We've enjoyed Andy Bowie Park for so many years, but had been away for the past 8 since moving…read moreaway. We had gone to another part of the beach, further south from Andy Bowie, the afternoon before and the beach was clear of seaweed. But when we went Tuedsay morning to the Park, the seaweed had come in overnight. The parking is only $5, for however long you want to stay, and there are showers right by the parking lot. It's all close to the beach, which is convenient if you need to make multiple trips to your car. The showers aren't meant to be be all that comfortable, and they're not. But they come on, the water pressure is good, and they're not on timer knobs like they used to be. You know, the knobs that you press down and they slowly come up until the water shuts off, so the shower lasts 2 minutes and you have to keep pressing it. There are no shower curtains, and there's sand and water everywhere, but you're able to rinse most of the sand off before climbing back into your car. We got there in the morning, about 10:30, and stayed until about 6pm. There are umbrellas and chairs already set up; but if you do sit under the umbrella, you're going to have to pay. There's a young man who walks up and down the beach checking. They're like traps, so he checks periodically to see if he's caught anything. We paid $30 for the big umbrella and 2 chairs. The chairs were a little rusty and rickety, but they were ok for the afternoon. Even with seaweed, which still wasn't that bad, it was a very pleasant afternoon. The water was cold for me, but after several hours in and out of the sun, and the sun warming the water, it felt great on hot skin. The water was clear for the most part, until it kicked up the sand near the shore. The lifeguards on duty were on their toes all day, running into the water a couple of times, but thankfully no one needed them. There's plenty of space to set up your own towels/chairs without having to be shoulder to shoulder with the neighbor; but it was a weekday morning and there were several groups on the beach. It was a fantastic day, tired us all out, but we can't wait to go back.

You get what you pay for, I guess. Has hookups, but that's about it. Womens restroom has 2 stools…read more I have been here 7 days and one stool has been plugged & unusable since I got here. The rv lot has grass around it, but can't walk your dog because grass is full of sand burrs. The "gatekeeper" who was working when I arrived was pretty rude and not at all helpful. Luckily the gentleman the next day was very good. Corrected first guys errors and was super polite & professional. If the weather is nice, could maybe get higher rating, but with rain for days the restrooms are very wet and smellly

Butterfly Garden in South Padre, TX, is anything but an "overgrown vacant lot" (referring to…read moreStephanie H.'s review on 7/11/2021). I wish more flowers had been planted, but I love these community gardens. I have read countless articles about the butterfly and other highly important pollinators populations diminishing. Kudos to this neighborhood or whoever for keeping it mostly tidy, trash-free, weed-free, and a tribute to so many loved ones. According to a magazine that was in our room, this particular butterfly garden is part of the "National Wildlife Federation's Mayors' Monarch Pledge initiative. Mayor Barry Patel signed the pledge on October 22, 2016, declaring the City's support for Monarch initiatives." We saw only a few butterflies on May 29, 2025, however, it was a bit warm and breezy. More flowers and more butterfly baths, please!

One of the best ways to experience South Padre's wild side is to take a stroll along the Laguna…read moreMadre Nature Trail,. a boardwalk that meanders from the South Padre Island Convention Center out to the Laguna Madre wetlands. This is birding hotspot and also a butterfly hotspot--thanks to the beautiful Butterfly Garden. The Laguna Madre Nature Trail is a great place and best of all: is free and open 24 hours a day.. If you venture to the South Padre Island Convention Center, you will be very close--in fact, a short walk away from the Nature Trail. I rode the free Wave Shuttle there and the driver directed me to the Nature Trail entrance very near the Whaling Wall. I was there around noon on a very warm fall day. There are lots of shrubs, trees and flowers planted specifically to attract birds and butterflies. I just stood there and watched as many different kinds of butterflies flitted all around me. It was so wonderful. Then I walked back into a little area that had a small rocky area with water flowing through it. The butterflies and the birds seemed to like that too. Laguna Madre Nature Trail is a fantastic place to enjoy nature and the beautiful Gulf Coast area of Texas. Make sure you make the trek and get ready to become transfixed by some butterfly hot-spotting.

