South Padre Island Fun

We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our five months on the island. After the whirlwind of buying and remodeling the condo then making a long cross-country trip, it was nice to sit a while. South Padre Island is a fun beach town with the nicest beaches in Texas.

Beautiful sunrises and sunsets, a Sea Turtle rescue, dolphin watch, sunset cruises, and more – it really has been a wonderful time. Plus we’ve seen family and friends to make it all the better!

Here are a few highlights.

Sea Turtle Inc

Located on the island, Sea Turtle, Inc. got its start in 1977. Ila Fox Loetscher, known by many as “The Turtle Lady of South Padre Island” had the vision and began the work in her own backyard. By 1999, the operation had grown and moved to new headquarters.

The original mission was to protect and rescue the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, an endangered species, but over the years, the scope of activity has broadened to include educating the public, rehabilitation of injured turtles, and conservation.

We thoroughly enjoyed learning about the different types of sea turtles and visiting the “residents” – turtles that are unable to be released back to the wild because of injury or other reasons.

Fireworks

There are multiple places on the island that host fireworks throughout the year. Most happen during the period from Memorial Day to Labor Day to celebrate summer on the island. But there are other occasions such as the fireworks shooting plane that we were able to watch from our balcony. It was part of the conclusion of the CAF Airshow put on by the Rio Grande Valley Wing of the Commemorative Air Force.

Dolphin Watch

We’ve done two dolphin cruises since we’ve been here. The first one was a total bust. The fog rolled in and we couldn’t see a thing. But the second one? What a different story. We saw plenty of dolphins and had a great time with friends and family.

We got to see one of the US Coast Guard ships that help along the southern border waters. The Coast Guard Station South Padre is located roughly six miles north of the US/Mexico border. Their primary mission is to stop illegal operations and to save lives through search and rescue operations.

Sunrise/Sunset

Being right on the Gulf of Mexico affords us the opportunity to see beautiful sunrises out our living room windows. We’re also able to view spectacular sunsets out the back of the condo overlooking the bay. Here’s one sunrise.