On the Road

Feel the sand in your toes at beachy, beautiful South Padre Island

From sun worshippers to sandcastle builders, kite boarders to windsurfers, birdwatchers to beachcombers, South Padre Island (or SPI, as the locals say) attracts them all.

Island life is available anytime here, where you can get coastal and chill out by the water, have a break from the beach at South Padre Island Golf Club, or take the family to splash around at one of South Padre Island’s biggest attractions: Beach Park at Isla Blanca.

In case you need more convincing, here are five reasons to love SPI:

1. Outdoor adventures are yours for the taking
Sure, you can beach it all day and take part in nearly any type of water sport, but if you want to swim on a slightly wilder side, get face-to-face with exotic marine wildlife in the clear, shallow waters of Laguna Madre Bay.

Or take a deep dive and book a lesson for scuba diving with American Diving and learn how to navigate the open waters of the Texas Gulf Coast.

Adrenaline junkies will run for the parasailing and jet skis, while you’ll find fishing enthusiasts inshore and deep-sea fishing. Pro tip: Have one of the island’s local spots cook your catch.

2. You can be a nature tourist
SPI is a habitat for the endangered Kemp’s Ridley turtle species, and Sea Turtle, Inc. offers an up-close look at these creatures.

As the Rio Grande Valley’s premier destination for birdwatching, the South Padre Island Birding Nature Center & Alligator Sanctuary has some of the best access to observe birds, butterflies, and natural wildlife in coastal South Texas.

3. It’s the Sandcastle Capital of the World
While you’re at the beach, book a sandcastle lesson with one of the island’s many talented pros and learn from the finest sand sculptors around.

Whether you want to build a traditional castle, an animal, a character, or even your own sand throne, you’ll learn both the basics and advanced sculpting skills — no artistic ability required!

4. It’s a seafood lover’s dream
It will come as no surprise that seafood is the most popular cuisine in SPI, but you might be amazed at the diversity in flavors and vibe among the restaurants, which each have their own unique style.

For example, The Painted Marlin Grille serves up fresh seafood paired a relaxed atmosphere and gorgeous views of the sunset over Laguna Madre Bay.

Another glorious view comes courtesy of the aptly named Cafe on the Beach.

For something a bit more formal, Sea Ranch Restaurant and Bar sends out surf-and-turf at its finest — and don’t skip their Sea Ranch Swirl Margarita.

5. There are fireworks all summer long
You don’t have to wait until the Fourth of July to find that spark. There’s no more festive way to end your day at the beach than to watch fireworks reflect off the water, which happens each weekend during the summer.

Naturally, SPI also boasts a range of places to stay, all with easy access to island activities and attractions, including romantic inns, luxe resorts, and family-friendly hotels and rentals.

To plan your trip and discover more about what makes SPI special, head over to the South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau.

South Padre Island is a beach-lover's dream.

Photo courtesy of South Padre Island

South Padre Island is a beach-lover's dream.

promoted texas vacation nature

Your Expert Guide

Oak Cliff: The underestimated historic and culturally rich 'hood

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman

Kay Wood

There are so many great places to live in Dallas that it helps to have an expert on your side. The Neighborhood Guide presented by Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty gives you insider access from the agents who live and work there, providing in-the-know info about your possible new community.

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Bishop Arts is a huge attraction, but Realtor Kay Wood wants people to know that Oak Cliff is a lot more than just Bishop Arts.

"Oak Cliff has a really rich and complex history," the Briggs Freeman agent says. "I think it's one of the most underestimated neighborhoods in Dallas."

Wood has lived in Oak Cliff with her high school sweetheart-husband since 2008, but she's been helping people buy and sell homes there for the past 15 years, currently with her business partner Brian Davis.

"The neighborhoods here are close to everything but still relatively affordable compared to other areas of DFW," she says. "I love all the historic homes with their architectural interest and variety, the strong sense of community engagement, and how there's so much to explore. Whether you're looking for the best new restaurant, the most authentic taco, film festivals, the zoo, the best public high school in Texas, parks, nature preserves — I could go on all day!"

Wood offered up a few of her personal favorites about life in "the Cliff." Here's her guide to the area:

Where to eat & drink
The list is long: Nova ("you have to get the hummus," Wood says), Encina (pro tip: don't skip the blue cornbread), Cibo Divino for pizza and wine on the patio, coffee from Peaberry ("my husband swears their Vietnamese coffee is the best in town"), oysters at Boulevardier, the Perfect Picnic at Eno's Pizza Tavern, tio's elotes next to El Si Hay, the pistachio ice cream at Joy Macarons, and the spicy lobster ramen at Ten Ramen.

Wood advises picking up a great bottle of wine from Neighborhood Cellars and some steaks from Cooper's Meat Market. And, of course, there are tons of taco options in the neighborhood: "We can't get enough of Maskaras, Trompo, and Taco y Vino," she says.

Where to play
Marvel at the best skyline views in town while playing a round at Stevens Park Golf Course, take a walk through Twelve Hills Nature Preserve, bike along the Trinity River, or play disc golf at Founders Park.

The Kessler Theater is "such a great and intimate venue" for concerts, while the Texas Theater adds a touch of history to movie-watching. Escape to The Wild Detectives for books, music, and poetry, or head to the Dallas Zoo for a wild day out — "our whole family loves to feed the giraffes," Wood says.

What to see
Oak Cliff is home to the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial at Kiest Park and the La Reunion Monument at Stevens Park Golf Course that honors some of Dallas' earliest settlers.

On Jefferson Boulevard, you can pop into the Oak Cliff Cultural Center for regular art shows, and "my daughters love to walk down the street and look at all the quinceañera dresses in the shop windows," she says.

Where to live
A few years ago, Wood helped her buyers purchase 626 Rainbow Dr., a rare, two-acre midcentury modern estate that's wrapped on three sides by a babbling creek.

"When you're there, it's really hard to believe you're less than four miles from downtown Dallas," she says. The buyers hired local architect Eddie Maestri to update some aspects of the house while carefully preserving its midcentury style. There was an original barn that had been previously converted to a studio, but the buyers reinvented it as a guest house and added a pool and outdoor kitchen.

"It's hard to say what a 'typical' Oak Cliff house would be, because we have some of the very best examples of almost every architectural style in town," Wood says.

"In Winnetka Heights, you'll find Craftsman architecture (four squares, bungalows, Sears catalog, etc). Kessler Park has Tudors and Colonials and Texas eclectics from notable local architects like Charles Dilbeck and David R Williams. Stevens Park has all of these, as well as Spanish Revival and Dutch colonials. Wynnewood, North Kiestwood, and Wynnewood Hills have some of the best midcentury moderns in Dallas, as well as wonderful ranches. East Kessler has cutting-edge contemporaries that take advantage of the rare-to-DFW hilly terrain. You could teach a pretty comprehensive architectural history of Dallas without ever leaving Oak Cliff."

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Kay Wood lives, works, and plays in Oak Cliff. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here, email kwood@briggsfreeman.com, or call 214-908-5442.