North Padre Island Beach (Seawall Beach)

Padre Island Seawall Beach, also known as North Padre Island Beach, is a small but beautiful spot on the seashore in the Gulg of Mexico, open throughout the whole year and quite popular with tourists as well as locals. The beach is very well maintained, with clean and clear water and waves getting big enough for practicing some surfing.

If you enjoy walks along the shore, the view and smell of the water, but don’t want to have the sand all around yourself and your car, this is a place of choice for you. The beach has a long cement walkway running parallel to the water and is great for strolling, jogging, walking a dog, sunbathing, swimming, surfing, fishing, and even birdwatching.

In addition to that, there is so much activity around that watching people may be considered as just another way to break up one’s boredom.

Access and Parking

It’s a quick and easy drive from Corpus Christi: over the water to the island, then about a 1.5 mile down to a traffic light with a gas station on the left, then turn left and drive down the road to the circle and directly to the beach.

North Padre Island Beach is a public beach with a free spacious parking lot. If you buy a $12 parking permit in one of the stores on your way here (valid for the whole year), you’ll be allowed to park and camp directly on the sand near the water.

Overall Atmosphere

Even if you go alone or with little kids, you can feel perfectly safe on this beach: there are police and lifeguard patrols each half an hour. Somebody of authority is always somewhere around and it helps keep rowdy youngsters and dubious characters away.

There are many families with kids and elderly couples among the beach visitors. The traffic is moderate; the area is quite safe for children. The beach isn’t too crowded, especially on weekdays and at the end of summer.

Amenities and Facilities

There are free public restrooms and rinse-off showers in good condition (check the south end of the beach). If you need some refreshments, you may visit the Holiday Inn and dine or have a drink there, listening to live music.

On some days, they also sell street food right on the beach. If you need accommodation, in addition to hotel rooms, there are condos offering various rent options.

Swimming Conditions

The water near North Padre Island Beach isn’t too choppy. It's good, clean and clear, warm and shallow for approximately 50 yards away from the shore. There are strong winds and, depending on the weather conditions, the waves may get quite big – in this place, surfers are frequent visitors.

There is plenty of seaweed, but it’s cleaned up regularly. Overall, the beach and water are clean, there are numerous trash cans and yellow sacks throughout the territory; nevertheless, sometimes weekend beachgoers leave a lot of litter after themselves.

Driving Time

• 25 minutes from Corpus Christi, TX
• 1 hour 50 minutes from Victoria, TX
• 2 hours 20 minutes from San Antonio, TX

Hotels and rentals

If you're considering staying for one or even a few nights, there are plenty of options available near the beach. Chose your preferred accomodation type and your favourite room provider:

• Nearby rentals from VRBO.
• Nearby rooms and properties from Booking.com.

Beaches nearby

Additionally, there's a number of beaches near North Padre Island Beach (Seawall Beach) which you can visit:

• Michael J. Ellis Beach & Seawall (0 miles)
• South Packery Channel Beach (Jetty Beach) (0 miles)
• Whitecap Beach (1 mile)
• North Packery Beach (J.P. Luby Surf Park) (1 mile)
• Padre Balli Park Beach (2 miles)