Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The roads to the refuge are not well marked. From Harlingen, take FM 106 east 18
miles until it dead-ends, then turn left and drive 3 miles to the refuge entrance. If you're
coming from the east, take FM 510 from TX 100 at Laguna Vista and then Buena Vista
Rd for a total of 15 miles north to the refuge.
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Los Fresnos
Strung out along TX 100, the South Padre Island road, there are two good reasons to
pause in Los Fresnos.
Bobz World
( 956-554-4540; 36451 TX 100; 9am-6pm, longer during holidays)
is a souvenir store
that is so over the top as to be literally unmissable. Outside, enormous plaster dinosaurs
and sea creatures beckon. Inside, every kind of shell, trinket and beach toy imaginable
await. There's fudge too.
Excellent Texas barbecue awaits at
Wild Blue BBQ
( 956-233-8185; 31230 TX 100; mains from $8;
11am-9pm Mon-Sat)
, a splendid roadside joint where the little things matter. Even the sides
are just so and the sweet potato flan is sublime. It's somewhat hidden on the south side of
the road.
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Port Isabel
POP 5200
In the days before inexpensive hurricane insurance made South Padre Island (SPI) viable
as a town, Port Isabel was the focus of life near the southern end of Texas. Records show
that Spaniards and pirates both made frequent landfalls here in the 16th, 17th and 18th
centuries.
Today Port Isabel is a must-stop just before SPI. Its small old town covers the water-
front for a couple of blocks on either side of the base of the TX 100 Queen Isabella
Causeway. It is served by the free Wave shuttle to/from SPI.
Sights
