South Padre Island is unique in that it is the only spring break destination in the US that is an Island. College students began flocking to South Padre in 1984/85 when Texas refused to raise its legal drinking age to 21 like most other States did. That alone was enough momentum to push it as you see today. Show South Padre has went through downturns and upticks on popularity amongst college students. The good news is, with the ban on drinking on the beach in Gulf Shores Alabama to Panama City Beach, Florida, South Padre Island as has Texas has shrugged this off. Open containers are legal on the beach for those 21 and over. There is currently a true surge in students going to South Padre in February, March and even April. In fact, Panama City and Gulf Shores are strictly enforcing underage drinking in a very aggressive way. South Padre is also much further south than any other Gulf Coast destination. It lies as far south as Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Why does that matter? Easy. It is tropical that far south, and that means WARM TANNING WEATHER great for the beach. Boasting 3 regional airports of Mcallen Texas (MFE airport code) United, American, Delta, and Allegiant Airlines all service this hub. Harlingen Texas (HRL airport code) hosts United, Southwest, and Sun Country Airlines. Brownsville Texas (BRO airport code) hosts American, United, and AeroMexico flights. Airport transfers are a breeze with www.southpadreislandlimos.com that has private car & limo transfer non stop to the Island. If you are thinking about “road tripping” down to South Padre, (ie driving down), this is how approximately 90% of students arrive to save money. From Minnesota, it is about 22 hours. From Kansas, about 15. From Colorado, about 16. This gives you an idea about travel times, though opening up google maps makes a lot of sense to figure it out. The Island’s clubs and bars allow students 18 years of age or older to enter, though you must be 21+ to drink. By day, students flock to Clayton’s Beach Bar, home to the largest spring break beach stage in the world hosting up to 25,000 students per day + BYOB friendly during the day. Another great feature of South Padre is the local Island Transit service, which are tourist mini buses that run Free of Charge from 7 am. to roughly 9 pm 7 days a week, picking up all along Padre Blvd. While as a barrier Island of over 500 miles, only 7.5 miles of South Padre is inhabited. This makes it condensed and very easy to get around. Unlike other Texas beaches, within City limits vehicles are prohibited on the beach. Wide, clean sandy beaches await you. Arguably, South Padre has some of the best salt water bay fishing in the Country. Group fishing trip excursions run just $40 per person for half a day, and limiting out is nearly to be expected. There are several great restaurants on the Island that allow you to bring your fresh catch in and they cook it to order. One of the most cool things about South Padre Island is not just a real variety of hotels that accept students, but Padre has massive 1, 2, and 3 bedroom condos so that your group can all stay together. For example, some of our beachfront spring break condos like Sunchase, Peninsula, Saida, and Inverness we can accommodate groups of up to 250 students. Fraternities and Sororities LOVE this about us. Our hotels, same deal, we have upwards of 100 rooms per hotel to hold big groups. South Padre better than any other destination can host large groups that all want to stay by or near each other. The Island is also home to Schlitterbahn Beach Resort, home to one of the Nation’s top 10 waterparks. Even in March, their indoor water park & lazy river are open and heated for you to enjoy. Parasailing, go carts, + many more activities await student travelers. The Island is home to Sea Turtle Inc, one of the largest Sea Turtle rehab projects and hatcheries in the US. Want to learn to surf or kiteboard? No problem. The Island has the unquestioned best surfing and kiteboarding on the entire Gulf Coast of the US – not just Texas. By night, expect World Class DJs by the likes of Morgan Page, Tiesto, Skrillex, Kaskade, Waka Flocka Flame, DJ Skribble plus many many more at renowned clubs like Louies Backyard, Clayton’s Beach Bar, Tequila Sunsets, + Peninsula Island Beach resort hosting upwards of 7000 wild students per night, particularly during Texas Week. The clubs open at 8 pm and go to bar close at 2 am. Then, it is off to Denny’s, SPIDog, or Whataburger for 24 hour a day munchies. Quick Tips on booking Spring Break on South Padre Island:
Other useful tips about Texas Spring Break
South Padre Island Spring Break is unique in that it is the only spring break destination in the US that is an Island. College students began flocking to South Padre in 1984/85 when Texas refused to raise its legal drinking age to 21 like most other States did. That alone was enough momentum to push it as you see today. There is not another destination in the USA that has more Greeks on Spring Break than SPI SPI is typically ranked as one of the top 10 beaches in the continental US by sources like Yahoo Travel, the Travel Channel, CNN, + more. A nice beach matters on spring break. Choosing South Padre Island as your Spring Break is a safe, cheap choice that all of your friends can “sell” to their parents more easily than Mexico as well as afford as you can just jump in a card and drive on down Once on the Island, a few tips to not get evicted or tossed in the slammer:
Other Miscellaneous ideas to help you:
Can you drink in public in South Padre Island?It is legal to drink in public in Texas. There is no statewide law prohibiting public consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Can I drink on Texas beaches?Alcohol and Open Container Laws for the Beach
The long story short for Galveston Island is that yes, alcohol is allowed on the beach and in most Texas beaches. This comes with a few caveats though: Alcohol is allowed in select areas of the beach and prohibited in all others. This will be marked with visible signage.
What time does South Padre stop selling alcohol?A person may sell, offer for sale, or deliver malt beverages between 7 a.m. and midnight Monday-Friday and on Saturday nights until 1 a.m. on Sunday.
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