The Shore Thing
South Padre isn’t just a beach anymore: It’s a resort town with better food than Florida, cooler bars than the Carolinas, and more action than the Mexican Caribbean. A complete guide to the best summer vacation in Texas.
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On the island, fishing charters dock at Jim’s Pier (761-2865) and Fisherman’s Wharf (761-7818). In Port Isabel, you’ll find them at either the foot of the causeway or the Hi-Way Bait Stand and Marina (943-6311). For bay fishing, a four-hour group charter runs about $15 per person; private charters average $200 for one or two persons. An all-day group charter in the Gulf, which is home to red snapper and other deep-sea fish, runs about $60 to $75 per person, bait and tackle provided; private charters for one or two people run from around $350 for half a day to $1,000 for a whole day. More than fifty full-time professional charter captains and guides offer their services in the area. Three of the best are Gilbert Vela (761-2865), Vere Wells (943-1628), and Lee Roy Summerlin (761-2865).
Scuba
Though sandbars tend to churn the waters near the beach, farther offshore the Gulf takes on a deep blue hue, and visibility underwater is much improved. For about $100 a person, American Diving (761-2030) and Ocean Quest Dive Center (761-5003) lead full-day scuba trips to the Devil’s Elbow area, where wrecks of several Spanish galleons can be found in the briny deep.
Surfing
The ugly truth is that except when there’s a hurricane or a low-pressure system in the Gulf, the surf at South Padre is practically nonexistent. Still, you can rent boards for $5 an hour at the Surf Stop by the causeway (761-1478) and at concessions by the pavilion at Isla Blanca Park. The diminished wave action is perfect, though, for small boogie boards, which these same places rent for as little as $8 a day.
Windsurfing
Constant southeasterly breezes and the shallow bottom of the Laguna Madre make South Padre Island one of the world’s premier windsurfing sites, which is why the nation’s largest amateur windsurfing tournament, the South Padre Island Blowout, is staged here each May. If there is the slightest breeze, you’ll find sailboarders gathering around the flats on the laguna north of the convention center. When the gusts are really kicking, hot-doggers shoot the Gulf waves by the jetties, ride the Ditch (known to mortals as Brazos Santiago Pass) by Isla Blanca Park, or jump the chop off Boca Chica beach just south of the Ditch.
Two outfitters on the laguna are glad to show newcomers how to master a sailboard. Jibber Terheggen, who owns Windsurf the Boatyard (761-5061), was one of the first sailboarders to move to South Padre back in the seventies, when the sport was in its infancy. He charges $20 for a one-hour lesson and rents a full board and rig for $15 an hour or $45 a day. Phillip Money of Windsurf, Inc. (761-1434), a full-service sales-and-rental operation, shadowed my rig in an ocean kayak and had me riding with the wind in less than thirty minutes. An hour of instruction is $30, and a full board and rig rents for $20 an hour or $50 a day.
Other Water Sports
Concessions on both sides of the island rent a variety of vehicles that allow you to take part in more-adventurous activities, including jet-skiing (you ride a floating version of a dirt bike), parasailing (you hang suspended from a parachute three hundred to six hundred feet above the water while being towed by a speedboat), and banana boating (you can up to five friends tear around the surf straddling a contraption that looks like a torpedo). Two of the largest concessions are the Water Sports Center (761-1060), which has Gulf and Laguna Madre locations, and Parrot-Eyes Water Sports (761-9457), on the laguna south of the convention center, which has a guest pickup service. Parasailing runs from $20 to $50, depending on how long and how high you want to go. Jet-skis start at around $30 for thirty minutes.
On Land
If there were no beaches or bodies of water, South Padre would still make a fine amusement park. What little terra firma exists presents all manner of possibilities for landlubbers.
Bicycling
The island’s flat topography is perfect for riding, especially in the early mornings and late afternoons. You can rent wheels of all shapes and sizes for $8 an hour at Pedal Padre (761-5701) and for $7 an hour at A-1 Beach Bike and Blade Rentals (761-6162). Texas Watercraft Center (761-4674) rents old single-speed beaters for $3 an hour.
