We normally go to Gulf Shores, Alabama for summer vacation but this year we are thinking about visiting the beaches of Texas. Our kids are 4 and 8. Which gulf coast city do you recommend? Hotels? Attractions? Restaurants? Thanks!
Family Vacation on Texas Gulf Coast
I%26#39;d say head further east from Gulf Shores and go to Destin, Florida. The beaches are much nicer than any found here in Texas.
But if Texas is really what you want, head to South Padre for the best beaches we have to offer. There%26#39;s not much else there though.
IF your kids like water parks, consider skipping the beach all together and heading to Shlitterbahn in New Braunfels. There%26#39;s a small one in South Padre, but the one in New Braunfels is enormous.
Family Vacation on Texas Gulf CoastMy family goes to Crystal Beach (on the upper Texas coast)every July and we rent a beachfront cabin. But there%26#39;s no comparison to Gulf Shores....no white sand and no clear water. Although the county does its best to keep it clean, the beach is often littered with trash from ships in the Gulf and the seaweed has been bad the past few years. I have seen the beach pretty and the water clear at the shoreline, but not very often. There are lots of shells though. We enjoy hunting for fossilized sharks teeth and pretty pieces of beach glass. Anyway, we love it. I%26#39;m just afraid you might be disappointed after spending so many summers at Gulf Shores. You might enjoy staying on the seawall in Galveston. There%26#39;s lots to do there with Moody Gardens and the Strand. I also suggest Schlitterbahn Water Park in New Braunfels (NOT Galveston). My family goes every August and we stay in a room inside the park, which is so convenient. You and your kids would love it. And the frozen margaritas are so good! Check it out.
We live in Conroe, TX and enjoyed South Padre Island but are planning our honeymoon to Cozumel Mexico, where the beaches are much nicer. The beaches in CA are also better. I lived in Los Angeles for 6 years and miss the beaches. We are also planning a Destin FL trip in August with family and they say it%26#39;s beautiful. I don%26#39;t recommend TX for the beaches. Our populace doesn%26#39;t visit them too often.
I go from San DIego To Crystal Beach a couple time a year . San DIego is so much prettier in almost everyway. But that being said the water is warm the wavers are long and small, the water is pretty shallow waste deep for almost 200 yards then it gets even shallower about knee deep for another 150 yards then it drops of to around 36%26#39; feet.
I stay a place called Abalone Shores that is rented by Swedes They have about 300 cabins for rent. My parents have a small place away from the crowds called the Sugar Shack it is like having a private beach not a sould around.
This is a link I got today and though you may be interested in.
%26gt; Here is a two dozen photos from yesterday%26#39;s
%26gt; flamingos
%26gt; at Bolivar Flats. They are absolutely beautiful in
%26gt; flight. Bet the crowd will be large there today.
%26gt; As
%26gt; Winnie pointed out in her post, the shorebird
%26gt; diversity was great and the shear volume of avocets
%26gt; was unbelievable. A day of rest for me today after
%26gt; two and half long days of shooting. Definitely Good
%26gt; Birding out there!!!
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鈥base.com/edit_gallery/鈥reater_flamingo
Thanks for your suggestions. We have decided to go back to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach this year.
Here is the thing about Texas beaches: Note that most of the population of Texas lives *WAY AWAY* from the beach. Im from California, and expected ';beautiful'; tropical beaches in Texas with warmer water than California. Once you pass all of those hideous refineries in Corpus Christi, North Padre island *looks* nice. HOWEVER, the sign listing all the deadly things sighted in the water (Such as Portugese Man-of war) was my first disappointment, then it was followed by humidity that fogs your glasses over when you open the door- at MIDNIGHT. I went to North Padre Island through Corpus Christi, and ended up staying at the hotel Selena (The Singer) got shot at somehow. This place is horrible. TEXAS BEACHES STINK. It must have been the steaming mud of Corpus Christi (AKA The Eternal Bog of Stench). Aside from my scatterbrain comments there, I am planning a roadtrip myself in June. I am headed from just outside SF to Destin, FL. I cannot tell you how many people have told me to go there, so Im planning on it. I probably wont escape the humidity, but I hear the jellyfish the ';size of people'; problem, the stench, and discusting refineries of the Texas coast wont be there to greet me in Destin.
extradriving - you will not be disappointed with Destin. The beaches in Alabama/Florida are great and there are lots of other things to do besides the beach. .. Happy beaching!
When I saw this topic, I decided to add my advice about the Texas Gulf Coast for future readers.....Don%26#39;t Go!! Don%26#39;t even think about it!!
I actually live in North Central Texas, and have decided that I will never go to the Texas Coast again. One thing that hasn%26#39;t been mentioned is that many gulf coast communities allow people to DRIVE on the beach!
You%26#39;re sitting out there, trying to enjoy a beach experience. Now, visualize this: numerous oil rigs in the distance, oil tanker ships going back and forth, stinky, sometimes oily, water lapping along the shore (there is no real surf to speak of) and then along comes a pick-up truck barreling down the beach. Forget it!!
I live among the ';disgusting refineries of the Texas coast'; and even though we just returned from our first trip to beautiful Destin, Florida, I still look forward to our annual trip to Crystal Beach, Texas, with family and friends. Oh, it%26#39;s no Destin or Gulf Shores for sure, but there is beauty there. The people who live there see it and the people who go year after year see it, but to each his own, I say. Find a beach you love and enjoy the summer!
On September 13, 2008, Crystal Beach, Texas, was totally devastated by Hurricane Ike....
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