I love the smell ocean. I love the sand. I love to watch sea birds. I guess you can say that I love the beach. This was one of the first places that we visited once we settled into Corpus Christi. Our campground is at the last exit before you go over the causeway to Padre Island. This is where you access the Gulf of Mexico. It has been very breezy and humid during our visit thus far.

There is an entrance fee to enter the park. It is $10 for a one day pass or $20 for a seven day pass. There is no cost if you have an Interagency Pass (America the Beautiful, 4th grader pass, Access Pass, etc.). There is a Visitor Center where you can learn about the park. We learned that this is the that this is the longest stretch of barrier island that is not developed. The dune grasses and flowers were plentiful. There were so many different kinds of birds that I have never seen before. We also learned because of the way the tides work that a lot of trash can wash up. There are volunteer opportunities to pick up trash.

We learned that this park was developed in the early 1960s. In the Visitor Center there are aerial photos that show the shore in ten year increments. It shows how the foliage take back the dunes. We we visited in the off season there were only a few people walking on the beach. We were able to stroll and enjoy the natural beauty of this location.

We are both excited to check off another national site on the list to visit all national parks and park site. Have you visited the Padre Island National Seashore? What did you think of it?