Are you looking for an island that is easy to get to and filled with delicious eats and a number of activities? Then, you should look no further than South Padre Island as this is a barrier island that has a little something for everyone and is a slice of bayside for all of us, water lovers. South Padres Island is home to more than 300 days of sunshine throughout the year. And while South Padre Island has so much to offer and this little slice of paradise is an ideal spot for a bachelorette, mother-daughter getaway or even that best friend’s trip you have been discussing for ages. Powder-soft beaches line South Padre Island’s sun-soaked shores and shallow waves of the Gulf of Mexico that tumble onto land.
Which airport is closest to South Padre Island?
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This picture-perfect setting has helped South Padre gain fame as a prime beach throughout the year for families, couples and the acres of spring breakers who descend here in the month of March.
Most travelers opt to curl up on the beach and catch serious rays and the sun dips with a number of famous beaches haunts rocking. This is a perfect place for an affordable beach vacation and it is easy to find accommodations for less than $100 per night and there are lots of things to try and do that is relatively inexpensive and there free public transportation to get you from one end of the island to the other and back to the airport when you are ready to go back home.
The first thing to notice when you arrive on this island off the coast of Texas is nature everywhere. The expansive beaches, emerald waters and robin’s egg blue sky is a beacon for migrating birds and the long and skinny island offers you the chance to watch spectacular sunrises each morning over the Gulf of Mexico and equally panoramic sunsets every evening over the Laguna Madre Bay. Calm waters make this island seashore ideal for families with kids. The climate is subtropic this American state coast spot is at identical latitude as a metropolis, Florida- therefore South Padre weather tends to be heat within the winter and hot and wet within the summer season.
South Padre Island is one of the famous beaches that are located in Texas but getting to the Tip of Texas can be rather confusing considering there is no airport on the island itself. Fortunately, this famous island doe not have its own airport but some major airports are located relatively close that offer services to travelers throughout the US and abroad.
These airports are-
- The Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport
- The Valley International Airport
- McAllen Miller International Airport
What airport is Nearest to South Padre Island?
The Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport
The Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport is the closest airport to South Padre Island and is located just about 22 miles away from the beach in Brownsville. This airport is referred to as BRO and is a city-owned public airport offering service on American Airlines as well as United Airlines with routine trips on Continental Airlines.
Travelers can access South Padre Island from this airport by renting a car, hiring a can or private car or booking n airport shuttle that drops off at one of the many hotels on South Padre Island. The Airport to Island Shuttle is a good choice with three independent companies offering free shuttle services to Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport which are Valley Metro, Metro Connect and Island Metro.
All these shuttle services drop off at City Hall, which is just a few blocks away from one of the most famous beaches on the island that is Rockstar Beach. Shuttles back to the airport also pick you up routinely throughout the day, so even if you have a day layover at the airport then you could spend it taking a fast trip to the Gulf of North American nation.
The Valley International Airport
The Valley International Airport is located a little further away at a distance of 40 miles from South Padre Island. This airport referred to as VIA in Harlingen actually sees a little more traffic when it comes to visitors beached to the island.
The Valley International Airport is also known as the Getaway to South Padre Island, this airport experiences higher traffic primarily due to the number of daily flights of Southwest Airlines that flies in from Austin, Dallas. Houston, San Antonia and elsewhere in the region but also because of how many airlines offer service at this tiny airport. Travelers can also book their flights on Southwest and United but this airport also offers your seasonal service on Delta Airlines and Sun Country Airlines from around November through May.
Like Brownsville International, Valley International Airport offers you car rental, taxi service and airport shuttle that helps you complete the final leg to South Padre Island. Although, taxis can get rather expensive from this airport, especially since it will take you around 30 minutes to an hour to get between the airport and the beach. As a result, it is highly recommended that you should use the airport shuttle service instead, which offers you a flat, competitive rate and gets you to the island in the same amount of time.
McAllen Miller International Airport
McAllen Miller International Airport serves the city of McAllen, Texas, USA and it is the busiest airport. McAllen consists of a small, artfully renovated terminal with a couple of eateries and shops on each side of security. WiFi is available and there is a number of outlets for charging mobile devices. This airport closes during the night, so overnight sleeping is not possible.
For uninterrupted sleep, there are hotels at intervals a fast shuttle ride to the flying field. The airport offers easy access oar8ing lots for short-term and long-term working and rates are different for each lot but are reasonably priced to accommodate everyone’s budget. The McAllen Miller International Airport strives to provide top-notch customer service and a state-of-the-art terminal.
Things to do in South Padre Island
When landing in a nee destination, we always winder where you should go first. South Padre Island makes this a simple decision because it is a place that is best known for its beach miles and smiles for fine, white sandy beaches as far as the eye can see. When you think you have got to the end of the horizon, there is more than you guess. As amazing as unlimited sand and surfing around, then these lots of best attractions and things to do will convince you that life on this island is a beach with considerable benefits.
Drive on the Beach
Your drive to South Padre Island will be a pleasant experience but diving your own car on the Sand Padre Island is a thrill of a lifetime. Driving on the snd alongside crashing surf gives you a sense of freedom. There is a number of points of legal access to bring your personal vehicle onto the beach from the road.
If you want to avoid sticking and the cost of a tow truck to extract you from the sand then you should prefer to remain on the road instead of taking the beach route. One of the first things to do once you cross Queen Isabella Causeway is to drive north for 10 miles until the road dead ends. For more than half of this straightway you will experience the feeling of driving by sand dunes without ever leaving the pavement. From this place, you can continue on the beach by foot or bike for hours because South Padre Beach is 34 miles long.
Wildlife Photography and Enjoy Birding
Research and nature centers along with a thriving flotilla of tour operators offer you a number of opportunities for safe, comfortable and exciting encounters with the island’s wildlife. Nature and its creatures schedule their arrival on South Padre Island. If you are flexible, then you should follow the annual migration of your favorite birds to the islands.
Their digs are not far from where you will be staying and can have your delicious dinner. Laguna Atasco0sa National Wildlife Refuge across the water on the mainland is an immense nature preserve of more than 40,000 hectares. That is the size of almost 7 Manhattan islands strung together. The island’s backyard is one of the best places for president birds and their snowbird cousins, mammals, countless insects, fish and amphibians. If you are a birder, paddler, wildlife photographer or nature lover then you will enjoy endless opportunities to appreciate the natural reward that the Rio Grande Valley and South Padre Island have in store for you.
Learn about Dolphins at South Padre Island Nature Center
Bottlenose dolphins can sleep with one side of their brain while the other side of wide awake and keeping and out for sharks and visitors. You can also find dolphins the world over and South Padres Island is a perfect destination to improve your chances of spotting a pod of them. Some of these smart, curious and vocal swimmers are permanent inshore residents in the Laguna Madre.
Dolphins are highly sensitive to human marine traffic and it is best to learn more about them if you are leading out on the water. Education is the key to how the South Padre Island Dolphin Research and Sealife Nature Center introduces you to the local ‘tribe’ of bottlenose dolphins. Prior to setting out on a tory by boat, your ticket to ride includes a visit to its nature center beside the Port Isabel Lighthouse. The staff members of the center provide information and let you connect physically with sea life in touch tanks.
Zip along and Saddle Up at South Padre Island Adventure Park
If you want to be active then you must visit South Padre Island Adventure Park, where Park Road 100 ends and the fun begins. On 40 acres with access to the beach, the Island Adventure Park is a home for rescue animals and tourists who are in search of a temporary escape from the rat race.