Horseback Riding
Two stables north of town—the Island Equestrian Center (761-4677) and the new Beach Riding Outpost (761-4141)—offer hour-long rides on the beach for about $20 per person.
In-Line Skating
Wherever there’s pavement on South Padre, there are in-line skaters, who especially like to do their thing on Padre Boulevard and along the shoulder of the frontage road between Jeremiah’s and the Mall at Sunchase. A-1 Beach Bike and Blade Rentals (761-6162) rents blades for $7 an hour, $20 a day, and $40 a week.
Kite Flying
One of the quieter and more reflective activities available, kite flying was practically invented for a breezy place like South Padre. Jim and Cathy Geyerman’s Windchasers (761-7484) stocks the island’s most extensive selection of kites, which start at $12 and run to $400. The wind is free.
Sand Sculpting
The aptly named locals Amazin’ Walter and Sandy Feet, who head the award-winning Sons of the Beach Sand Castle Wizards, are living proof that island culture is different from mainland culture. The Sons specialize in creating elaborate sand sculptures on demand, and on Saturdays, when they’re not doing custom jobs, they give private demonstrations in front of various hotels. They also offer private sand castle construction lessons (761-6222).
Tanning
Given its geography, South Padre is a prime destination for sun worshipers who sneer definitely at the word “melanoma.” Most of the bronzing is done around hotel pools, but the best roasting spots on the beach are on the stretch between the Sheraton Fiesta and the Saida Towers. If George Hamilton visited the island, my bet is that he’d fry himself on the beach in front of the Radisson Resort, one of the hip spots to see and be seen, where you can rent two beach chairs and an umbrella for $18 a day.
Tennis
The best place to find a match is the two courts at the Radisson, where guests pay $4 an hour and non-guests pay $8.
Volleyball
The spike set can usually be found around the Radisson, the Sheraton Fiesta, Bahia Mar, or one of several condos where nets are set up on the beach.
Walking
The scene may not be as keen as what you’ll see on the sidewalks of Venice, California, but the strand of sand that fronts the Gulf on South Padre may well be the best promenade in Texas. You’ll especially enjoy a morning stroll on the beach between the Sheraton Fiesta and the Radisson.
In Town
Movies
They’re a perfect escape from the midday heat or a good excuse for an evening out. Two complexes show first-run features: the Cinema 4 (761-6600) in the Mall at Sunchase, which charges $3 for matinees; and the Island Cinema 4 (761-7828), which sometimes has early showings on rainy days and also charges $3 for matinees.
Shopping
South Padre doesn’t have a factory outlet mall—yet. But for the benefit of homesick city folks, it does have the Mall at Sunchase, where they’ll find Jones and Jones, the Valley’s premier clothiers (761-7851). There are also several interesting individual retailers in town, including two that specialize in handcrafted goods: the Sisters Trading Company (761-2896) and Sisters Texas Mercantile (761-9316). The swankest boutique for clothing and custom jewelry is Barbara (761-9329), a clone of the famous Matamoros store. Kitty connoisseurs will appreciate the Texas Cat House (761-1844), where the merchandise has a feline theme.
Retail business on South Padre is dominated by T-shirt shops, which easily outnumber every other kind. After an informal inspection of seven shops I have come to two conclusions: that most shops get their merchandise from the same wholesaler and that the five-shirts-for-ten-bucks come-on is all hype, though I did find some nice Spring Break leftovers priced between $3 and $5. By far, the coolest beachwear is at Isla (761-4090), whose custom designs are the local equivalent of Galveston’s Yaga Ragz line. Grateful Deadheads will want to check out Sunshine Daydreams (761-5890), a small store stocked with merchandise sanctioned by the band, including tie-dyed T-shirts designed for the Lithuanian basketball team, which won a bronze medal at the 1990 Olympic Games. On the lower end of the shopping scale are Alternative Vintage Clothing (761-5977), where I found a box full of Hawaiian print shirts for $3 each; the Island Book Exchange and Art Supplies (761-7455), which carries a fine stock of Texana and island-specific books; and the Peddler’s Co-op (761-7585), which stocks antiques, collectibles, and used books.
My Library
