Fall for Island Life

Fall for South Padre Island this autumn with an awesome vacation

It's still beach weather on the island.

Photo courtesy of South Padre Island

Here's an insider secret: The best time to visit South Padre Island is the fall. The weather is phenomenal, the crowds have drifted away, and the sunrises and sunsets are still stunning.

Check out all the great things you can enjoy on this tropical Texas paradise during this time of year.

Next-level nightlife
There is great nightlife all over the island during the fall. After all, South Padre Island is where the #MusicMeetsTheBeach. Check out the live music scene at Longboards, with its nice big dance floor. Don’t miss their Latin nights, where you can hear some great performances that will have you spinning the night away.

New this year is SPI Cycle Pub, which combines music and pedaling for the ultimate "booze cruise."

Other great live music venues include the Isla Grand Beach Resort, Coconut Jack’s, Bar Louie South Padre Island, Harley’s Beer Garden, Laguna Bob’s, Louie’s Backyard, Clayton’s, and more.

A different kind of wildlife
You probably remember reading about the incredible work of volunteers that saved sea turtles last February during the massive cold-stun event. Meet the folks who coordinated that effort at Sea Turtle, Inc.

This not-for-profit organization rescues, rehabilitates, and releases injured sea turtles all year round. You can visit their facility on the island, meet some of the center’s permanent residents (turtles too injured to be released), and learn about the amazing volunteers who make it all possible.

If you prefer more teeth to your wildlife, head next door to the South Padre Island Birding, Nature Center and Alligator Sanctuary. There, you’ll meet "Big Padre," a former Port Arthur resident alligator who is now more than 12 feet long and can be spotted leaping up for food during tours.

Hit the waves
Fall is the ideal time to enjoy the Gulf and Laguna Madre Bay, where the water is still warm enough for swimming, surfing, and jet skiing. Consider JetSki tours or take kite boarding lessons to mix your water time with some air time.

Want something a little more chill? SUP on the Bay is perfect. The water is generally calm and, if you time it right, you can enjoy a glorious view of the sunset, too.

Another favorite for insiders is a bayside dinner cruise. Southern Wave’s catamaran cruise takes place on a large, stable catamaran with an onboard chef grilling an all-you-can-eat beef and chicken fajita dinner with all the trimmings. There’s even a musician on board for entertainment.

Pets are welcome
Four-legged friends will find a ton to do on South Padre Island. There’s a whole list of pet-friendly places to stay and dine right on the South Padre website. Dogs on leashes are welcome on the beach, and there are plenty of places to dine outdoors so you don’t have to leave your best friend behind. Well-behaved pups can even visit Sea Turtle, Inc.

Make your plan
The best way to appease your inner adventurer is with a quick visit to SoPadre.com, where you’ll find great lodging deals and places to rent all your gear, plus be sure to get on the email list for updates.

nature vacation promoted

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.