Texas, also known as Lone Star State, is the second-largest state by area and population in the US. The state is located in the South Central region of the US and has a population of approximately 29,183,290.

Texas is known as the Lone Star State because the name reminds the state of its struggle and its fight for independence from Mexico. The state is famous for many other reasons, like its BBQ technique and unique meat cooking (mainly south Texas), live music, hot weather, and so much more.

As Texas shares its border with different seas and oceans along the Gulf Coast, most of the best Texas beaches have become favorite tourist spots for visitors all around the globe.

List of 9 Best Beaches in Texas to Visit

1. Boca Chica Beach

Boca Chica Beach is wonderful. The beach is located near Mexico in the Boca Chica Village.

One can experience flowing dunes, wildlife, and the Space X Station on the way to Boca Chica Beach. The beach gives a wonderful experience as the Mexico Coastline and South Padre Island are visible from its shore.

The beach is very less crowded so you can easily enjoy your time with your partner and your family and your privacy will be maintained. The beach is a great fishing destination, so you can enjoy your time catching a good amount of fish for your family. You can also take your pet to the beach if ready to clean up after them.

You can spend your whole day on the beach as the beach is open 24/7 and enjoy swimming and fishing around without paying any charges, but you must pay some fee to park your vehicle.

While enjoying yourself at the Boca Chica State Park, you must also take care of these things: you must not carry any glass items, or you should not drive vehicles on the beach; also, there are no restaurants, shops, or restrooms present on Boca Chica Beach.

2. Padre Island National Seashore

Padre Island National Seashore was established on September 28, 1962.

The Gulf of Mexico is separated by the Laguna Madre (one of the few hypersaline lagoons in the world) due to Padre Island National Seashore, as it is located between them.

The beach has 70 miles of coastline dunes. Prairie wind tidal flats are glowing with life. The beach is home to many wild animals like Kemp’s ridley sea turtle and has many bird sanctuaries nearby, taking care of over 380 bird species.

Padre Island National Seashore is the largest undeveloped barrier island globally, with 130,000 acres of dunes, grasslands, and beaches.

This barrier island also has a rich history, including the Spanish Shipwrecks of 1554, considered the deadliest human disaster of that time. At the Padre Island National Seashore, you can enjoy the natural beauty of grasslands, experience different species of birds, and enjoy baby sea turtles returning to the sea with their mothers.

This undeveloped island has a protected nesting ground and helps you enjoy many adventurous sports like birding tours and off-roading on the beach with an entrance fee of only $10/day per vehicle. Although the beach is open 24/7, you’ll have to find a good restaurant as the beach has no restrooms.

3. South Padre Island

Is is named after Jose Nicolas Balli, a Catholic priest and settler. It is the cleanest beach in Texas, so it has become one of the best tourist attractions.

The water here is spotless, and the waves are big and awesome, making it the most visited surfside beach in Texas. South Padre Island is a bustling and crowded island, and the temperature there is often humid, and the days are sunny.

Many hotels and public places near the beach serve good food and are inexpensive to rent. South Padre Island is one of the longest, cleanest, and most user-friendly islands that allow you to bring your pets, including dogs, and have horseback riding fun.

4. Mustang Island

Mustang Island, also known as Mustang Island State Park, is one of the best beaches and a tourist attraction in Corpus Christi.

It is located between the Gulf of Mexico and Corpus Christi Bay, with the Gulf of Mexico on the East and South and Corpus Christi Bay on the North and West. The maximum length of Mustang Island is 38.6 km, and its highest elevation point is 3ft (0.9m).

At Mustang Island State Park, you can experience camping, picnics, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and bird watching. Mustang Island has some of the best shallow-water fishing areas in Texas.

Mustang Island also has food stores that sell drinks, snacks, and gift items.

5. Rockport Beach

Rockport Beach is the first blue wave beach in Texas, which is also why it is the most visited attraction by tourists. The beach is also one of Texas’s best beaches, located at 210 Seabreeze Dr, Rockport, TX 78382, US.

Apart from being the blue wave beach, Rockport Beach is also a bird sanctuary where you can experience many different species of birds and enjoy bird watching.

The beach also has several playgrounds (mainly for smaller children), volleyball courts, and picnic tables with different picnic tables and barbeque grills that obey the first-come, first-serve policy.

In Rockport Beach, you can experience fishing, water skiing, jet skiing, sail boating, surfing (a surfside beach), and many other adventure activities during summer.

