Shore Things
Beautiful Beaches, Far From The Madding Crowd.
BEACH ACCESS 6, South Padre Island (from town, head north on Padre Boulevard [Park Road 100] until you see the sign, about 5 miles; turn right and you're there; 800-767-2373). This is the place to spend a quiet afternoon at the beach—a challenge in this tiny resort town that was recently ranked the number three spring break destination in the world by the Travel Channel. Here you can enjoy the same blue water, clean beach, and Gulf breezes as everyone at the south end of the island, without the beer bongs, banana boats, and blaring boom boxes. You'll need a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Free; no amenities.
BOCA CHICA BEACH (from Brownsville, head south on U.S. 77, exit onto Texas Highway 48, head east on 48 for 2 miles, to the junction with Texas Highway 4, and continue east on 4 for 22 miles, where the road runs into the beach; 800-626-2639). Dunes line this pretty seven-mile stretch of beach between the Brazos Santiago Pass and the mouth of the Rio Grande (the name "Boca Chica" is Spanish for "small mouth"). A remote spot south of South Padre—you can see the high-rise condos on the horizon—Boca Chica is a perfect day trip from anywhere in the Valley. The sand can get soft, so use a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Free; no amenities.
MALAQUITE BEACH, Padre Island National Seashore (from Interstate 37 in downtown Corpus Christi, head south on the Crosstown Expressway, turn left on Texas Highway 358 [South Padre Island Drive] for 9.5 miles, where it becomes Park Road 22, then continue east on 22 for about 13 miles; 361-949-8068). This jewel on the national seashore boasts a fifty-site campground, amenities (including chair and umbrella rentals), and a spectacular view from the lookout tower atop the visitors center. Best of all, you won't have to worry about the exhaust from cars driving by when you hang out on the beach. Permit $10 per vehicle (valid for seven days).
SAN JOSE ISLAND (take the ferry at Woody's Sports Center, 136 Cotter Street, Port Aransas; 361-749-5252 or 800-211-9227). It's a short ferry ride from Port A to this ranching island owned by Fort Worth's Bass family. Once you get past the trash that accumulates by the dock and the jetties, you hit a nice stretch of beach that is perfect for walking, sunning, swimming, and shelling (go all the way to the fence to find sand dollars). The dunes make a nice windbreak, and the jetty is a fishing hot spot. Free; no amenities. Ferry $9.95 round trip, children 5 to 12 $4.95, under 5 free; call for schedule.
STAHLMAN BEACH, the village of Surfside Beach on Follets Island, east of Freeport (from Surfside Beach, head east on Texas Highway 332 and go over the bridge; you'll run into the beach; 979-233-1531). This city recreation area offers four miles of beach that are ideal for picnicking, shelling, and playing in the surf. Locals think this spot is prime—which says a lot, considering that the island boasts 21 miles of shoreline, a mile-long jetty for catching flounder and other fish, saltgrass marshes for spotting migratory birds, and a pier for crabbing. Permit $8 per vehicle (valid through December).
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