Senior Trip - lots of questions

I am researching some places for my son%26#39;s class senior trip next year. This is a chaperoned trip, so not a %26#39;spring break%26#39; kind of thing. If the kids do something illegal , etc, they are put on a plane and sent home at the parents expense. So......no clubs, etc info needed.

They would travel in early May. It is about a 19 hour drive. They can either get a charter bus or fly. What airport do they actually fly into, and how far on to Padre Island?

Is there a central place or specific hotel they should stay at that would have a lot to do within walking distance?

They would probably only be there a few days. They will want beach time, but what else should they do? Some unusual activities that will %26#39;make%26#39; the trip? Their activities don%26#39;t have to be educational necessarily. It%26#39;s their money paying for it, so I%26#39;m sure they%26#39;ll want to steer clear of musuems.

I read about a turtle place and a dolphin excursion. Even the water park might be ok.

Some of the kids are well traveled and some are not. We are from northern Missouri, so the ocean/beach will be a priority. There are probably kids that won%26#39;t want to go %26#39;in with the sharks%26#39; though so I would appreciate some land activites too. (Not my son, he is a beach bum - chases the sharks given the chance :) )

I am at the beginning of gathering information, so anything you can advise would be great !

Thanks

Senior Trip - lots of questions

How many kids are you talking about? I%26#39;m thinking a hotel would be less expensive. Maybe Comfort Suites? The location is w/in walking distance of several places. I think there is a bus you can hop on too - but never used it. I think it%26#39;s called the Wave, so you might want to check that out. The Radison might be good too, but pricewise might be better off at Bahia Mar or La Quinta on the other end of the island - would need transportation for that though.

If you flew, you%26#39;d be coming into Harlingen, about a 45 minute drive from the island. You%26#39;d have to check with the hotel to see if they could transport you.

Schlitterbahn would be a blast for these guys, but a little pricey. Consider going a half day to get a discounted price.

Senior Trip - lots of questions

checkersmidwest, sounds like you might be able to get a group rate, depending on how many kids and chaperones are involved. Isla Grand Beach Resort (formerly Radisson) may be a good fit. Instead of hotel rooms, their condos, which sleep up to six, may be a less expensive option. It is on the south end of the island where a lot of the activities are. Has a great pool area. The beach is best there (and no sharks...sorry *g*)and they can walk to everything or take The Wave, the free bus that goes all over the island and across the causeway to Port Isabel. patticakes mentioned Bahia Mar which is not open, after Hurricane Dolly (and may not be), or La Quinta. They are on the north end of town and rather out of the way but may be less expensive. Best Western La Copa is down by Isla (motel rooms and suites) and Sheraton...all on the beach. For simplicity of check-in a hotel/motel may be best as opposed to a condo complex.

The Sea Turtles Inc. is a very interesting place to visit and to get to know the turtles up close and personal and hear about the efforts to preserve, particularly, the Kemps Ridley turtles. An excellent dolphin watch is Fins to Feathers with Scarlett Colley and her husband. They have the Sealife Center in Port Isabel. They can climb the lighthouse in Port Isabel and get a great view of everything. There%26#39;s a pirate ship that goes out from Port Isabel that%26#39;s great fun for young children thru adults. There%26#39;s also bay fishing which can be done fairly cheaply with a group. Lots of T-shirt shops and souvenir stores,,good, reasonable restaurants, go-cart track, bungie jumps and,yep, museums.

That should give you some idea of things to do and I';m sure there are ';events'; that time of year that may be interesting. May is more geared to family time than anything on SPI - a good time to visit. Hope this helps and please message if you would like help with phone numbers or web-sites for more info.

BTW - Continental flies into Brownsville and it is only 22 miles away but I%26#39;m not sure about a shuttle service.

Thank You ! I%26#39;ll look more into everything.

Tell me more about the Pirate ship - does it have a web site? I think they would like the dolphin thing too and maybe the turtles.

The Wave sounds like just the thing they need. Anything free is helpful.

There are 29 students and usually about 3 chaperones. I%26#39;m sure there will be a few not come along though.

Some websites for you:

www.pirateslandingrestaurant.com (for a good place to eat and the Black Dragon Pirate Ship)

www.fin2feather.com (for the dolphin watch)and www.spinaturecenter.com for the Sealife Center. These three places are all in Port Isabel, in Lighthouse Square, right off the causeway.

www.breakawaycruises.com (another dolphin watch, on South Padre Island)

I%26#39;ll also get you the Sea Turtle website.

checkers, website for the turtle place is www.seaturtleinc.org