Austiners: Best, Closest Gulf Beach? (Dallas, Corpus Christi: weekend getaway, work, sick)

[Catherinelady]

I heard Port Aranasas is nice

[silks]

I guess I've been spoiled by beaches like Destin and Panama City. All of the beaches of the Fla. Panhandle are gorgeous.

Now Galveston, I've heard nothing but bad things about its beaches. The word "nasty seawall" and "seaweed" have been thrown around regularly.

[karnival96]

According to Mapquest, the nice clean beaches along North Padre Island are 3 hours and 35 minutes from downtown Austin, versus 3 hours and 40 miles to get to the Sea Wall in Galveston. The Corpus Christi / North Padre area provides for a nice getaway. I spent a week there with my family last year and have no complaints whatsoever. The beaches were great, (the sand works well for building sandcastles) and the weather was perfect. Also, there was no smell where I was, but there are locations in the area with industrial activity where the air can get pretty rancid. These are not near the North Padre Island area. Galveston has lots of neat attractions in addition to the beach.

[love roses]

Usually, the park service cleans up the seaweed. It's mostly just an opinion, but I do think the beaches around Corpus Christi are nicer. Galveston does not have blue water close to the shore, but it's not "polluted dirty", just sandy (turbid?). Like most are saying, Galveston does not have the most beautiful beaches in the whole world, but they aren't polluted, disgusting, nasty, etc...Those are just opinions of people. Go and decide for yourself. Galveston also has Dickens on the Strand, Mardi Gras, etc...The Strand area is nice, There are some cool old homes. Padre has some non driveable areas, great for bird watching, etc.. CC also has a shrimp festival. One thing about Corpus Christi area I don't like...Lots of jellyfish.

[TheHarvester]

Originally Posted by Austinitegirl

Mustang Island is OK...

Honestly - if you want a nice beach, just wait for a great deal on airline tickets and take a long weekend to Cozumel or Cancun.

I agree with the "Save it and go to Mexico" part, but I camped on Mustang Island one time and it was horrible. Keep in mind I'm a spoiled ex-Californian so I didn't anticipate that there would be a steamy wind drenching everything and making sand stick to my dogs, me, my tent and everything else in sight. It was so humid and so unattractive, it's totally flat, no waves for body-surfing, people driving on the beach and the drive to get there was amazingly ugly. The Texas coastal plain is table-top flat and mostly treeless as you go SW of Galveston.

Take all this with a grain of salt, I know a lot of people who love going to the coast here. I don't understand what the appeal is, I have no desire to ever set foot on the Texas gulf coast again as long as I live.

[love roses]

It's Texas, there's steamy wind everywhere! It's fine to save it and go somewhere else, for sure, but since it's not possible to do that more than a few times a year, then you just go to what's close by in the meantime. It's not Hawaii, the pacific Islands, California, Jamaica....But it's here, and it's what we have.

[TheHarvester]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

There is a real good photo thread (by RGV, I think) that has some pictures from Galveston. Although it is not the nicest beach in the world (by far), the island itself is a neat destination.

So true! During my one visit to Galveston I was so engrossed with the non-beach aspects of the island that I barely had a chance to see the beach itself. I wouldn't dream of going in the water there anyway, given its proximity to chemical and oil refineries. But the old part of town is wonderful and Moody Gardens is well worth the trip. Wonderful place!

Originally Posted by love roses

It's Texas, there's steamy wind everywhere! It's fine to save it and go somewhere else, for sure, but since it's not possible to do that more than a few times a year, then you just go to what's close by in the meantime. It's not Hawaii, the pacific Islands, California, Jamaica....But it's here, and it's what we have.

The "steamy wind" I experienced on Mustang Island was equivalent to warm drizzle coming at me horizontally. Never felt that inland before. I think I might have been there at an especially bad time. Every location on the planet is uncomfortable at some point, so one sample doesn't give a complete impression of a place.

But my main response is that central Texas has a fresh water advantage over places like Georgia, Florida and California. We have so many spring-fed rivers and other clean waterways, it's absolutely wonderful. Right here in central Austin I can walk to the gorgeous Barton Creek greenbelt (in wet years) and swim in the creek. Can't do that in most cities. And then there's the San Marcos, Guadalupe, Frio and other rivers, plus all the lakes --- beautiful! I guess I just don't have a need for sandy beaches and salt water, I'd much prefer the clean refreshing waters of our inland waterways.

[love roses]

There's something to be said about being able to see what critters are swimming around you for sure! J/K! I'm just happy whenever there is a large body of water nearby and I can get in it...

[tashina]

Originally Posted by atxcio

Port Aransas / North Padre / Corpus Christi are the quickest beaches to reach from Austin. Provided you DO NOT go I-35 through San Antonio, but rather 123/181 thru Seguin.

How is that road? I've never been out that way. Is it pretty flat and easy to drive? I hate twisty hilly roads with dropoffs. I assume since that's East of Austin that it's flatter, but you know what they say about people who assume.

[TheHarvester]

Originally Posted by tashina

How is that road? I've never been out that way. Is it pretty flat and easy to drive? I hate twisty hilly roads with dropoffs. I assume since that's East of Austin that it's flatter, but you know what they say about people who assume.

Hilly, winding roads with drop-offs (the kind of roads I love) are NOT to be found SE of Austin. No worries, it's a straight shot on relatively flat land. Once you get south of I-10, most of the terrain is table-top flat to slightly rolling. Nothing remotely like "steep" can be found in that region.