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Interesting Facts
- What's for dinner tonight? While South Padre Island boasts its fair share of burger joints and familiar chains, it also stakes proud claim to a local dining scene that takes full advantage of a location between Laguna Madre and the Gulf of Mexico. Add to the mix the island's unique culinary influences, and visitors will find fish and seafood prepared any number of ways: battered and fried Southern-style, Tex-Mex spicy, or Cajun and Creole-inspired.
- Far from an arid "no man's land," Southeastern Texas, particularly the area known as the Lower Rio Grande Valley, is classified as a subtropical zone. This lush region, now a wildlife refuge that stretches some 270 miles along the banks of the river (from Falcon Dam to the Gulf of Mexico), is home to a rich array of flora and fauna, including more than 400 species of birds and 300 varieties of butterflies. Also native to the Lower Rio Grande are alligators, ocelots, and Kemp's Ridley turtles.
- A historic lighthouse, constructed in the 1850s to guide ships through the Brazos Santiago Pass, stands as testament to Port Isabel's fortitude during the last two centuries. Throughout its history, the town has prospered and suffered – for a few years, enjoying prominence as the area's leading port; in other years, suffering from economic strangleholds. During World War I, the town's population stood at a mere 300; however, citizens refused to see Port Isabel fade away and took measures to establish it as a tourism center with neat shops and restaurants. Their gambit paid off, and charming Port Isabel continues to thrive today.
- On an average spring break day, Texas's tiny island resort blooms well past its listed population, and 3000 permanent residents are joined by hundreds of thousands of winter-weary college kids crowding the beach for fun in the sun. Indeed, in recent years, South Padre Island has achieved similar status to Panama Beach and Daytona Beach as the United States' top spring break locales.
- South Padre Islanders take few things as seriously as being relaxed and laid-back. In fact, an unwritten island rule asserts: "Ties are absolutely forbidden." Try wearing a tie into a restaurant on Padre Boulevard, and you'll likely encounter a few surprised stares, as well as a polite maître d' suggesting a change of wardrobe.
- First-time visitors to South Padre Island may ask, "What is Laguna Madre?" Actually, it's the wide, 609-square-mile body of water that separates South Padre Island from Port Isabel and the rest of the South Texas mainland. Aside from serving as an important breeding area for dozens of species of aquatic birds (making it a veritable bird-watcher's paradise), shallow Laguna Madre also offers first-rate fishing and calm waters for windsurfing.
- While visiting South Padre Island, be sure to take time for a trip across the border. Guide companies offer shuttle services to our southern neighbor daily, and many head to Matamoros, a friendly town in the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas. Known for inexpensive public markets, a terrific dining scene, and bustling nightspots, Matamoros is particularly popular with spring break crowds.
- Until 1964, South Padre Island and Padre Island were one and the same. In that year, the Port Mansfield Gulf Channel was completed, permanently making one island two. The northern island fell under the auspices of the federal government and was declared Padre Island National Seashore. South Padre Island, meanwhile, became a tourist mecca, especially after the Queen Isabella Causeway was completed in 1974, connecting the island's beautiful white beaches to the South Texas mainland.
- If somebody from South Padre Island invites you to go Snowbird hunting, make sure you reply in the negative. Snowbirds, or 'Winter Texans,' are those people who choose to spend winter months basking in the sun and the warm waters of South Texas. Actually, locals love Snowbirds, most of whom are retirees, and honor them with numerous festivals throughout the winter months.
- Kiteboarding is slowly becoming king at South Padre Island, especially on the Laguna Madre side, where waters tend to be calm and shallow. Indeed, you'll find few more unique ways to enjoy Laguna Madre than atop a boogie board pulled by a large kite – and it makes for a great souvenir photo, too. Several companies rent kiteboarding equipment, and many also offer classes for first-timers.
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