What’s not to love about good old Texas? As the saying goes, “Everything is bigger in Texas!” The buildings are higher, the ranches are wider, and the people? Big as life itself!
Texas is more than just the “land of cowboys,” It’s actually a rich and modern state that many people—of all ages—love living in.
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For instance, in the more urban city of Austin, you might see a lot of younger and hipper people at every corner. If you think New York is the only city in the United States that young people go to fulfill their dreams, you’re wrong.
Austin has since become a haven for young dreamers to achieve their goals. In Dallas, on the other hand, there are the old rich families that are class and refinement. This is a wealthy area that can rival even the likes of the Hampton’s and Beverly Hills combined.
And while Texas is known for their vast deserts and clear lands, it also boasts a number of sunny and fun Texas beaches for you and your family. Here are some of them that you might want to check out the next time you’re in Texas.
Here are some of the best local hotels in Texas that’ll surely fit your budget:
Bird Island Basin
Most of the time, the reason why you’re going to the beach is to bathe under the sun. It’s only in this area where you get the bright rays all to yourself, with no buildings and billboards blocking the light.
One of the best Texas beaches, you might find that the water is a much more fun place to spend time in than the shore. Due to the steady breeze, it’s become a haven for surfers and windsurfers alike.
Although the latter is more common here, surfers are also treated to nice waves that are worth riding. But if you’re a true-blue windsurfer, you’ll see that this a great training ground to polish your skills.
For swimmers, the waters here are relatively shallow so you can enjoy as much of the sea as you want.
There are even spots that are warm due to the Gulf waters. It’s these areas where you might want to stay for a bit if you’re visiting during the colder seasons. Other water activities here include snorkeling, kayaking, and a bit of fishing
If you’re a lover of the sea, you’ll love going to this Texas beach.
Boca Chica
South Padre Island is famous island-turned-resort town located on the southern coast of Texas. It’s become one of the most visited sites in the state because of its clean, clear, and majestic beaches. One such is Boca Chica which is one of the most remote seaside lands on this list.
Although this area is considered as a state park, there’s little to no development here. No resorts, hotels, nor residential houses and full-fledged communities. Oftentimes, the beach is extremely deserted, which makes this beach a great destination for a private vacation.
Whether it’s a retreat for work or with friends, a nice bonding experience for you and the family, or even a honeymoon, if you’re one to prefer quiet beaches, this is one of the best beaches in Texas for you. There are tons of things to do on this beach, such as swimming, boat riding, surfing, windsurfing, kayaking, fishing, and more.
However, if you want to do all those activities, you’re going to have to provide your gear yourself. The beach is just the perfect space to do all that because it’s highly likely you won’t get disturbed by big crowds, noisy families, and other common disturbances in other beaches in the country.
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Crystal Beach
On the opposite side of the spectrum and the state, there’s Crystal Beach. This is usually where the party’s at. It’s one of the many beaches in the country where you’re allowed to park your vehicle right on the sandy beach itself and set up camp for the afternoon (or even for the night if you feel like it).
Although many families have come here with their RV’s, a younger crowd, with their trucks and sportscars blasting the latest radio hits, is more of this beach’s common visitors. When school’s out and everyone’s on break, the beach becomes a large party, full of loud music, amazing food from the nearby establishments, and a good time.
But the shore isn’t the only place people have a great time here. Since this is one of the more popular beaches in Galveston, there are also tons of water activities that await the adventurous adrenaline junkies.
You surf, windsurf, kayak, jet ski, waterski, and more on the vast body of water. The wind is just right to do all those things, and when the shore gets too crowded (as it normally does here), these water sports serve as better alternatives to having a party.
Galveston Island East Beach
Another of the more famous public beaches in Galveston is the Island East Beach. Similarly to Crystal beach, this is also a party venue for the young and young-at-hear to have a good time. Although compared to the former, Island East Beach is a lot wider and bigger in size, which makes it less crowded and tight when there’s a huge event.
Speaking of events, this beach has become an awesome venue for such. Various concerts, music festivals, parties, and more have been held here. In fact, most people go to this beach because of said events but stay for the stunning seaside beauty it offers.
Island East Beach becomes a go-to site every year due to its annual sandcastle building contest. Some of the best works of sand art are made during this event, with people winning tons of money and recognition for their work. Additionally, alcohol is also allowed here, but only if it’s in a plastic, paper, or any other recyclable container.
Glasses and bottles are not allowed on the beach proper, which is why it’s become, ironically, one of the cleanest Texas beaches. And when there isn’t an event here, it’s a great place to have long walks and play team sports.
