SOUTH PADRE ISLAND TEXAS

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.