My family spent the weekend here in Corpus and this beach is right outside the hotel we stayed at…read more Love how this beach is near downtown along with some food places (including food trucks) and can see all the boats towards the side. It was a cute little beach and didn't have many crowds thankfully so can enjoy it in peace. The sand wasn't too bad honestly though there was some trash along the shoreline which is unfortunate. When you do walk into the water there are shells and rocks that maybe hurt to walk in but once you pass that small section, you just feel nice soft sand on your feet. Just wear water shoes if needed. My nephew did find some little hermit crabs but they never bothered us and we're cool to look at. No issues with any animal thankfully. There are different types of birds flying around we saw including seagulls and a blue heron. If you decide to bring food be careful they will definitely try to get some. Overall it was fun experience. Not the best beach out there but still had fun.

Good! We enjoyed it very much. It's easy to get to, there's a place with fresh water to wash off…read moreyour feet near the parking lot, the sand is pretty soft and clean. The water is clean and the waves aren't crazy.

Beautiful beach! Great local restaurants and stores nearby. Easy drive on beach location.read more

We walked the beach front and the jettis along the park on a beautiful day, 71 degrees and mostly…read moresunny. It is a very nice park to explore the beach and Gulf. If you're looking for a lot of shell's, this isn't the park however they do have some shells. We didn't see any wildlife today (dolphins, turtles). If you like long walks on a beach, check this one out.

I was only able to spend a day in Port A but just from driving around it's a cute small island…read morefeel. The beaches here are drive up so you can have your car on the beach, you do need to purchase a beach pass though (good for a year). We weren't able to get into the water this time because of a storm that came through the night before which caused a high fish smell from the kelp, plus the water wasn't as warm since it was early May. I'd definitely come back to visit though!

Lovely beach! There were a lot more jellyfish this year than I've seen in a while but you can…read moreeasily avoid them. Beautiful sunsets and calm evening waves...so peaceful.

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.

While on Padre Island you should stop at the National Seashore, very welcoming and easy access…read more The park staff was very friendly and helpful. You can walk for miles either north or south and we did on another wonderful weather day.

Nice beach but the national park lacks advertised amenities and national park employees are grumpy…read moreand rude. Admission is $10. The main park building provides a nice area to picnic with plenty of tables. Unfortunately, the showers are out of order. So a main advantage of the national park (showers to clean up after the beach) versus going to the free part of the beach is missing. Also, the public restrooms are old and offer little room for changing. And the bathrooms are not maintained (no paper in paper towel dispensers). Park employees are super grumpy. One park employee screamed at us for feeding a seagull in the parking lot area. Overall verdict- skip the national park and go to Mustang Island State Park.

TLDR: Very family-friendly beach with super shallow and calm water plus a playground. $10 daily…read morefee, $40 per year. This beach is perfect for kids, especially toddlers. The water is super shallow (saw people going super far and it was still only up to their knees) and very calm. The sand in the water is also soft and free of rocks (my kids took off their water shoes). The water was warm (end of July) and pretty clean (not clear). It was really clean on the first day we visited and two days later, some seaweed floated in. Ocean conditions change obviously but it was never unpleasant. There's a playground on the beach although we didn't actually go to check it out. $10 daily fee ($40 per year so if you're here for a week or something, consider upgrading to save). It gets crowded on weekends (naturally) so arrive early to secure a parking spot (before 10am is usually a good call). They have indoor bathrooms and showers. Loved this beach! Perfect for a calm beach experience. If you're looking for waves, go to Port Aransas.

Perfect beach day--especially for families! The beach was…read moreclean and peaceful, especially since we visited during the week. The water was clear enough to see our feet (definitely not Galveston!), and the shallow area stretched far out, making it ideal for kids to splash and play safely in knee-deep water. We loved having a palapa for shade--it kept us cool all day. We brought our own chairs, which worked out great. Another big plus: parking was just steps from the sand, so there was no long trek with gear. Lots of swim area and space to spread out. We'll definitely be back!

Went over the memorial day weekend and upon arrival realize you couldn't park on the beach you pay…read more5.00 to local parking lots close by..You walk and find a place to set up. We had brought our canopy it was super windy so had to make adjustments, the tides were very choppy, alot of jellyfish coming up to shore so I didn't fully get to enjoy the water. I would recommend staying at the Doubletree and other hotels/motels that sit literally on the beach.

The water was so warm, it felt so nice as I'm used to chilly California beaches full of seaweed. No…read moreseaweed spotted, only a little white jellyfish that would swim by then float away. We didn't go too deep into the water in case the jellyfish had nearby friends. The sun was shining and the air was a bit humid but we enjoyed our time there. I appreciate how they have so many signs up describing the historical importance of North Beach. The Lexington is right next door and they have a gift shop with adorable stickers!

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.