This is a perfect road bike/ trail bike route. Nice and peaceful views…read more Been going to this trail for several weekends now and there are some parts of the trail that few to no people (which is good coz of the ongoing pandemic for social distancing). It is totally a great place if you want a little nature road bike ride or run‍‍

Wonderful representation of the battle at Palo Alto. We went twice in two weeks because we loved…read morethe walk and lesson in history. Free, and very interesting and eye opening about our history. Highly recommended

Captain Noe Lopez has been giving dolphin watch tours for the past 30 years and we just keep coming…read moreback! I've literally only taken dolphin tours from him since I was very young. He's obviously a professional captain and knows the area like the back of his hand. He adds humor to the tour and he always finds the dolphins. I've never left this tour without seeing dolphins. Note , you can buy tickets online ahead of time. You have to buy them at least one hour before departure time. Also, there is an outdoor waiting area with shade. You can't wait in the A/C gift shop anymore :/ -R

We had the best time with Dolphin Docks while on vacation in South Padre Island! We loved it so…read moremuch that we went on 4 bay fishing trips & 2 Dolphin Sunset cruises! Captain Noe was so good at getting us on fish! Russel is a very good owner who was great to talk with. Isaac was so fun to hang with & was an amazing deck hand! Billy was a good deckhand as well. We can't wait to come back!

I really like this park. It's brand new in a developing community. There is plenty of parking on…read moreone end and you have to cross a long bridge to get to the park. It has many gazebos to picnic in in private and two large one for big party's next to the water. It's clean and spacious. It has a huge waterfall next to a another water feature for the kids to cool off in the valley heat. At night they light up the waterfall and looks beautiful. Has clean restrooms and security guard in the evenings. You can bring bicycles as they is a track all around the park.

Love this place! Our grandchildren could be here all day! Just wish they would leave the splash…read morepark on, the children are always disappointed when it is not functioning.

The views are out of a movie, a hidden park right along the shore. There are picnics to sit with…read moreloved ones and enjoy a meal. While the scenery merits 5 stars, by the shore there is a sign alerting you of sharp objects. There are picnic tables, a volleyball net, and even grills.

This Dolphin Watch was a fun experience and everyone should do this at least once in their…read morelifetime. The waiting space was okay but could use a little expansion because of the traffic from those purchasing tickets to those preparing to board. It was very chaotic. The young lady at the kiosk was friendly but we had to tell her that we needed out tickets. It seemed as if she just started working for the company and may not have known a lot about the cruise. Smaller groups should be allowed to board before larger groups. The tour guide was good but could use some coaching and being more vocal during the trip. In other words, he needs to say more about whatever spots may be of importance. The tour itself was interesting and fun but, we ended up on the second floor which meant that we were directly under the sun. It was super hot yet beautiful and seeing the dolphins was obviously the highlight of our day. My family and I enjoyed our cruise and it would've given them 5 stars if: 1) The tickets for the drinks was clear because it seemed that they were Disingenuous with their explanation. Explain how many tickets is needed for regular drinks versus alcoholic beverage would've been helpful. 2) Die to the scorching heat, adding a retractable covering for the top would be beneficial for the boat and most importantly for the passengers

Our experience with Breakaway Cruises was terrible and completely unprofessional…read more We arrived at 2:00 PM to schedule and pay for a 4:00 PM jet ski reservation for three jet skis for our group of six. We spent about 20 minutes completing paperwork and talking with Coral, who told us to be back by 3:45 PM. We left to change and returned at 3:35 PM, ready for our ride. Instead, Coral told us the 3:00 PM group had "just arrived late" and we'd now have to wait until 5:00 PM. That's completely unacceptable. Even if her story was true and they really were the 3:00 PM group, they were late. Breakaway Cruises should have canceled or delayed them--not us, who showed up on time and followed every instruction. On top of that, I overheard Coral speaking with the other group, and it didn't sound like they were late at all. It felt more like Breakaway Cruises was overbooking to make extra money and shifting people around to cover it up. I even heard Coral asking another group whether they had evening plans--more evidence of double-booking (her knowing they would make them wait past their scheduled time). We asked Coral to let us go as scheduled or cancel the other party. She claimed to agree with us but did nothing. She refused to let us speak with a manager. Instead, she offered us "inventory" jet skis that had been sitting in storage. Why should we get older, potentially less safe equipment when we did everything right? The other group should have been inconvenienced, not us (that is if they were really "late"). We ultimately left without riding because we didn't feel safe using equipment that might not have been recently serviced. Breakaway Cruises clearly doesn't care about customers' time, safety, or money. They're unethical, careless, and willing to lie or overbook to boost profits. I would absolutely not recommend them.

Excellent park! My 3 year old kept very busy and did not want to leave! I also appreciate the…read moreshade from the sunlight.

Not the best Brownsville has to offer, that's for sure, but it's not to shabby…read more Nice big playground and basketball court. The restrooms were closed and we didn't get to stay long, as always, one of the kids always has to go at a devil of a time.