1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. Texas Travel

Top 10 South Padre Island Summer Activities

By Danno Wise, About.com

Summer is the time to visit Texas' top beach, South Padre Island. Besides beautiful stretches of sand, top-notch hotels and condominiums and an array of impressive restaurants, SPI offers visitors a host of outdoor activities during the summer months.

1. Visit Schlitterbahn

Danno Wise
Get wet at one of the top waterparks in the country. Schlitterbahn Beach has water slides and rides for visitors of all ages and also features restaurants and evening entertainment.

2. Go on a Dolphin Watch

Breakaway Cruises of South Padre Island offers dolphin watches, sunset cruises, fireworks cruises, snorkel trips, and more to make your South Padre Island vacation complete.

3. Go Fishing

Danno Wise
How can you be surrounded by water and not want to go fishing? South Padre Island boasts some of the nation's top inshore and offshore sport fishing.

4. Dive or Snorkel in the Gulf of Mexico

American Diving offers a wide array of diving and snorkeling expeditions in the clear Gulf waters surrounding South Padre Island.

5. Windsurf

With miles of shallow, calm water in the Lower Laguna Madre and strong winds coming off the Gulf of Mexico, South Padre Island is a windsurfer's dream.

6. Play a Round of Golf

Located across the bay in Laguna Vista, the South Padre Island Golf Course is just a short drive for visitors wishing to play a round of golf.

7. See Sea Turtle, Inc.

Danno Wise
South Padre Island's Sea Turtle, Inc. is dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating sea turtles, particularly the endangered Kemp's Ridley. Sea Turtle, Inc. also offers education tours, giving visitors an up-close look at these magnificent creatures.

8. Ride a Horse on the Beach

South Padre Island's Island Equestrian Center offers kids and adults alike an opportunity to ride a horse on the beach on the desolate stretches beach on the north side of South Padre Island.

9. View Birds from the Bay

Danno Wise
Fins 2 Feathers Cruises of South Padre Island offers a variety of private sunset, dolphin watch and bird watching cruises and activities.

10. Visit Port Isabel Lighthouse

Danno Wise
Located in Port Isabel, one of the oldest towns in Texas, the Point Isabel Lighthouse served mariners along the Lower Texas Coast throughout the Civil War and into the 1900s.

Explore Texas Travel

More from About.com

  1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. Texas Travel
  4. South Padre Island
  5. Summer Activities on South Padre Island

©2008 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.