South Padre Island Information

Family-Friendly
1 Padre Blvd.
Tel: 956-761-2212
Breakaway Cruises provides a variety of cruises and tours for the entire family. Try a tour on the Xcape, their double-deck catamaran, or the Aqua Dog, the Island’s only amphibious vehicle. Breakaway also features daily dolphin watches, sunset cruises, their famous Texas Ranch BBQ cruise, and more.

Historic Attractions

Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historical Park
421 East Queen Isabella Blvd.
Tel: 956-943-2262
The Port Isabel Lighthouse, built in 1853, offers panoramic views of the Laguna Madre Bay, making it an obvious favorite for photographers. The park contains a historical museum and a newly built visitor center, which is a replica of the original lighthouse keeper’s cottage and surrounding decorative fence.

Arts, Culture, & Science

For those intrigued by flight, the Confederate Air Force/Rio Grande Wing at the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport displays historic World War II aircraft and aviation memorabilia. Guided tours are provided by CAF colonels and an Annual Confederate Air Force Show offers demonstrations of the historic aircraft.

Depicting a pod of orcas, a giant mural known as the Whaling Wall #53 covers three walls of the convention center in South Padre Island. The wall was painted by internationally-known environmental artist, Wyland, who plans to paint 100 walls in total to inform people about the importance of marine conservation.

Parks & Beaches

Andy Bowie Park is a good spot for families to relax. Facilities include a unique children’s playground, beachfront picnic pavilions, horseback riding, and popular spots for windsurfing and wade fishing.

Isla Blanca Park offers fishing from the jetty, camping, and a mile of beach for waterfront recreation. It is also home to Jeremiah’s, a water park with slides for the kids and a full service bar for mom and dad.

Next to the South Padre Island Convention Centre is the Laguna Madre Nature Trail, a 1500-foot boardwalk overlooking four acres of wetlands. Many species of birds and wildlife can be observed in their natural habitat.

Theme Parks & Zoos

Gladys Porter Zoo is considered one of the best small zoos in the country. This 31-acre animal park houses more than 1,800 mammals, reptiles, and birds laid out in four major geographical areas: Tropical America, Indo-Australia, Asia, and Africa.

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
Tel: 956-748-3607
Fax: 956-748-3609

The Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge is a 45,000-acre federal preserve ideal for wildlife viewing and bird watching. The refuge is filled with redhead ducks, snow geese, sandhill cranes, ocelot, white-tailed deer, and more. Tours and map guides are available at the visitors center.