South Padre Island things to do

South Padre Island has some of Texas’ prettiest beaches. My best friend and her family live near there, and I have been fortunate to visit and check out fun things to do in the area with them.

Of course, you have to go to the beach and jump the waves. I think we have ended up at the beach on the first day of all of my visits there. The beach is wide and stretches for miles.

We saw rainbows over the ocean on my last visit and caught a beautiful sunset on the way back to the car.

One of my favorite things to do in South Padre is to go on a Dolphin Watch tour. Definitely check it out if you love dolphins like I do.

When I last went on one in September, we had many dolphins come and play very close to our boat. It was awesome!

I love being out on the water and the views of the beach as we were headed back toward the pier were great, too.

You can also walk out on the jetties for great views and to look for turtles, dolphins and birds.

For more fun on the water, try kayaking on the bay. It’s pretty shallow in many places, so you can even try snorkeling.

We even caught this amazing sunset!

Before crossing the bridge to South Padre, make a stop at the Port Isabel Lighthouse, a Texas historic site built in 1852.

Climb 75 winding stairs and three short ladders to the top for views of the bay and the island. It’s worth it!

Back on the island, visit Sea Turtle Inc. to learn about the conservation and rehabilitation of sea turtles.

The Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville is another fun place to learn about animals. I loved the flamingos and monkeys!

On my most recent trip, we headed to Boca Chica Beach, which is across the shipping channel from South Padre and a quieter area.

The SpaceX Launch Control Center and Starbase Production Site are very close by and you will pass them on the way to the beach.

For a nature walk, check out Sabal Palm Sanctuary and the 1892 Rabb Plantation House in Brownsville.

There are 30 acres of lush Sabal Palm Forest in the sanctuary. We walked down the River Trail, which goes all the way down to the Rio Grande and overlooks Mexico.

There are lots of fun things to do in and around South Padre. What are your favorites?

Check out more fun places to visit in Texas: Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, College Station, Fredericksburg and Waco.