Whether you would like to book a fishing guide, find the best restaurants on the Island, find the lowest cost beach rental or get the best info on SpaceX Boca Chica - youve came to rhe spot!
Everything You Need to Plan Your Vacation to South Padre Island
Live bay camera views from Longboards South Padre the best bar on the bay with live Music & all their great bands.
South Padre Island, Texas is the subtropical southernmost part of the world's longest barrier island on the Gulf of Mexico at the Texas/Mexico border. Located 2 miles off the southern tip of Texas, it is connected to the mainland by the Queen Isabella Causeway.
South Padre Island is the finest coastal resort in Texas, with beautiful beaches, tall sand dunes, and warm clear clean Gulf waters. With incredible saltwater fishing, Gulf shrimp, fresh fish and seafood are served at many Island restaurants. A wide selection of hotels and condos from cheap to luxurious, shopping, beach weddings, professional wedding planners, South Padre weddings, photographers and video services, RV parks on the beach, eco-tourism and a diversity of watersports.
The Island is only a few blocks wide, around 5 miles of City real estate, you don't even need a car, you can walk or bicycle or ride the free island shuttle. You can drive north on the beach for nearly 30 miles of desolate beaches and beautiful sand dunes, until reaching the Port Mansfield jetties and boat channel.
South Padre Island boasts the best fishing in the U.S. in the Laguna Madre, in the surf and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Check the South Padre Bay Cam page for fishing reports, or our local fishing page for area fishing guides and charters. Dolphin watch is a popular favorite activity, and the best surfing in the Gulf of Mexico is at Isla Blanca Park at the jetties.
South Padre Island is matched at the same southerly latitude as Fort Lauderdale, Florida and offers comparable tropical weather conditions year round. Airline flights to South Padre Island are available through our neighboring airports of Brownsville, McAllen and Harlingen where you can catch flights on Southwest Airlines, Continental Express, or Sun Country Airlines. Car rentals and shuttle buses are available at the airports where it is just a short drive to South Padre Island. Once on the island you can catch The Wave, a free shuttle which will transport you along the island or into our neighboring town of Port Isabel, where you may want to spend an afternoon strolling Lighthouse Square, home of the historical Port Isabel Lighthouse which is open daily to visitors that want to make the climb up to the top for a spectacular view of the Laguna Madre and cityscape. At Lighthouse Square you’ll find museums, art galleries, restaurants, coffee shops, ice cream parlors, and the South Padre Island Dolphin Research and Sea Life Center. You can even experience the myths, legend and lore of Port Isabel on the town’s new trolley ride which will guide you through the history of this unique port city including tale of shipwrecks, Spanish gold, civil war, old military highway, and pirate legend, or even ride the Black Dragon Pirate Ship!.
South Padre Island offers a variety of lodging accommodations ranging from all inclusive beach resorts and hotels to charming bayside vacation rentals or condominiums. Whether you are looking for a beach front or bayside hotel or condominium, bed and breakfast, beach house, vacation rental, RV park, or campground you will easily find the perfect match for any budget or lodging preference. Check out these accommodation options where you can book on-line reservations to help make your dream vacation get off to a great start!
South Padre Island is Texas best family beach, offering visitors a chance to try fun activities such as surfing lessons, snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, dolphin watching, jet skiing, deep sea fishing or bay fishing charters, windsurfing, kiteboarding or kitesurfing, sailing, SUP lessons, sky diving, sand castle building lessons and many more thrilling activities.
Eco Tourism is another thriving industry in South Padre Island offering nature preserves, camping, hiking, bird watching, horseback riding, and more. The Island is home to new Sea Turtle Inc. facility - an educational research and rehabilitation facility dedicated to the preservation of sea turtles and the conservation of the marine environment world wide. They offer daily guided tours where you’ll see various species of sea turtles including the Kemp's Ridley, Green, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, and other species of endangered sea turtles that have been rescued from the wild and are being rehabilitated. If you visit South Padre Island during the months of April through mid July you could watch for nesting Sea Turtles or even attend a hatchling release where you’ll see hundreds of tiny baby sea turtles making their way out to the water for the first time. This is truly a spectacular experience and makes for a great photo opportunity.
The World Birding Center located on South Padre Island is 50 acres of intertidal flats, native shrubs, and trees that are the first stop for the birds making the cross Gulf migration from Mexico and Central America. Warblers, tanagers, orioles, and thrushes are common to the wooded areas while the wetland areas are host to waterfowl, shorebirds, and even the endangered species of brown pelican, piping plover, and peregrine falcon. The birding center is also a great spot to see the Island’s colorful array of butterflies.
The sand dunes north of city limits is a unique 30 mile undeveloped stretch of beach where visitors can see South Padre Island in it’s natural state - a place where you can truly step back in time and see the Island as the early explorers once saw and described it. It is one of the few beaches in the United States where you can find such solitude, a perfect place for a quiet stroll down the beach, a great place for both sunning and shelling, viewing our stunning sunsets over the Laguna Madre bay, and a breathtaking peaceful sparkling night sky.