High Island
In the quiet town of High Island in east Texas, you can visit the eponymous beach. Part of what makes this beach unique, especially compared to other Texas beaches, is because it’s quiet and peaceful here. This isn’t one to be visited by the younger crowd, and because the sand here is quite coarse, it’s not the best place to bring your family neither.
However, if you, and maybe a couple of your friends or even your significant other, visit here, it becomes a serene haven of peace, silence, and relaxation.
For those looking to escape their life troubles, this is one of the best beaches in Texas to escape to. The town hardly ever sees massive crowds, more so the seaside land. This area is also a great spot for animal lovers, as you can examine all the land mammals that run about in this part of the state as well as observe the underwater creatures when you snorkel in the sea.
Furthermore, the town’s intimate atmosphere makes it a great honeymoon destination. In fact, you can even ride horses on the High Island beach for a memorable romantic activity. If you can rent some horses nearby, this is the best place to do it.
Magnolia Beach
Beaches are usually filled with families, and in Texas, the southeastern shoreline of Magnolia Beach is the perfect family vacation destination. The beach is actually a town itself, located on the waterfront of Lavaca Bay. But why is it a haven for vacationing families? Firstly, the beach itself is 8 miles of soft white sand.
No matter how many members there are in your family, each of you will still have enough space of your own on this seaside land. This also makes it a great place to enjoy all sorts of family activities, from team sports, scavenger hunts, sandcastle building competitions, and more.
On the town proper, a multitude of establishments await families who want to take a break from swimming or sunbathing. Kids will enjoy the various playground and parks. For those who want to play different sports, the likes of—volleyball, basketball, baseball, and more—this beach town also offers a variety of courts to play on.
For hungry travellers, a delicious array of restaurants, grills, and other eating establishments make up the dock of the town. There’s fun for the whole family here, which is why, through the years, it’s become one of the most visited Texas beaches.
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Matagorda Bay Nature Park
Matagorda Bay Nature Park, one of the most visited public beaches in Galveston, is also a favourite spot for families and friends. This is one of the very few beaches on this list that you can a lot of things, not just sunbathing and swimming.
First of all, apart from your regular beach activities, this 2-mile stretch of white sand has become a popular camping site for many people. You can bring all your gear and make camp on any spot you’d like on this shore, which many people have done and continue to do so to this day.
Other attractions include the birds. All kinds of beautiful winged-creatures flock to this area all year long, making this one fo the best bird watching sites in the country. This is also one of the few Texas beaches that hosts a variety of events, albeit more intimate than in other similar spots.
While other seashores are able to hold concerts, music festivals, and such, this is one of the best beaches in Texas for an intimate summer wedding. Although it’s a popular destination, when you pick the right date and not a lot of people are around, Matagorda Bay Nature Park is a great wedding venue.
Mustang Island
The uniqueness of Mustang Island comes from the name alone. Before it was developed into a state park and before the area became known for ranching, this Corpus Christi Texas beach was land of freely galloping horses. These wonderful stallions who roamed the area are what got the park its name.
They were wild and stunning, and they became the very reason why this became the popular tourist site it is now. Today, however, the horses are domesticated and you can pay to ride them as freely as they did in the previous years. In fact, horseriding is arguably a more popular activity here than you normal beach activities.
Other than the majestic stallions, however, other land creatures are also popular in Mustang Island. Fish, for example, is quite beloved in this place because fishing is a beloved pastime here. People are even often surprised by how many fishes they can catch in certain parts of the beach.
Birds also flock here from time to time, making this area a great spot for bird watching. This may also be because the wind is great here. If you’re into windsurfing, kite-flying, or feeling a wonderful breeze as you jetski or waterski, this is the beach for you.
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Padre Island National Seashore
Another Corpus Christi Texas beach you have to visit when you’re in this state is Padre Island National Seashore. A national treasure, this is one of the largest beaches in the entire country, and, arguably the entire continent of North America as well. This seaside land, which stretches over 70 miles, is what separates Laguna Madre from the Gulf of Mexico.
Yet, even with its vastness, it’s not one to see many crowds. Part of what makes this beach so inviting is that not a lot of people go here. For any traveller or beach-goer that luxuriates in privacy, this is the beach for you.
Although there aren’t a lot of people of frequent this beach, there are, however, several animals who consider this area their home. The famous Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles, for example, make this beach their nesting ground.
If you’re lucky, you might get to see their eggs hatch and watch the baby sea turtles go off to the sea. Additionally, about 380 species of birds frequently fly or land on this site, making this one of the best beaches in Texas for bird watchers. Still, you can also set up camp and do the normal beach activities you’d normally do in other beaches here.
