Came over to see the sunrise and this didn't disappoint. Easy access, and driving on the beach is…read moreamazing! San was light and fine, and there weren't too many people that early. Several families camping from the night before and people fishing.

One of my favorite beaches to chill with the family. We come here every summer or we go farther…read moredown to South Padre.

JP Luby Surf Park (aka North Packery Beach) is the beach directly behind the Lively Beach Resort…read moreoff Zahn Road & Hwy 361. If you are staying at Lively, this is your spot. The boardwalk from Lively empties right onto this beach between markers 204 and 205. If you aren't staying at Lively but you wanna get away from the crowds in Port A, Cinnamon Shore, or on North Padre Island out of Corpus Christi, you might wanna keep JP Luby as a backup option. It's well-maintained, clean, and generally as pleasant as Texas beaches can possibly be. You do need to pick up a permit for driving onto the beach, $12, easy to get at any convenience or grocery store in the area. The pass is good for the whole calendar year and all drivable beaches in the Port A - Corpus region from mile marker 0 to 62. Trucks or other 4WD high clearance vehicles are advised, but I did see a few less sporty options around. Take care to heed warning flags about surf conditions and the rip current. These are posted as you enter from Zahn Road, just as you pass the shower station and porto-johns. Once you get settled, you'll see everything from anglers to families on beach vacations to dare devils on surfboards, boogie boards, or kite surfing rigs. Our early October 2024 visit was easily one of my favorites from 30+ years of semi-annual trips to the Mustang / Padre Island area. We spent 3 days on this beach just watching the waves, the birds, and the happy visitors soaking up the last bit of summer paradise for the year. It was so calm, no loud stereos blasting, just folks out to enjoy Mother Nature and allow others to do the same. The adjacent North Packery Channel Jetty includes a long walkway that was packed with anglers at sunrise each morning we were there. From one fisherman I spoke with, red fish and trout were the goal at this time of year, with bait mullet easily caught by casting a net from the rocks. If you don't want to haul a bunch of chillax gear out to the beach, there are vendors who will provide setup/take-down of chairs, shade, campfires, and more for a fee. Some options to consider include Corpus Beach Rentals and 361 Blue Beach Concierge, but note that these vendors may close outside of "high season" dates.

The JP Luby Surf Park (also known as North Packery) is always a good time. Let me tell you about a…read moreday I had there... I spent Christmas in Port Aransas. It was probably the best Christmas ever. The only thing missing was I couldn't go surfing. A couple of days later, the sun came out and the wind switched to the south. and there was a bit of swell in the Gulf. That morning, the buoy report said 8' at 6 seconds with a SW wind at 12 mph. We loaded up the truck and headed down to Zahn Rd. It was a beautiful day. It was warm for December. It felt like Springtime. Not a cloud in the sky. The water was a beautiful, clear green. The waves were waist to chest high with good form. Nothing but really cool people at the beach that day. I caught countless fun waves for about four hours. I paddled back in for a water break. It was fun just sitting on the tailgate of my truck just watching everyone have a good time. People were surfing nice, clean waves. Some were fishing on the jetty. Boats were going out. Kids were playing. Dogs were running around. One guy was spearfishing by the jetty. Classic rock was blasting all day. The sounds of Santana, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix filled the air. So much fun. I paddled out again and road a few more waves until my back and shoulders couldn't take anymore. Some old friends were on the beach. I paddled back in and drank beers until the sun went down. That was a good day.

I love this little island town! I've been visiting with my family for 50 years. There are prettier…read morebeaches in the world, but this one just feels like Home to me. I love the smell of the salty fishy air! The further you go away from the jetty, the clear of the water and the nice or the beach. You can hunt under the pier at low tide for shark teeth find all sorts of shells, watch people, pulling fish and shark in from the waters Lots of souvenir, shops and restaurants. Some good I'm not so good. And the grocery store with the deli that you can eat three meals a day for really inexpensively. Love love love it

Port Aransas and I go way, way back to my earliest childhood. Its changed somewhat since then but,…read moreits central core as a sleepy fishing village on the Texas gulf coast remains in spirit. 90 % of visitors back in the day came here to fish. Either in the surf, bay or deep sea. While ive done my share of that, this trip centers on long walks on the beach and introspection. What a great way to build up to Christmas.

One of my favorite places to take my family fishing has been through quite a change since the last…read morestorm. It really shook things up! But the good news is that they're rebuilding everything even bigger and better. I can't wait to make more wonderful memories there!

We went to the beach at 7pm when it was nice and cool. It was golden hour and I knew it would be…read morethe best times for pictures! We had a great time playing in the sand and enjoying the beauty at the beach! Golden hour was prime time for beautiful pictures!

My husband and I decided to try a thrilling speedboat ride around the bay. We purchased our tickets…read morefrom some very friendly people and waited for them to get more customers. I understood them needing at least four to make it worth their while, because gas is expensive, after all. After waiting a while he decided to go ahead and take us out alone so that we would not have to wait much longer. It was so neat because we ended up getting a private boat ride, but mostly it was just super fun. We were treated to an half hour at high-speed thrill speeding around the bay. Bumping over the waves was such a blast! We went around the Lexington, saw fishing boats, birds, and even several dolphins frolicking out past the breakers. The captain was so friendly and fun, and we had a great time. I feel that they lower the prices for kids they may get more business, but to us the $25 each was worth it. Try them out, you won't be disappointed!

Very exciting ride. The wife and husband own the business and the husband drives the boat. He was…read moreawesome. He blasted 80's rock music after asking if it's ok to do so. It was the best and most fun thing I have done in a long time. They don't gauge you either. It was 30.00 U.S dollars.

Mike is the man! Worked with me on times to pick up and drop of a fishing kayak. Rates are very…read morereasonable, kayak was in excellent condition. I will definitely rent from mike again!

I've used many "recreational and sporting" companies in Port A over the years, and this one is…read morepositively the best! First of all, Mike, the owner/ guide, is unbelievably friendly and goes above and beyond to make sure you and your party has a great experience. We've rented paddle boards from him several times. He spends a lot more time than any other company giving instructions and won't stop until everybody is comfortable on their board. The quality of his equipment is great and in terrific condition. We have also taken sunset cruises on his boat and it's always a blast. Finally, if all this weren't enough, best prices in Port A.!

Amazing place to rent from. I rented a Shibumi shade and it was well worth it. Great place to rent…read morefrom. Will definitely be back.

All of the golf carts were sold out for more than a day. I just needed to get my sister with…read morecancer to the beach and back. Scott was so kind and helpful to accommodate us and I couldn't be more thankful!!! We come here to port A twice a year at least and I will definitely be using this company again. I'm so thankful I could cry!

Third year at Port Royal in Port Aransas!! Nice stay, friendly staff, however the reservation…read moredepartment didn't correspond with the front desk. I had reserved the third floor Ocean view and was put on the 2nd floor in an entire different building.Luckily, front desk personnel quickly corrected the situation and placed us back to a third floor Ocean view.Port Royal is still and will be our to go to condos. Thank you. I just hope after 3 stays they will have to the money to make the property more modern like the Sea Gull & their sister property. Thing I like most of Port Royal are the hot tubs and able to use the washer and dryer in the units.

Port A has been our summer escape for 20 + yrs. Normally do weeks in our RV but decided to come for…read morea short weekend at Port Royal. Heard so many great things about this place. No not correct. This place is scary dirty, inside the condo and out in the hallways. Kitchen appliances are from the 70's. Rusted out windowsills. I know Hurricane Harvey was tough, but many places are well into recovery mode by now. The hot tubs are overwhelmed with unsupervised children.