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South Padre Island

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Skipper

Skipper 6127

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Heading down next week so bumping.  Any new spots in the last year or places that have elevated or fallen off? I know the island pretty well but things are always changing. Ceviche Ceviche and Mahi Nicks are places I didn't get to try last trip (end of last summer) but hope to hit up this year.

Also, planning to get up early and drive down in 1 day from Dallas in time to get a little beach action in then dinner.  My kids (4 and 6) are shitty at restaurants to begin with and I'm sure will have a lot of energy after the drive.  Trying to think of places they can move around and get excess energy out with some live music.  Best place I can think of is that big ass deck/dance floor at Clayton's.  No idea what the food is like as it's been years since I've had a meal there but can't imagine it's great.  Any place I'm not thinking of?  Wanna Wanna is a must during the trip but if I recall the dining area is pretty packed and my kids are too young to go run around the beach at night without supervision.  Longboard Bar and Grill is the other place I can think of with a small dance floor area close to the tables that might work ok and their food is decent.

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956 Worldwide

956 Worldwide 34695

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Trip report. I’m here till Friday. As the username suggests, I’m from the RGV, my family has a place near Starlight Access point. I didn’t live on the island or in PI but I’m pretty damn close to local. Except I’ve been overseas for six years and the last time I was in the U.S. was in 202/21 here on the island. So some of this may be /csb to you, I’m reintegrating. 
 

- The water is warm and blue and clear past the surf line. It’s hot as balls— it was never this hot ON the island when I lived here. There’s some vegetation washing up but it’s not the huge blobs of sargassum weed that rot and stink. Pretty great conditions, but if you’re a surfer the warm water and low wind means it’s pretty dead. If you SUP and always wanted to try the gulf side, now is a good time to take that plunge!

- Ceviche Ceviche is the best lunch deal on the island, it’s ten bucks for a box that will pretty much feed two. I go for the classic version, one fish and one shrimp and it feeds two pre-teens and the grownups. 

- For fried shrimp and oysters, you’re wasting time going anywhere than Dirty Al’s or Joes Oyster Bar in PI. I’ll go to the Sea Ranch for a nice supper tomorrow. 
 

- D’ Pizza Joint is good AF and also a deal. Get a pepperoni pie with extra cheese. It’s not as rough and tumble with T&A posters like in my youth but the pie is great. 
 

-  WTF is with the service charge for credit cards? This is new. It’s gotta be violating card vendor agreements right? Also, shit is expensive as hell. It costs 20 bucks to get into Isla Blanca park with a car, it used to be 2 then 5.  
 

- I haven’t been fishing this trip but I understand the snapper are biting. TIFT is this weekend and things will get busy AF. 
 

- The Island Cinema, which was a gem of a three screen theater, didn’t survive COVID. It’s a damn shame because it was cheaper than a city movie house, and during peak sun hours you could sit in AC in a soggy swimsuit and catch a flick. I’m really bummed about it. It’s now a place you can rent Polaris Slingshots and big-wheel golf carts. 
 

- Said rentals are are a fucking POX. Clogging up the main drag, people drive like dipshits in them, kids hanging off the back. If any of you have rented them…..why? Please explain…..

- Still the best beach in Texas. And I’m biased towards surf sports and outdoors, crystal water and pure white sand aren’t as big to me— so for me it’s among the tops Oj the gulf. 

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1 hour ago, texasdago said:

Tempted to do a last-minute trip this weekend... just like a quick jaunt for two nights.  Hmmmm

 

Would love to, but damn that's a drive from Austin. Haven't been this summer and it's driving me mad.

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I'll second, third, fourth, and fifth Ceviche Ceviche. You give me that on a patio with the breeze and a bottle of Coke and I am the happiest man on the planet. 

I also grew up on the beach... just not SPI. It's my favorite place in the state. I'd much rather take a road trip down there than fly to nicer beaches out of state. I dunno man, just love it.

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texasdago

texasdago 7562

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16 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Would love to, but damn that's a drive from Austin. Haven't been this summer and it's driving me mad.

I would be driving from Austin, as well.  I mean, its a haul for sure but man this weather.  Port A/Corpus is closer but I feel like you get much more bang for your buck, in all kinds of ways, in South Padre.

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Definitely. With the fam, the drive turns into 7+ hours. So 14 hours for a couple of nights -- for as much as I love it -- just isn't worth it. 

I think if it was where Corpus is located, I'd have a place there. Of course, if it was where Corpus is located, it just wouldn't be the same. 

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Skipper

Skipper 6127

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Got on the black drum in the bay today.  Limited out and tacked on a trout and big redfish to boot.  Great morning on the water after striking out Monday.  Watching Rangers in the room with an ocean view now making kids rest so they can make dinner later.  One more big beach day tomorrow before the long haul back to Dallas.  Love this island.

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956 Worldwide

956 Worldwide 34695

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Oh yeah— went to the Island Waterpark (former Schlitterbahn) because some friends had passed. Probably would not have done it if I had to pay myself. The uphill coasters got shut down it seemed like every fourth rider and the attendant had to unstick people who were optimistic about where they fell on the 250 pound weight limit.

 

This state needs a HFCS and added sugar ban for a decade. 