Port Aransas Beach
For those adventurous beach-goers out there, you might find that Port Aransas beach has a lot more to offer than just seaside fun and merriment. Firstly, this is one of the most historic Texas beaches, for, in the 18th century, it’s said that this seashore saw several pirates pulling ashore.
How exciting would it be to actually swim in the waters where pirates used to port their ships or even fight other crews. Although there’s no word to whether there’s buried treasure here, attempting to find them can also be great, albeit alternative, pastime.
Today, however, the beach draws people from other states and even countries due to its active waters. This one of those great Corpus Christi Texas beaches that most surfers go to ride the “gnarliest” of waves. You can also do a bit of snorkelling here. Although snorkelling in Houston, Texas is more popular, the waters here are just as clean, lively, and houses many underwater creatures that you might not see anywhere else.
Other activities that are common here are bird-watching, as multiple species of the beloved winged creatures flock here all year and the popular sport of volleyball. Whichever activity you do, don’t forget to look out for pirate treasure!
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Rockport Beach
Rockport beach is one of the cleanest and most well-maintained shores on this list. It’s no surprise that it’s a certified Blue Wave Beach, as the sands alone are a testament to how the city takes care of the seaside land. Because of this, the beach tends to get crowded at times, especially during summer.
What with all the laid out picnic areas, fine eateries, and establishments, and the variety of sports that can be played here, it’s no wonder why people flock this beach. Kids will enjoy the various playgrounds and parks situated near the beach, while the much older youth can party all day and all night on the wide stretch of white sand.
Apart from all these, Rockport beach is also one of those unique Texas beaches that have become bird sanctuaries. Aside from vacationers and students out on a break, bird watchers also flock to this seaside land to see some of the most exotic species to ever fly or even settle in the country. Still, the piece de resistance is simply how clean this beach is, no matter how crowded it can get.
Stewart Beach
Public beaches in Galveston are havens for vacationing families, and that includes Stewart beach. In fact, many people have attested that this shore is a great one to visit during winter when it’s still sunny and warm here while other states in the country are covered in the cold snow.
Although visiting this beach during the fall and winter months might not be a great idea because that’s when this place is really packed! Come here during the first few months of spring or just before summer officially starts. This is when there’s usually a lot more space and you can enjoy this massive stretch of white sand all to yourself.
But what is there to do in Stewart beach?
This is actually one of the best beaches in Texas to learn how to surf. The waves here a strong but not overwhelmingly so. If you want to learn how to surf or you’re already a beginner and you want to polish your skills, Stewart beach is a great training ground for you.
You’re likely to enjoy sunbathing here as well. Since the beach is so big and wide, you have all the sun you want to turn yourself tan.
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Surfside Beach
Another great place to practice your surfing is at Surfside beach. This small yet lively beach town is all about the waves, and most of those who live there know a thing or two about riding them. There are several surfers here who hold classes and training. You can enter some of their schools to learn more about water sport and how to do better at it.
Apart from this, if you want to go snorkelling in Houston, Texas, this beach is one of your best bets. As the famous city isn’t near the sea, Surfside beach serves as their honorary seaside land.
Other activities you can do here include horseback riding. As mentioned earlier, Texas used to have areas in which they were dominated by free horses roaming about. Surfside beach is one of those special places, and for small fees, you can ride like the wind as those horses did when the locations were less urban and developed.
Take your stallion near the sea and feel like royalty as you ride your steed in such majesty. It’s a fun pastime to do when you’re staying here, as well as an experience you’re likely never to forget!
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Whitecap Beach
Finally, perhaps one of the whitest Corpus Christi Texas beaches on this list is Whitecap beach, The name alone should tell you how stunning the sand is on this shore. With miles and miles of such beautiful sand dunes, it’s also one of the better beaches for some family fun. However, if you’re planning to go here during summer, make sure that you’re beach gear is complete.
While the beach itself is well-known, it’s not like other areas where there are towns who are used to hosting guests. Here, you have to provide your beach umbrellas, blankets, picnic stuff and more. And while this might be a bit stressful, the white stretch of sans make it completely worth it.
Furthermore, this beach is also a great haven for surfers. The waves here are “gnarly” enough to learn more about the sport and polish your skills. You never know, after training here, you might actually win a surfing competition!
“Everything is bigger in South Texas!” even the beaches! Indulge in some seaside fun by dropping by this beloved state, go scuba diving, and see their majestic shores yourself!
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