Fantastic way to spend an afternoon. There are public bathrooms, outdoor showers and parking. I…read morelove the area with tables and umbrellas which make it a great family friendly place.

Isla Blanca Park in South Padre Island, TX, is home to El Cristo de los Pescadores or "Christ of…read morethe Fishermen" statue. My first thought was how huge the statue was. This depiction of Jesus Christ was created in the late '90s in memory of Gustavo De La Lastra and Jose Edwardo De La Lastra. Their June 1988 deaths by asphyxiation aboard a shrimp boat occurred "after using a chemical preservative on their catch." A lawsuit by the parents against chemical's manufacturer, General Chemical Corporation, ensued. I didn't know about this tragedy beforehand, however, the statue remained absolutely beautiful. I wish that the island wasn't so trashy on May 28, 2025 when my daughters and I visited. If that wasn't enough, daily vehicle passes were $12. I'd probably go here to view SpaceX launches from afar, but not to RV camp. It looked so crowded! Works Cited https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/general-chemical-corp-v-891520387 https://www.valleycentral.com/news/local-news/how-the-statue-of-the-christ-of-the-fishermen-got-to-south-padre-island/

The weather was really horrible and the fish weren't biting, but that's fishing. The crew did their…read morebest and gave us all the time we paid for. No complaints. I'll give it another go in the future.

Went for some night fishing. $12 to rent a pole. Saw lots of dolphins and caught a bunch of fish!!…read more24 hr dock. Nice cleaning station. Kids loved it!!

15 minutes away from the heart of SPI hides this AMAZING beach that hold so many sea shells one…read morewould not find near or around Houston. Me and my cousin were in SHOCK on the seashells we found. MASSIVE! We were really hoping we found a conche but no luck that day. We got there around 11:30 in the morning. We heard to go when the tide is low. Figured sometime in the morning. We wish we could have made it earlier because it was SO much fun hunting for some shells to incorporate in the house. Look at these pics. We only had 45 minutes and we had to leave. I'm sure we would have found some amazing things. You will need to go over a sandwich dune. Right over the dune, is the beach. The water is not as clear, but a lot less people and a great place to find hidden gems.

If you want beach and just beach, Sea Shell Beach at literally the "end of the road" at South Padre…read moreIsland is your place. Sea Shell Beach is aptly named because there is a large number of shells scattered along the shoreline. To get there, after you cross the Queen Isabella Causeway Bridge onto South Padre Island, when you get to the second stoplight turn left into Padre Blvd., and drive north 11 miles till the road ends. Find a place to park along the edge of the pavement, and walk east a couple hundred yards to the shoreline and then walk north. There you are. Do not park off the paved shoulder onto the sand. The beach is nice, though there are no trees, no shade, no restrooms, no flags to indicate dangerous surf, no lifeguards, no water fountain, no shower, no picnic tables, no frills. Just beach. For lack of the aforementioned things I take off stars, but the beach itself merits 4 stars. Some might give it more, but years ago I lived in between Panama City Beach and Destin, Florida with their sugar white sand and turquoise colored water and got spoiled at one of the world's most beautiful beaches. South Texas beaches are nice, but not that exceptional. Yet, even without bathrooms or showers this is a favorite spot for many. Perhaps, in the absence of a proper restroom a few people "tinkle" in the Gulf waves ("tinkle" being a throwback to when I had toddlers)? Personally, I didn't stay so long as to require looking for a solution to that problem. Though, next time, I may take an empty jug just in case. I arrived at sunrise and left by noon. Even with the strongest sunscreen I burn too easily. I walked a while past some campers to find a space to myself. There were more people off in the distance up the shoreline, so from time to time people walked or drive by in their 4X4s. I enjoyed watching the waves, the sparse clouds, the pelicans playing "follow the leader" just above the water, the seagulls, and shells. I also saw a group of about thirty horseback riders which rode up from SPI Adventure Park (located just less than a mile south). There is no parking permit or fee required here (other beach access points do charge a fee or require a paid permit). The worst part was getting off the island in weekend traffic. I should have known better. Once I neared town, the traffic was extremely slow and oftentimes at a standstill. Never again will I venture a trip to South Padre Island on a weekend or a holiday. If residents ever had to evacuate for a hurricane I hope they get a couple of days notice. Other than the horrible weekend traffic I enjoyed my half day at Sea Shell Beach at the End of the Road on SPI.

Very nice "nature walk" ... free boardwalk, not too long, out into the marshes of Laguna Madre (the…read moreinterior side of SPI). Lots of wildlife to see, great signage along the trail with photos of the wildlife there. The highlight is the end of the trail, a small observation pavilion over the water, a great place to watch the many dozens of aquatic birds splashing, catching fish, just hanging out... GREAT place to catch a sunset amid the "buzz" of the wildlife. Highly recommend!

Next to the south Padre island convention center. Really nice views. Unfortunately I got there a…read moretad bit too late. Forgot to take pictures before the sun set, still beautiful though.

Wonderful representation of the battle at Palo Alto. We went twice in two weeks because we loved…read morethe walk and lesson in history. Free, and very interesting and eye opening about our history. Highly recommended

What a great trail! If I lived in the area I would be here every single day! Super nice!…read more Great for biking, hiking and or walking. Great place to be if you want to get some fresh air outdoors! Absolutely amazing scenery at night. Took some great pictures at sunset. I really like the paved roads. I wish I had my toad bike. Would make for some great road biking. I also saw some signs that said watch out for alligators . I didn't bump into any. Really relaxing trail. If you are in town for business and want to get in some cardio before you head back to your hotel I suggest checking out Thai trail. Not sure how this only has six review. Maybe no one knows about it. Definitely a hidden gem in my opinion. I really enjoyed the trail and will be back for sure.

This is a park in Harlingen where you truly want to feel like you're in the wilderness. It's a…read moregreat park if you want some more shade but it can still get pretty muggy during the summer. I've seen lots of bright and colorful birds here especially when they migrate down during the colder season. There are some stagnant ponds inside so you have to walk in a bit further to get to the flowing Arroyo Colorado River. I love the various little gardens/sanctuaries throughout the park (such as an edible garden and a peace walk). Be careful of coming here after a rain (our shoes were CAKED with mud) and beware of the multiple ant hills! There are little sheds here that look kind of sketch full of graffiti in vulgar language you don't want your kid to see lol so I wish they can maintain it a bit better. Overall it's a great nature escape and I've come back multiple times!

Visitor beware This could be a beautiful oasis but…read moreunfortunately is a painful walk due to the lack of proper maintenance. The water smells pretty bad and the park is covered in trash and huge pieces of glass on one of the trails. It's ok for a quick one time walk but is not a place I will like to visit frequently.

The southern end of linear park! It's where most of linear parks events are held... Right across…read morethe all famous Gladys Porter Zoo... Next to the museum of fine arts... Home of Brownsville's farmers market!

Went for the Sunset Dinner cruise with Ka Motion - start to finish this was a 10/10 experience…read more Gorgeous views, relaxing with plenty of space to stretch out and enjoy the view. The food was absolutely delicious and nice that we could BYOB. The staff was so kind and inviting - looking forward to coming back!

My family and I had booked an excursion that was happening around 10 AM days in advance, but was…read morenotified roughly an hour before the trip that it was canceled. While we knew that this was a possibility, all past sailing charters we have used would have notified us the night prior that our trip was canceled. The terrible lack of notice left us scrambling to find alternatives of which there are numerous options. If you are looking for a cheaper guaranteed charter trip that won't cancel at the very last minute, then it might be worth exploring other options. We will not be back.