Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
More than 50 fishing boats leave from the piers on the lagoon. To find a guide and/or boat
charter it's best to just wander the docks and talk to the skippers to find one who seems in
sync with what you want. Group trips start at $40. You may catch flounder or speckled
trout close to SPI. Longer trips head into the gulf for prime game fish such as wahoo.
Horseback Riding
About a mile north of the convention center,
South Padre Island Adventures
( 956-761-4677;
www.horsesonthebeach.com
;
Padre Blvd; 1hr rides from $50)
rents horses for all levels of riders and
leads tours of the beaches.
Water Sports
You'll find outfits offering parasailing and other rides over and on the water along the
beaches in the developed part of SPI. The lagoon side is renowned for wind-powered wa-
ter sports like windsurfing. There are dozens of operators; we've listed two of the best (of-
fering lessons and rental).
Boatyard
( 956-761-5061;
www.windsurftheboatyard.com
)
Rents windsurf boards (half-day $60) and also
kayaks and mountain bikes. Lessons are available.
WATER SPORTS
Windsurf, Inc
( 956-761-1434;
www.windsurfinc.com
)
Specializes in windsurfing (individual lessons from
$279 for three hours), kiteboarding, surfing, kayaking and wakeboarding.
WINDSURFING
Tours
Bottlenose dolphins love the lagoon and SPI visitors love looking at them. Among a slew
of operators,
Isla Cruises
( 956-761-4752;
www.islatours.com
; 1 Padre Blvd; tours from $18)
offers two-
hour boat rides to see the finned friends. You can bring your own beer on board, which
gives you the opportunity to invent new drinking games that involve Flipper.
Festivals & Events
SPI schedules events year-round, including weekend fireworks through the summer. In
addition to spring break in March, some of the major events and their usual dates include
