Tranquil and relaxed, perfect for enjoying life’s slower pleasures — swimming, snorkeling, fishing, or simply soaking up the sun’s rays while flipping through a book.

Party time! Drive your car or truck on the sand (for a $10 fee), camp out, set up grills and bonfires, and bring your friends to party all summer long. 

East Beach is Texas’s largest beach and Galveston’s prettiest, so  it gets busy. Festivals take place throughout the summer, including an annual sandcastle competition. 

When you’re not horseback riding in the water, or kayaking along the coast, the rest of the inland region is ripe for exploration.

A gorgeous natural swath of land home to 20 miles of trails, 5 miles of beach, green sand dunes, and a healthy population of shorebirds, dolphins, and turtles.

This 1.5-mile-long stretch of sand is just across Harbor Bridge from Corpus Christi, making some of Texas’s biggest attractions within easy reach after a beach day. 

70 miles of beaches and sand dunes, nowhere else will you find an undeveloped barrier island this large. Come to relax, camp, kayak, and stroll the waterline in solitude.

Convenience is key here. Laid-back restaurants and for-rent vacation homes line the 18-mile-long beach, where it’s just a short walk  to the sand.

Cars, dogs, bonfires, fireworks, and campsites on the beach are all prohibited on Rockport Beach, keeping its sand (and water) as clean as can be.

A boat is required in order to step foot on this pristine island across from Port Aransas. Once you arrive, you’re limited to just the beach, so bring what you need! 

One of the busier beaches thanks to the kite-surfing conditions, pet-friendly beaches, diverse wildlife, affordable hotels, and the fact that drinks are allowed on the sand.

The 4-mile-long Surfside Beach has some of the cleanest and clearest sand and water you’ll find in Texas and is one of the best surfing beaches in the state.

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