South Padre Island’s Beaches, Wildlife and Fishing Make It a Top Outdoor Destination

Spread across the sand early on a summer morning, the group of baby turtles sat for a while, disoriented, until the first few caught sight of light sparkling off the water of the Gulf.

With shaky steps, the turtles began crawling down the beach, and when the first one reached the foamy water’s edge, it started paddling madly and disappeared. Ten minutes later, they were all gone except one, a small, confused-looking hatchling that had spent most of the time facing the wrong direction. With some gentle encouragement, that one too eventually waddled to the water and splashed away.

It was all part of a normal summer morning for South Padre Island nonprofit Sea Turtle Inc. Their public hatchling releases are a rare chance to see one of the most amazing wildlife events in Texas.

Texas has about 367 miles of Gulf shoreline, so it wasn’t easy to narrow down our favorite beach towns as we contemplated our top 10 list. Thanks to opportunities like these hatchling releases, South Padre Island again and again floated close to the top. With the expansive Gulf on one side and the beautiful, biodiverse Laguna Madre on the other, South Padre is an outdoor lover’s dream. Here on the world’s longest barrier island, you can track down unique wildlife, fish, swim, kite-surf and bird-watch to your heart’s content.

And those beaches! “We are Texas’ best beach — I mean, I don’t think anybody can take qualms with that,” says Kelly De Schaun, CEO of Visit South Padre Island. Of course, the tourism director would say that — but many Texans agree with her. On a good day, the waters of South Padre look tropical.

Speaking of tropical, the wildlife species also have a distinctly South Texas flair. With the island’s location along the Central Flyway, spring brings an influx of neotropical visitors such as painted buntings, Baltimore orioles, indigo buntings and summer tanagers. Dolphins leap out in the Gulf, alligators swim on the marshy bay side of the island, and roseate spoonbills add a splash of color wherever they land to forage.

Just a few miles down the coast from South Padre Island, the Rio Grande meets the Gulf at a watery section of the U.S.-Mexico border. “Down here, so close to the border, you really feel it in the architecture, in the friendliness of the people and in the weather,” says De Schaun. “It feels a world apart from the rest of Texas, although it’s still got those deep Texas roots.”

Even with its high-rise condos forming a beachy skyline, South Padre Island retains a small-town feel. “We’re the last frontier down here,” says Brian Barrera, a third-generation South Padre Islander and fishing guide. “We’re still a good way from everything.”

So if you’re seeking a sun-drenched, seafood-filled, small-town experience, we recommend South Padre Island.

Some places you go, you have to make an effort to see the local wildlife. On South Padre Island, it’s hard to miss. Bird calls envelop you as soon as you get out of the car, and hermit crabs crawl in vibrant shells across the beaches and salt flats. Several of the main attractions in town are wildlife-focused.

First up is the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center, an immersive and beautiful facility set on 43 acres of coastal wetland habitat with both saltwater and freshwater marshes. Our 8 a.m. birding tour led us past a stand of black mangroves that contained roosting yellow-crowned night herons, numerous groups of different duck species and patches of oysters and schools of fish. As we meandered the boardwalks, we noticed another tour guest trundling alongside us — a huge alligator! It swam next to our group for a while, then stopped to bask while we continued on. Inside, we saw baby alligators and interpretive exhibits — and bought some truly excellent bird shirts.

Another wildlife experience awaits just down the road at Sea Turtle Inc., where a dedicated team of conservationists rehabilitate sea turtles that have been injured or need extra care after cold stuns. At any given time there are a whole host of turtles passing through, as well as some permanent residents on display in luxurious tanks. Sea Turtle Inc. also invites the public to attend sea turtle hatchling releases — everyone should experience this at least once in their life.

Out on the water there are more creatures to be seen. Various guide services offer affordable dolphin watching tours, as well as snorkeling trips to see some Texas fish species up close.

Just over half an hour northwest lies Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, a 110,000-acre tract established in 1946 to provide safe harbor for migratory birds, specifically the red-headed duck. The refuge also hosts a population of at least 22 endangered ocelots. Nearly half of all the bird species found in the continental United States rest, feed, nest or migrate here (417 species of birds have been spotted), and the refuge’s trails are open every day from dawn until dusk.

With 34 miles of coastline, South Padre has no shortage of beaches, and most are open to the public for swimming. Isla Blanca Park at the south end of the island offers a paid beach with all the amenities, but can sometimes get crowded. This beach also features South Padre landmark statue El Cristo de Los Pescadores (Jesus Christ of the Fishermen). Prefer a quieter spot? Drive north up the coastline to the various numbered beach access points managed by the county. North of Beach Access No. 5, the beach is open to camping.

The Laguna Madre, a shallow, salty bay that runs 130 miles along the Gulf Coast, is an excellent place for kayaking and paddleboarding. Protected by the island from the strong waves and winds of the Gulf, it’s a gentle paddle and a wonderful way to get up close and personal with wildlife.

Parasailing and kitesurfing are also popular, and enthusiasts drive down from Colorado, Utah and even further afield to enjoy the wind and waves. One often-frequented spot is on the Laguna Madre behind the SPI convention center. “There’s a big salt flat out there where there are kiteboarders and parasailers who’ve been coming for decades, and I literally mean decades,” says De Schaun. Another hotspot is at Isla Blanca Park (although the waves and wind are stronger out there). Never kite-surfed? Never fear; lessons are available for beginners.

From the basic redfish, trout and flounder to the more localized mangrove snapper and snook to the island’s excellent tarpon fishery, South Padre’s waters are teeming with variety. “South Padre Island has the most diverse fishery in the state of Texas,” says Barrera, the fishing guide. “We've got plenty of species of fish to chase after.”

Barrera, who fishes six days a week whether or not he has clients, especially enjoys chasing the fish that put up a fight. “Tarpon is my absolute favorite fish to fish for,” he says. “We have one of the only year-round tarpon fisheries in the whole state of Texas.”

There are numerous places to fish around the island. Cast a line out at Isla Blanca Park, at the very southern end of the island, where anglers compete with the seabirds for fish along the jetties. Walking along the rocky jetties, you’ll see kids learning to fish, seasoned islanders filling their coolers and a truly mind-blowing number of birds. Another popular spot is the Causeway Pier, which has underwater lights that draw in spotted seatrout and red and black drum.

Rent a kayak and paddle out into the Laguna Madre, where common catches include spotted seatrout, red drum and flounder. Fish off the beach in the surf zone — especially in spring and fall — for pompano, whiting and red drum. Or go further afield with a deep sea fishing expedition, where you can hunt for red snapper, Spanish mackerel, ling, dorado, tuna, wahoo and marlin.

South Padre’s diversity of ecosystems can make for an interesting day out fishing. “I fish the river mouth quite a bit — the Rio Grande river that separates the United States and Mexico — and I catch a lot of snook right there,” says Barrera. “And then you cruise up the river a little bit and a few miles later, you're catching largemouth bass.”

Where else can you do that?