Image courtesy of Visit South Padre Island.
The beach on South Padre Island.
The beach on South Padre Island.
As our small plane descended above palm tree-dotted streets, the outside promised a balmy September afternoon. Soon I would be sipping a margarita in the glow of an orange and pink evening sky as my paradisiacal weekend began. It hadn’t taken long to arrive at my tropical destination. Turns out, to the uninitiated like myself, a resort-style getaway has been hiding just off the coast of Texas—for decades.
South Padre Island is a barrier island between the Gulf and the Laguna Madre, accessible from nearby Brownsville via the Queen Isabella Causeway. Dubbed Isla de Santiago by Spanish settlers and originally home to the Karankawa Native Americans, South Padre is a surprising strip of land that has soaked up the border culture of the Lower Rio Grande Valley where it is situated and combined it with the charm of seaside living. It’s a curious mix; and if there’s a German word for “the feeling of being in multiple places at once,” I pleasantly experienced it during my weekend stay.
"Looking back at a photo I took of the sunset trek across the sand, I thought that if I posted it to Instagram, what appears in the frame could pass for a Middle Eastern sand dune. But no, I was in Texas, just a forty-minute flight from Houston, or a couple hours in the air from New Orleans."
As a whimsical beach town, South Padre is accessibly small. Most things are off the main strip of road, and the bus operates on a free wave-down system. Along Padre Boulevard, the hallmarks of seaside life prevail: pastel-painted buildings advertising discounted swim trunks and sun hats, candy emporiums, kitschy constructions of an octopus and a whale’s open mouth. Shells stud the thirty-four miles of coastline, and you can even surf here when the tide is right. For years it’s been a hub for “Winter Texans” escaping the colder parts of the state or college kids on spring break, but South Padre Island is a year-round destination, with three hundred days of sunshine casting a glow on snorkeling, diving, and general hanging loose.
Like any island, life under the sea is as important as on land. Beneath the surrounding waters is a precious ecosystem that residents of the island are keen to protect, with nature centers like the Island Birding, Nature Center & Alligator Sanctuary preserving the aquatic inhabitants of the Gulf and monitoring the extensive birding of the South Padre skies. In just the few days I was there, I encountered more wildlife in South Padre Island than I had in all my summer excursions combined: slow and ancient-looking sea turtles, dolphins in the multiples, and a twelve-foot alligator sure to impress even the most seasoned swamp-kayakers. I felt the prickly suction of a starfish plucked from the ocean and placed on my hand, before it was gently released back into the water. On the Breakaway Cruises dolphin tour, I learned the local gossip of South Padre sea life (Berkeley, identifiable by a busted fin, has fathered the most offspring in the bay). For the greater part of our excursion, dolphins bobbed up and down alongside us, then gathered to bow ride along the neighboring Captain Conrad Shrimp Boat. There was horseback riding on the beach, led by South Padre Island Adventure Park, as the waves made their long roll to shore. Looking back at a photo I took of the sunset trek across the sand, I thought that if I posted it to Instagram, what appears in the frame could pass for a Middle Eastern sand dune. But no, I was in Texas, just a forty-minute flight from Houston, or a couple hours in the air from New Orleans.
Image courtesy of Visit South Padre Island.
Horseback riding on South Padre Island Beach.
Horseback riding on South Padre Island Beach.
Texas is roughly the size of France, and its more typical symbols of identity—the rugged stewards of farmland, oil, and cattle; the packed Friday night football stadium; the oversized hats of rancheros and cowboys—are globally iconic. In South Padre, those characteristics are more complex. Even though the island lies within the state, it more specifically lies within the Rio Grande Valley, which encompasses parts of both Northern Mexico and Southern Texas and hosts a largely bilingual and bicultural population. With the sounds of Spanish fluttering in the tropics-style humidity and the panoramic ocean views, South Padre encompasses a region defined by the geographic boundaries of the Valley and the sea, more so than state or country lines.
This pocket of Southern Texas and Northern Mexico was on full display at South Padre’s Tacos y Tequila Festival, held each fall. Local luche libre fights lit up the stage, with locals passionately cheering for their hometown favorites. Vendors cut juicy al pastor from glistening trompos, smothered papas fritas in crema, lime, and chili, and served up three-bite carnitas tacos with onion and cilantro. One can most plainly see how the identities of the Rio Grande Valley have developed through its food. I ate plentifully, with most meals dipping into the bounties of the sea and flavors of the region. Restaurants like Nautico Island Grill and Viva feature fresh-caught seafood in the form of fish tacos and seafood platters. Tejano cuisine fills out breakfast and lunch menus with migas (scrambled eggs fried up with tortilla strips and salsa), soupy charro beans, and eggs rancheros. And with South Padre being an island, ocean front dining is abundant. Café on the Beach at the Palms Resort offers a breezy view under a semi-open rattan roof, strong coffee, and classic breakfasts of the pancake and Tex-Mex variety, plus sunset views for happy hour.
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And while lingering over meals is easy to do, industrious initiatives benefitting both locals and tourists pepper the island, and are well worth exploring. The Art Business Incubator helps local artists develop their practice and businesses in the area. The initiative has helped artist and ecologist Eva Ryan, whose recently opened Paper Caper Co. displays local artists’ work. At the time of my visit, Paper Caper featured a show by Cecilia Sierra composed of ink and gouache drawings and accompanying text that documented the artist’s time spent as a barista in the Brownsville Airport. One drawing depicts the U.S. flag behind a barricade at the airport and the text “Welcome to Obstacles.” In another, the café’s espresso machine is situated next to anecdotes relating how so many travelers have found simple pleasures in the airport cafe, especially those from Latin America.