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ztejas

ztejas 43411

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On 8/3/2023 at 11:10 AM, FirstTimeCaller said:

Definitely. With the fam, the drive turns into 7+ hours. So 14 hours for a couple of nights -- for as much as I love it -- just isn't worth it. 

I think if it was where Corpus is located, I'd have a place there. Of course, if it was where Corpus is located, it just wouldn't be the same. 

Yeah if the beach in Corpus was that nice it would be the most expensive real estate in TX 😆

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Skipper

Skipper 6127

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I ate at Viva last week as well.   Twice in same day actually.  For our first fishing trip - it was slow and I stayed out a couple of extra hours after dropping wife and son off at Jim's (fishing was still slow) but walked next door mid-afternoon and had an awesome smashburger + several beers while waiting for family to pick me up.  I noticed the same top shelf and drink menu and realized chatting with the bartender they actually attempt to make real cocktails so brought my wife back for dinner (with the fish we caught for their "cook your catch" option).   Fantastic lunch and dinner + drinks.  Will definitely be back next trip.

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6 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Fuck that

That's my initial thought. It would cut some time off the drive, but imagine it would be hell on a lot of businesses along the current route. But much more than that, do we need an 8-mile bridge across a great natural feature like Laguna Madre? 

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Ag with kids

Ag with kids 581

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On 12/20/2023 at 1:01 PM, hornbri said:

Going to get that 2nd bridge it looks like:

https://www.valleycentral.com/news/local-news/causeway-project-includes-new-roads-across-the-valley/

This is the location, quite a bit North of where anything is today and 8 miles long. 

image.png.a113e198f64c60d708404f6188c632ce.png

I live on NPI.  We're getting another causeway too.  I'm 55 so it should be done about the time I hit 3 digits in the age column.

I'll bet the timeline here is like that...

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Damor

Damor 1236

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Bump, if I missed a more recent thread, then muledick.

Considering a last minute trip down there this week with my teenage boys, look for a fly fishing guide for a day or two and let them goof around.

It's been so long since I've been that I'm functionally a noob.  Recs on a place to stay or look at an Airbnb somewhere in particular?  My wife is sitting this one out so it doesn't have to be the elitest of the SPI elite, just room for me and two large teenage humans (I guess I'll get the sofa bed).  Proximity to a good beach bar for my sanity is a plus and worth paying for.

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Covri

Covri 6244

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Crust tasted like it was a frozen premade, way too much flavorless cheese causing the toppings to slide off during delivery, pepperoni was ok quality. My kids did seem like it and ate it so that’s something. I’d give it a 3/10. We also got something from the appetizer menu that said jumbo seafood stuffed jalapeño that was one half ball the size of half a softball. It was interesting but hard to share as an appetizer lol.

 

We’ve got dirty Al’s on the list to try too so hopefully it lives up to its recommendations. 

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Rip76

Rip76 4924

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On 6/15/2024 at 6:53 PM, Damor said:

Bump, if I missed a more recent thread, then muledick.

Considering a last minute trip down there this week with my teenage boys, look for a fly fishing guide for a day or two and let them goof around.

It's been so long since I've been that I'm functionally a noob.  Recs on a place to stay or look at an Airbnb somewhere in particular?  My wife is sitting this one out so it doesn't have to be the elitest of the SPI elite, just room for me and two large teenage humans (I guess I'll get the sofa bed).  Proximity to a good beach bar for my sanity is a plus and worth paying for.

Damn, my cousin is a fly fishing guide there.  He and my (blood cousin) moved to Oregon unfortunately, but he is in SPI until the end of the month.

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Pdawg88

Pdawg88 1115

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I’ll be heading with the family for my daughters (she’s 14 ya sick fucks) yearly cheer competition in two weeks. It’s one of the only trips we take every year that I really enjoy. I have no clue why, all I do is drink a shit ton and eat, just like I do everywhere else we go. Really like Tom and Jerry’s, and we normally go eat at Daddy’s. We rented one of the bungalows at The Sapphire this year so we will probably grill out more. If you see a guy who looks like Chuck Norris mixed with a little Brad Pitt and Dale Earnhardt that’s me. 

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956 Worldwide

956 Worldwide 34695

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My folks told me that some sharks got in between the sandbars and the beach and were feeding on mullet, really cloudy and murky water and some people got bit.  Super wild, I’ve even gone shark fishing from the beach but can’t remember an attack. 

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7 hours ago, Hook1997 said:

That’s a big shark to be eating in SPI.  I mean when was last time people have died from shark attacks in Texas?   

I think it’s been since the 60s. That said, the waters off of SPI all the way up to Corpus is full of vey big sharks and it’s nothing unusual to see or catch them. Tigers, bulls, makos, lemon sharks. 

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GreenspointTexas

GreenspointTexas 9598

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1 hour ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I think it’s been since the 60s. That said, the waters off of SPI all the way up to Corpus is full of vey big sharks and it’s nothing unusual to see or catch them. Tigers, bulls, makos, lemon sharks. 

Hans Fix, 1962

 

only 2 people have been killed by sharks in Texas over the past 100 years

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PantsTent

PantsTent 2002

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1 hour ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I think it’s been since the 60s. That said, the waters off of SPI all the way up to Corpus is full of vey big sharks and it’s nothing unusual to see or catch them. Tigers, bulls, makos, lemon sharks. 

Did anybody ID the shark that ate that lady's calf?  

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