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My Bucket List for South Padre Island Texas

RhondaByRhonda Posted on Updated on
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Growing up in a small town, I would spend hours, especially during the Summer, dreaming of traveling. I made the decision then of creating a goal to visit all 50 states!
One of the states that I have yet to visit is Texas. To me, with everything Texas has to offer, a week wouldn’t even begin to touch the surface of what that great state offers its residents and visitors.
One place in Texas that is on the top of my Texas Bucket List is South Padre Island! I have heard so many wonderful things about the Island!
I’m a sucker for white sandy beaches, crystal blue waters, noshing on amazing local foods, immersing myself in the local culture!
One of the neat features that this island can boast is that the only way you can reach the island, that is if you are driving, is that you have to drive along the two mile Queen Isabella Causeway which connects the mainland and the island.
Some of the neat things about the island are:
  • Can visit year round
  • Average temp is 74 degrees
  • 25 miles north of Mexico
  • 34 miles long
  • Same latitude as Fort Lauderdale Florida

South Padre Island also has won the following awards:

  • Best affordable US vacation according to US News & World Report
  • Best family beach vacation also according to US News & World Report
  • One of the World’s Top 30 beaches according to Conde Nast Traveler
  • A Top 10 US beach by Men’s Fitness and Women’s Day Magazine
  • A Top 25 US beach by Trip Advisor

The island is also home to an abundance of wildlife!

  • 300 species of migratory birds stop there during their Fall/Spring migrations
  • Home to 600 different fish species

South Padre Island is home to sea turtles, including Kemp’s Ridley, which is the world’s most endangered sea turtle.

One of the facilities you can visit while you are there is Sea Turtle Inc which offers tours, educational programs and presentations. They are also a non-profit organization that rescues and protects marine turtles. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service works along with Sea Turtle Inc by patrolling the beaches to look for protect the nesting turtles. They also provide medical care and rehabilitative care for injured turtles.

South Padre Island is also a native year-round habitat to bottlenose dolphins!! There are dolphin viewing tours that are available on the island.

The Dolphin Research and Sea Life Nature Center offers exhibits that educate visitors about the marine life, that is in abundance in the area. The center has interactive exhibits that allow children to examine starfish, sea urchins and other sea creatures.

Some of the attractions on South Padre Island are:

Of course no vacation is complete unless you eat like a local! We always make it a point to eat where the locals do when we travel.

Some of the hottest restaurants on the island are:

  • The Meatball Café
  • Smokey Tails BBQ
  • Cook your own Catch! Local restauants prepare your fresh catch or on Queen Isabella State Fishing Pier, BBQ pits are available if you want to cook your own catch of the day.
If you have yet to visit South Padre Island, is it now on your Bucket List?
Rhonda
Rhonda

Rhonda is a wanna be foodie, coffee and chocolate lover, and a genealogy nerd. If shopping was a sport, she would actually set records for it. Creating recipes in her kitchen is how she relaxes. She also loves spending time with her family and getting away when she can to the lake.

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