However, there are many strict rules that the visitors have to follow in Rockport Beach, like no littering, no glass containers, no animals, no overnight camping, fires in the BBQ pits only, no fireworks, and driving the vehicles on the beach is also forbidden.

6. Crystal Beach

Crystal Beach is not crowded, so you have lots of room for your privacy.

The beach’s water is also obvious, and the shore has good amounts of seashells. Crystal Beach also has different sand sculptures, public showers, and bathrooms one or two blocks from the beach.

Unlike all the beaches, the water of Crystal Beach is not suitable for swimming as the water, and the sand at some places on the beach are brown. Despite the watercolor, the beach is lovely and is great for walking and cycling.

In Crystal Beach, you can leave your child alone to play in the sand as the beach is much less crowded, but you have to be careful about the venomous snakes and the stings of jellyfish that get washed up to the shore.

7. South Packery Channel Beach

South Packery Channel Beach, also known as South Packery Jetty Beach, is one of the best beaches in Corpus Christi, a city in Texas.

The beach divides Mustang Island and Padre Island and is often less crowded than other nearby beaches like North Packery Beach. Due to less crowd on the beach, the beach environment is very relaxing and helps the people enjoy the serenity of the beach.

On South Packery Channel Beach, you can enjoy fishing, swimming, and building sandcastles. There are many favorite saltwater fishing spots on the beach to catch Trout, Kingfish, Grouper, and even Tarpon.

The beach also has a playground for children, and as it is very less crowded, small children can easily roam anywhere around the beach. There are many hotels and restaurants in beach towns that serve good food.

South Packery Channel Beach is open 24/7 and 365 days a year with no entrance fee, but you must pay the parking fee if you want to park your vehicle on the beach, and the beach has no public restrooms.

8. McGee Beach

McGee Beach is located on Corpus Christi Bay does not contain any seaweed, and the water there is obvious and perfect for swimming. The beach is immaculate, and the sand is manicured. The water on the beach is very calm, perfect for fishing, and the area around the beach is very peaceful and nice.

The restaurants near the beach provide cheap rentals and serve good food. Driving vehicles on the beach is not allowed, and the beach is much less crowded and full of all the facilities.

This Texas beach is open 24/7 and 365 days a year with no entrance fee. There is free parking for vehicles on the beach, and the beach also has public restrooms.

9. San Jose Island

San Jose Island is a barrier island located in Corpus Christi along the Texas Gulf Coast and is extended through Galveston Bay.

San Jose Island is 21 miles long and 5 miles wide, also known as Saint Joseph Island.

On July 26, 1845, Lt. Chandles of the USS Alabama hoisted the first American flag over Texas, planted on the golden sand of the sandy shores of San Jose Island. It is often believed that the island has hidden treasures and secrets that date back to the 1500s.

On August 26, this island was most affected by Hurricane Harvey, which caused major landslides in many areas.

The beach’s sandy shore is tranquil, and the water there is spotless and cool, but the beach has no bathrooms. In summer, the temperature there becomes too high, and the sun shines very brightly, so you need to bring a lot of water, sunscreen, a hat, a beach chair, and an umbrella.

You must also be very careful as the beach has many venomous snakes and crabs below its sand. The water from the sea brings many seashells to the shore, including some of the debris.

Many beachfront restaurants and beach cabins give a good view of the dolphins in the bay, and you can also experience the calmness of the restaurants.

Despite this, many more tourist places like Magnolia Beach, Isla Blanca Park, Aransas Bay, Port Aransas Beach, North Padre Island, Galveston Island, East Beach, Stewart Beach, Bolivar Peninsula, North Beach, Matagorda Bay Nature Park, and many other white sand beaches.

Final Note

These beaches along the Texas coast are heaven for beachgoers and nature lovers. If you want to take your family on a beach vacation, beaches like Magnolia Beach, Stewart Beach, and Bolivar Peninsula are the best holiday destinations.

Some beaches also provide horseback riding and have small beach towns that are very caring and helpful towards their guests. These Texas beaches become more beautiful during the spring break season and attract more tourists from around the globe.

Many of these Texas beaches are surfside beaches, i.e., they allow the visitors to enjoy surfing as the waves on these surfside beaches are very decent. The Surfside Beach is full of surfers during spring break due to its attractive waves and beauty.

Last Updated on July 19, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology