishing trips.