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.

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.

Fun spot for a photo. Purchased 2 cotton T-shirts for $52, that wasn't the fun part. Not the most…read morereasonable prices, but definitely well organized. Staff didn't really say much. They were just in their routine of things. Some music played throughout the store would be a nice touch.

Huge selection of clothes but prices are up there for sure, otherwise it was a clean and well…read moreorganized store.

Love the selection here, the staff is very knowledgable, helpful and supportive (I am taking up…read moreskate boarding) The styles of clothing are up to date with quality fabric and brands etc. The overall prices are competitive and they have a good selection of mark downs. I always find something new when I go. There's alot to take in when exploring the place.

I've heard this is the only major surfboard rental shop by the national seashore. We rented out…read moretheir full selection of beginner boards, which was only five, so we had to go to another shop afterwards. The service was amazing as the guy at the shop was very attentive and helped us load and strap our boards to the car. The boards were Surftech and were good quality. The shop was very big and had so much apparel and gear.

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!

We signed our 13 year old daughter in the one day surf camp and she was up and riding the waves in…read moreno time flat with zero surfing experience!! The instructors were so patient and took time with each kid. My teenage daughter popped up out of the water with a huge grin and a high five for dad. WOW. Thanks so much for the great time and my daughter is ready for next year already!!

Highly recommend Padre Island Surf Camp!! My 8-year-old son Julian had never surfed before. By the…read moreend of day one, he was riding waves. Padre Island Surf Camp was the highlight of the trip!. He can't wait to be a part of this camp again. We were nervous leaving him for the entire day considering it's the ocean. There were a few other parents that felt that way as well. At pickup, we all discussed how happy the kids were and how relieved we were. Your kids are in good hands here! I highly recommend Padre Island Surf Camp!

Rented a cart for two hours = $40.00 Fast and easy…read more No hassle - This is a decent place to rent a golf cart from.

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.

Clean and easily accessible. Be sure to get a $12 parking pass. It was quite empty when we went in…read morelate August.

This is the beach we visit when in Corpus. Last visit was July 4th weekend. Convenient as you can…read morepark your car on the shore making it easy to unload and pack it in when you're ready. We typically park our car in reverse so we can set up the chairs/cooler out in front of the trunk facing the ocean. Makes for easy access to the shore. Everyone is respectable with cleanliness and ensuring trash/debris are thrown in the garbage cans and not littering. We always meet some friendly people here where we share some beverages and beach space with. Quite a community here. Don't forget your beach parking permit; you can purchase it when you enter ($12 for the year).

Hip little surf shop just a little ways from the water. Really cool gear and great selection of…read moreboards & board products. Feels kinda vintage/kinda oldschool. It's the real thing.

I was definitely surprised on all the selections they have, never judge the book by its cover. We…read morewere looking for gifts to take home and this had high quality shirts and everything you can think of. The owner was there and he was such a great help. We will definitely stop here every time we come back! They open Monday thru Sunday at 10ish

Tom and his team really do an excellent training. Me, totally new, and my two sons, one had…read moreexperience, and tailored the kites and lessons for us. Tom recommended 5 hrs each and that was really just right. We took two days and by the second day I was starting to ride with some help getting started. My more experienced son was really able to get much better with the audio instructions coming over the remote radio in your helmet. The equipment was great. The location in Oso Bay is absolutely ideal. The wind conditions were ideal each day and the depth of the water was never over waist deep. Very soft bottom. We were here in mid March 2023. Recommend having a flexible schedule to allow for variations in the weather. Tom let us know which days would be best and we adjusted our schedule to match. He was dead on with the weather/wind. He even suggested days we would need a wetsuit, which he was right. Can't wait to come back. Absolutely recommend.

361Kite did a great job getting me up and riding. Aaron moved at my pace and covered each step of…read morethe process before moving to the next step. We focused on kite safety and had several drills to reinforce learning before moving to the next step. I went from having limited kite skills to riding by the end of the first lesson! I'm looking forward to returning to Corpus Christi to take more lessons as my skills advance. Corpus Christi is a great place for all levels of kiting.