“A Cuban lady was so excited to experience a cortado after a long time without,” Sierra writes. “A group of men, an Ecuadorian, a Venezuelan, and a Colombian all asked for Americanos, so they can taste the beans. Turns out one of their families had a finca de cafe, a piece of land they grew coffee on. He took pictures to send to his family.”
Image courtesy of Visit South Padre Island.
Blackburnian warbler, image courtesy of the SPI Birding Center.
Blackburnian warbler, image courtesy of the SPI Birding Center.
Next door, Ryan Henry Fine Art features the Rio Grande native’s watercolor and oil scenes of life on the island. Often working en plein air, Henry’s paintings capture coastal landscapes and slice-of-life scenes in town. In the midst of this quietly growing art hub, I started to learn more of the individuals who have made this island their home, who make art here, and whose work echoes the emotional infrastructure of the island. There are the lifelong locals, who find inspiration in the Rio Grande’s unique climate, and then there are the temporary folks who fall in love with the island’s spirit, like the Argentine artist Marcos Sambulio, who while “stranded” during COVID, transformed an outer wall of the Courtyard Marriott into a colorful mural.
"Perhaps some day, South Padre will be to Space X what Houston is to NASA, but at the moment, I wasn’t quite ready to contemplate such things. I was on island time."
And of course, there are the island’s most esteemed elders. At Sea Turtle Inc, the Kemps Ridley turtles sleepily meander in large water tanks or recuperate from injuries in the “hospital wing.” After watching the turtles (an almost meditative activity), I was drawn to the museum text on the walls telling the story of the Sanctuary’s founder, Ila Fox Loetscher. In 1931, at age twenty-five, Loetscher earned her pilot’s license and became a founding member of the female pilot organization, the Ninety Nines, alongside Amelia Earhart. Upon being widowed, she moved to Texas to be close to her parents, but settle down she did not. The family embarked on what still feels like the most rugged of adventures: driving south along the Pan-American highway for two years. When Loetscher returned, she chose South Padre Island as her new home and found a calling rescuing Kemps Ridley sea turtles. As I tried to crack the code of South Padre, Loetscher’s story rang out to me. She seemed to embody the intrepid spirit that pervaded this surprising little island straddling Texas, Mexico, and the sea.
Image courtesy of Visit South Padre Island.
Sea turtle hatchling at Sea Turtle Inc.
Sea turtle hatchling at Sea Turtle Inc.
That sense of new horizons could also be found in the history of the Port Isabel Lighthouse, the oldest operating lighthouse in the Texas Gulf. In its heyday, it cast a sixteen-mile radius across the waters to guide ships to safe harbors. Now, as you climb the winding spiral steps, you can get a sweeping view of the bay and the Queen Isabella Causeway that connects the island to the mainland. If you hang out long enough, you’ll catch a glimpse of a decked-out pirate ship crossing the bay on one of its buccaneer-themed tours. Up another rickety ladder and you’ll climb into the stuffy room that holds the Third Order Fresnel Lens, a marvel of prisms that concentrates light into the night sky. The Lens has replaced the lighthouse’s original lantern, whose wick once had to be cut at precise measurements by the live-in lighthouse keeper.
For the traveler looking for that shut-the-world-off retreat, resorts dot the main road with swimming pools, spas, and direct access to the beach. At the Margaritaville Beach Resort, Jimmy Buffet lyrics are codes for living, and signs that point to “Fun and Escapism” approach relaxation with tongue-and-cheek verve. The folks at Margaritaville get it: it’s hard these days to wind down, and sometimes you need a little nudge toward escapism. Jumping into a vacation from my usual hustle, I was lulled by the cheery tropical fun of it all. The swim-up bar, the nearby ocean, the rollicking live music at the Landshark Bar and Grill (where the band covered recent hits from both sides of the border) all point to one thing: enjoy yourself. And why not? There must be something psychological about islands that allow for the easiest sort of disconnect. I’ve crossed the water literally, and proverbially, to relaxation. Do you really have to go so far away to relax, or learn something new? Can’t you envelop yourself in escape just off the mainland?
From the Margaritaville penthouse suites, NASA employees post up to watch Space X launches at Elon Musk’s nearby Starbase, located in Boca Chica across the water. Space X has been purchasing land in the area while Musk is working hard to brand Starbase as an official city for Space X employees. Though undeniably bold, it feels strangely fitting that Musk would choose to take off right next to the hard-to-pin-down South Padre, positioning the island into the future. Perhaps some day, South Padre will be to Space X what Houston is to NASA, but at the moment, I wasn’t quite ready to contemplate such things. I was on island time.
Image courtesy of Visit South Padre Island.
South Padre Island.
South Padre Island.
Before long, my sand-and-sea filled weekend, filled with alligator sightings, tequila tastings, and ocean excursions, was up. After a hearty breakfast at the bustling Yummies Bistro, I packed up and said goodbye to the sun-bleached cafés, the gentle surf, to my new aquatic friends. At the Brownsville Airport, the coffee shop wasn’t open, but I thought of the travelers of Sierra’s sketches and stories who stopped by for a reprieve in coffee. “Somehow a four-dollar cup of coffee seemed affordable to everyone,” Sierra writes in her exhibit. Back up in the small plane to Houston, the palms growing smaller and smaller, I felt similarly about South Padre. There is something for everyone on this island on the brink of paradise.
Disclaimer: This trip was partially funded by Visit South Padre Island, though the opinions of the writer are entirely her own and formed independently of this fact.
