Port Isabel Lighthouse

Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site. - photo by Joe Alexander
Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site. – photo by Joe Alexander
The old Port Isabel Lighthouse on the lower gulf coast of Texas is 57 feet tall and was built in 1852.

Texas Highway 100 passes nearby as it becomes the Queen Isabella Causeway from Port Isabel to South Padre Island.

SandCastle Village at South Padre Island

SandCastle Village at South Padre Island. - photo by Joe Alexander
SandCastle Village at South Padre Island. – photo by Joe Alexander
SandCastle Village is just off Padre Boulevard on the Laguna Madre side of South Padre Island, Texas, on West Ling Street.

SandCastle Village at South Padre Island. - photo by Joe Alexander
SandCastle Village at South Padre Island.

Food and nightlife in South Padre Island, Texas

Long Board Bar & Grill at South Padre Island, Texas in June, 2022. - photo by Joe Alexander
Long Board Bar & Grill at South Padre Island, Texas in June, 2022. – photo by Joe Alexander
There are plenty of shops, restaurants and hotels along Padre Boulevard – the main thoroughfare running north and south through the island.

There are popular waterfront bars on the Laguna Madre side of the island.

Beach life at South Padre Island, Texas

The beach was filled with families on a hazy, cloudy weekday afternoon in June. - photo by Joe Alexander
The beach was filled with families on a hazy, cloudy weekday afternoon in June. – photo by Joe Alexander
South Padre Island is a barrier island on Texas’ lower coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

The gulf side of the island is lined with hotels and condos that face the wide beach and the waves.

Pelicans at South Padre Island, Texas

Coming in for a landing. Brown pelicans are common at South Padre Island, Texas. - photo by Joe Alexander
Coming in for a landing. Brown pelicans are common at South Padre Island, Texas. – photo by Joe Alexander
Brown pelicans are found all along Texas’ lower coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

You can see them at South Padre Island flying over the water or perched on poles in the Laguna Madre.

View of Queen Isabella Causeway from Port Isabel, Texas

View of the Queen Isabella Causeway looking toward South Padre Island from the area near the Port Isabel Lighthouse on a cloudy morning in June. - photo by Joe Alexander
View of the Queen Isabella Causeway looking toward South Padre Island from the area near the Port Isabel Lighthouse on a cloudy morning in June. – photo by Joe Alexander
The Queen Isabella Causeway crosses the Laguna Madre from Port Isabel to South Padre Island along Texas’ lower coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

Texas Highway 100 East runs through Port Isabel to the Causeway and becomes Padre Boulevard on South Padre Island.