Didn't realize there was a National Park on Padre Island and was glad I stopped in. The visitor center gave quite a bit of history and insight to the area. Fun part was finding a National Park Monopoly game! Ample parking and the views were amazing from the upper deck. Restrooms were clean and the changing/shower area much larger than anticipated. read more

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Two stars for handicapped access to the beach. But unfortunately on our visit the beach was covered with seaweed with nary a shell in sight. Just piles of seaweed miles long with plastic & garbage. Upon returning back to the main office I see yellow bags to pick up debris. This is obviously a problem. So we turned around to go back to our lovely beach by the USS Lexington. read more

If you want to avoid the larger crowds at the beach, this is where you want to go. The biggest downside is that unlike the other beaches when you can drive up and unload your stuff, you have to carry every thing to and from the beaches. When I went there, the visitor center was closed which sucked and the showers apparently weren't available. read more

Malaquite Beach Visitor Center - The ramp that leads down to the beach - Visitor Centers Near Me - Corpus Christi, Texas

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I found this large beach structure to be quite endearing. There is plenty of parking in the area and the rangers in the visitor center were very helpful in answering my curious questions. There are some placards and information about tides and the ocean for kids on one side of the building and a small gift shop on the other. They had some stuffed animals that had odd names and I had never seen them before so I asked the ranger about them. He said all of the animal representations they sold in the store were of critters that live in the area. Apparently there are beach deer that hang out in the early morning hours - you learn something new every day! There are public showers and restrooms in this facility and it is an easy landmark to spot from the beach when it's time to head back to your car. Access to the visitor center is from the entrance about 5 miles out towards Corpus Christi. If you want to go the other direction at some point they require you to have a four-wheel drive car for beach driving. read more

Malaquite Beach Visitor Center - Visitor Centers Near Me - Corpus Christi, Texas

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Operated by the National Park Service for this center houses restrooms and changing rooms, covered picnic area, souvenir store and information desk. You can feel safe here where there are a lot of park rangers here. The parking lot is huge. The store/information room is very nice where it gives a brief history of Padre Island and wildlife living here. Most items sold are targeted to kids but I purchased a kit where I can sponsor a sea turtle. The restrooms are clean for being near a beach. There are drink and snack machines here but not sure they were working properly. Important to clean up any trash. There is a ramp which extends to the beach throughout the natural sand dunes. The beach is really nice and wide providing some covered picnic tables. On this day there was not too many people here so it felt we had the beach to ourselves. Kids were busy playing in the sand. You will see different variety of sea birds hanging around but remember do not feed any seagulls. The water is really clear here versus Galveston. Keep any eye out where you will find small mammals and crabs in the dunes. read more

We've visited other beaches in the area, but love the beaches in the National Park. If you want to drive on the beach instead of carrying your stuff, continue down the road past the visitor center. You have access to the outdoor showers on the opposite side from the visitor center. read more

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Love love love! People talk about Florida and California, but I think Texas beaches are fantastic! Sadly there were warnings of red tide, but we didn't see any evidence, and didn't experience any problems. The sand here is white and feels like flour on your feet. It's so soft and feels amazing between your bare toes! The visitor is a must stop! They have all the touristy stuff, but they have tons of interesting information about the beach, and the turtles, and the two rangers/volunteers were awesome. They were older gentleman, and had a lot of fantastic information and were a lot of fun to talk to! The beach was clean, the water was clear, and it was a gorgeous day! I could have stayed here all day, but sadly circumstances prevented us from spending that much time here. They had showers, but no feet showers, which was too bad. But the soft flour sand comes off easily with baby wipes so it's not too bad. I love this place, and would love to come back and spend more time here. It's gorgeous, and someday will come and see the release of the baby sea turtles! read more

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I visited on November 3rd, a Saturday. It was not as I remembered it from 1974. It was a smaller pavilion. It had a nice gift shop. They had books and postcards, toys, cookie cutters in ocean motifs, magnets, t-shirts, hats, jewelry, etc. So my friend and I looked around and one of the volunteers educated us about the Ridley sea turtles and their hatch/release program. There were walls filled with pictures of beach animals and birds, some good art too. Then we walked on the pristine beach up to the end of the beach road where cars can drive, picking up shells. We found these shells: Baby's Ear, Lightning Welks, barnacles, Shark's Eye, Angel Wings and a Sea Bean. The water was choppy and murky but still the tourists braved the chilly temperatures. Now, 100 miles south of Malaquite, the drive takes you to Little Shell Beach then to Big Shell Beach where there's no sand but instead a beach made up entirely of broken shells. The sand bar is just 12 feet out, so the swell and wave curl breaks very close to shore. Looks most desirable to surfers but it's a shark hangout mostly. So people fish for shark, and camp out with a four-wheel drive vehicle. It's idyllic camping but watch out for coyotes. We got a year pass for $40 at the entrance gate. Lots of foreigners visit there. It's worth the drive!! We saw a hawk perched on a speed limit sign eating a fish he had caught. read more

We drove down to the beach. There is a small parking lot but, they allow you to actually drive out onto the beach. The sand is pure and the water blue and the whole area is very clean. You can bring your coolers, chairs, umbrellas and all you need in the back of your car. Then just pull out onto the beach and unload. It is a very nice place. read more

Malaquite Beach Visitor Center - Beach - Visitor Centers Near Me - Corpus Christi, Texas

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Cleanest and most beautiful beach in Texas no doubt! I have been coming here with my family for years and it never disappoints.- tips- do not speed around the area, park rangers are aggressively monitoring the area and will pull you over if you are going 1 mile over the speed limit not an exaggeration I saw it! Luckily I put it on cruise control when I am with the fam". Restrooms can use an upgrade but over all 5 stars! Because I wasn't pulled over during our visit. read more

What a beautiful and well kept beach! The park rangers are super friendly and knowledgable, plus they told us that hardly anyone uses this beach! Secret, non crowded beach! I came here to witness something miraculous. The epic release of endangered baby sea turtles! It is absolutely magical. I have actually been attempting to do this for 10 years and finally the stars aligned and I was able to be a part of it. You have to be flexible and have an open work schedule. I suggest listening to the turtle hotline, which is a number you call that has a recording of when nests are due to hatch. We got to the visitor center at 5:45 am and you have to be there by 6:45 am to see the release. The earlier you get there, the better, since the release is not a well kept secret. There will easily be 100 people there with their kids waiting. At 5:45 am I was right at the front and had a great view! One of the best experiences of my life! read more

I took my mom to this place just before sunset on May 2017. It was fabulous: the beach was long and clean; the sand was white and soft; the temperature was cool; most importantly, the beach was not populated at all. Later on, we also went to the Mustang Island State Park and a beach at the South Padre Island. Both of us thought the beach at Malaquite is the best. My only regret is that we should stay there longer after sunset so that we might watch the starry night. read more

This beach is by far gorgeous! I came out here with some family and had never been to this particular location. I think I have found a new favorite place for me to go. The beach was clean, beautiful and not too crowded. I hope to be back soon! read more

First time and had a blast!!! Very clean and beautiful beach access . We will definitely be back.

Beautiful calm serene clean beach. Soft white sand. Lots of beautiful seagulls and Pelican views. Not to crowded. 30 min drive from Corpus Christi. Camping shacks available. Water activities at your own risk. No Lifeguard. read more