JP Luby Surf Park (aka North Packery Beach) is the beach directly behind the Lively Beach Resort…read moreoff Zahn Road & Hwy 361. If you are staying at Lively, this is your spot. The boardwalk from Lively empties right onto this beach between markers 204 and 205. If you aren't staying at Lively but you wanna get away from the crowds in Port A, Cinnamon Shore, or on North Padre Island out of Corpus Christi, you might wanna keep JP Luby as a backup option. It's well-maintained, clean, and generally as pleasant as Texas beaches can possibly be. You do need to pick up a permit for driving onto the beach, $12, easy to get at any convenience or grocery store in the area. The pass is good for the whole calendar year and all drivable beaches in the Port A - Corpus region from mile marker 0 to 62. Trucks or other 4WD high clearance vehicles are advised, but I did see a few less sporty options around. Take care to heed warning flags about surf conditions and the rip current. These are posted as you enter from Zahn Road, just as you pass the shower station and porto-johns. Once you get settled, you'll see everything from anglers to families on beach vacations to dare devils on surfboards, boogie boards, or kite surfing rigs. Our early October 2024 visit was easily one of my favorites from 30+ years of semi-annual trips to the Mustang / Padre Island area. We spent 3 days on this beach just watching the waves, the birds, and the happy visitors soaking up the last bit of summer paradise for the year. It was so calm, no loud stereos blasting, just folks out to enjoy Mother Nature and allow others to do the same. The adjacent North Packery Channel Jetty includes a long walkway that was packed with anglers at sunrise each morning we were there. From one fisherman I spoke with, red fish and trout were the goal at this time of year, with bait mullet easily caught by casting a net from the rocks. If you don't want to haul a bunch of chillax gear out to the beach, there are vendors who will provide setup/take-down of chairs, shade, campfires, and more for a fee. Some options to consider include Corpus Beach Rentals and 361 Blue Beach Concierge, but note that these vendors may close outside of "high season" dates.

The JP Luby Surf Park (also known as North Packery) is always a good time. Let me tell you about a…read moreday I had there... I spent Christmas in Port Aransas. It was probably the best Christmas ever. The only thing missing was I couldn't go surfing. A couple of days later, the sun came out and the wind switched to the south. and there was a bit of swell in the Gulf. That morning, the buoy report said 8' at 6 seconds with a SW wind at 12 mph. We loaded up the truck and headed down to Zahn Rd. It was a beautiful day. It was warm for December. It felt like Springtime. Not a cloud in the sky. The water was a beautiful, clear green. The waves were waist to chest high with good form. Nothing but really cool people at the beach that day. I caught countless fun waves for about four hours. I paddled back in for a water break. It was fun just sitting on the tailgate of my truck just watching everyone have a good time. People were surfing nice, clean waves. Some were fishing on the jetty. Boats were going out. Kids were playing. Dogs were running around. One guy was spearfishing by the jetty. Classic rock was blasting all day. The sounds of Santana, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix filled the air. So much fun. I paddled out again and road a few more waves until my back and shoulders couldn't take anymore. Some old friends were on the beach. I paddled back in and drank beers until the sun went down. That was a good day.

Came over to see the sunrise and this didn't disappoint. Easy access, and driving on the beach is…read moreamazing! San was light and fine, and there weren't too many people that early. Several families camping from the night before and people fishing.

One of my favorite beaches to chill with the family. We come here every summer or we go farther…read moredown to South Padre.

We had a very good experience renting a golf cart at Joyride. Filled out all the information online…read moreand they had it ready when we arrived. Returning was just as easy. Highly recommend while at the beach:)

Wow what a great place to rent a golf cart. Fast friendly staff, discount to vets and first…read moreresponders. Very nice rentals and great prices. Love the staff had a ball just talking To them during the rental. Will be back.

Super easy to set up! Communication on point- set up over the phone, waiver emailed & texted to…read moresign, pick up simple. They always answer the phone. It's a small hut next to Woodys-In same parking lot. Great carts with sound bar/ Bluetooth. Ashley is who I communicated with and she was great! Clayton was efficient working hard with a smile & JJ was smiling at the early drop off on Sunday. Great experience!

Super convenient to have cart delivered and picked up. Filled paperwork online and quick responses…read morewhen I had questions. Thank you for the hospitality. I would use again.

One of my favorite places to take my family fishing has been through quite a change since the last…read morestorm. It really shook things up! But the good news is that they're rebuilding everything even bigger and better. I can't wait to make more wonderful memories there!

We went to the beach at 7pm when it was nice and cool. It was golden hour and I knew it would be…read morethe best times for pictures! We had a great time playing in the sand and enjoying the beauty at the beach! Golden hour was prime time for beautiful pictures!

Right on the beach, takes cash or cash app, extremely easy to work with. We were right on time…read more(should have been early, but she was gracious) and got what we needed and got in the water!! Absolutely recommend this jet ski rental company! Absolute pleasure and enjoyed ourselves a lot!

Great staff! Great jet ski! So patient with our Littles that got scared. Even paused our time to…read morelet us return later to finish.

Really great experience, fast and easy transaction. Great rates and amazing customer service!…read moreHighly recommend!!!

Matt and his team Mo and Mike walk the walk when it comes to customer service. We know the clichés…read more"customer's come1st", "the customer's always right", etc. @islandoutfitters outperforms on all fronts. They are simply the best.

Third year at Port Royal in Port Aransas!! Nice stay, friendly staff, however the reservation…read moredepartment didn't correspond with the front desk. I had reserved the third floor Ocean view and was put on the 2nd floor in an entire different building.Luckily, front desk personnel quickly corrected the situation and placed us back to a third floor Ocean view.Port Royal is still and will be our to go to condos. Thank you. I just hope after 3 stays they will have to the money to make the property more modern like the Sea Gull & their sister property. Thing I like most of Port Royal are the hot tubs and able to use the washer and dryer in the units.

Port A has been our summer escape for 20 + yrs. Normally do weeks in our RV but decided to come for…read morea short weekend at Port Royal. Heard so many great things about this place. No not correct. This place is scary dirty, inside the condo and out in the hallways. Kitchen appliances are from the 70's. Rusted out windowsills. I know Hurricane Harvey was tough, but many places are well into recovery mode by now. The hot tubs are overwhelmed with unsupervised children.