While South Padre Island weather boasts a subtropical climate year round, there are four distinct tourism seasons here on the Island.
SUMMER - Plan your summer vacation at South Padre Island, the Best Beach in Texas! Summer weather on the Island is warm but not as hot as inland, with a refreshing breeze off the Gulf of Mexico. Usually small waves with our turquoise blue water temperature in the 80's makes for very enjoyable swimming. We all have different ideas about the perfect beach vacation. South Padre Island offers activities and attractions for all interests, from fishing to sky diving, dolphin watch tours or the new Sea Turtle Center. An Island favorite activity might be to "hang ten" in a surfing lesson with South Padre Surf Company, or perhaps a sand castle building lesson. Go into the deep blue sea on a fishing charter, or saddle up for a horseback ride down the beach. South Padre Island is Texas best beach vacation destination that is fun for the whole family!
FALL - Fall is our favorite season! The weather on the Island is still summer-like, but the summer crowds have vanished. Hotels are far cheaper in the fall and offer great deals, and you'll have the beach to yourself especially on weekdays. Fall fishing season is also the most productive. Its also the best time to explore the 30 miles of open undeveloped beaches north of the hotels, with tall sand dunes and incredible sunrise or sunset views over the Gulf and Laguna Madre. With big savings, empty beaches, and a tropical atmosphere it's the best time to visit South Padre Island!
WINTER - With temperatures mostly in the 60's and 70's, South Padre Island is a great escape from the raw frigid cold of the rest of the country. Many "Winter Texans" spend months at a time here. Several beach from RV parks accomodate travelers, and you'll find great deals on extended stay lodging. There are many activities and events that are geared specifically for the enjoyment of our Winter Texans. The beaches on South Padre Island are perfect for strolling and collecting shells, surf fishing, or simply setting up a chair and umbrella and watching the waves roll in.
SPRING - Spring Break at South Padre Island was once a major event throughout the month of March. However, in recent years the crowds have greatly diminished. In fact the only time you will even notice is the second weekend of Texas Week when most of the events or spring break concerts happen. Even then it is confined to certain areas. There are no longer traffic jams or long waits on the causeway. Unfortunately, South Padre will live with the reputation of years past until people realize that period in our island history is over. So, if you are wondering if its safe to bring your family for spring break, yes it is! Easter and Semana Santa is also busy time here, with many visitors from Mexico. Weather in the spring is warming into the 70's and 80's, with water temps generally in the 70's.
See Space X Launches Live Cam.
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Blasttocast 9/4/24 The bay fishing has been a hit lately. Catching speckled trout on live and artificial baits. It seems like larger swim baits have been the ticket for larger trout. Redfishing has been a little bit tougher unless you locate a school. Black drum are still cruising the channels and guts. Either fish bites or fresh shrimp are both getting hit by drum. Snook and tarpon are hanging around the jetties. Watch out for the local weather this time of year. Can produce some rainy days where winds will turn and switch around on you.
This week, the last week of July in 2024, we have had a return of swell here in South Padre Island. We have been surfing anywhere from shin high to chest high waves with regularity. Water temps are in the mid to high 80s, which is refreshing yet warm. Very clear water with beautiful colors and lots of dolphins playing in the waves with us surfers. The end of this week looks like a drop in the swell, but August and September usually mean good periods of swell as the cooler temps come.
Learn to surf in one easy lesson! Lessons are held in shallow water with safe soft surfboards. All ages are welcome. Year-round.
Ideal for bigger groups that want an exclusive surfing experience. We offer discounts for groups of 4 or more. Church groups, boy or girl scouts, companies parties, conventions, spring breakers or bachelorette parties!
Our popular 3 hour day surf camps are ideal for friends or family that want to have fun together! All ages, not just for kids. Surf camp hours are 9am to noon, all summer and holidays.
Welcome to South Padre Island, The Best Beach in Texas! South Padre Island is located on the subtropical southern tip of Texas. Enjoy live South Padre web cam views of SpaceX Starship at Boca Chica with the Starship Cam™, our beautiful beaches with the South Padre Beach Cam™, the surf in the Gulf of Mexico at Isla Blanca Beach Park and jetties with the South Padre Surf Cam™, or the sunset over the Laguna Madre with the South Padre Bay Cam™. Check live South Padre weather conditions and forecasts, and daily beach, surf and fishing report. Book South Padre Island hotels, condos, and vacation rentals, check out South Padre real estate listings, golf, watersports and activities, surfing lessons, surfboard rentals, sailing charters, kiteboarding lessons, SUP rentals, dolphin watch, diving, snorkeling, parasailing, horseback rides, restaurants, RV parks, or charter a fishing trip. Plan your family vacation, South Padre Island beach wedding, or Spring Break to South Padre Island on Spadre.com! "Space Padre Island™" is the best and closest public viewing area for Starship rocket launches at SpaceX Boca Chica. Starship Hopper, Starship, and Super Heavy booster spacecraft tests for missions to the Moon and Mars from Boca Chica. Your best Texas beach vacation choice is South Padre Island Texas! Est 2002, SPadre.com is the most popular website for South Padre Island Texas!
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