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Alligator Greets South Padre Spring Breakers
1703 Views :: 9 Comments :: :: South Padre Island
Alligator Greets South Padre Spring Breakers

There is more on the Island than the beach, as spring breakers from Texas A&M discover alligators, coastal birds and views from 300ft by para-sailing. There may be more to South Padre Island than you know.



Aerial flight was both observed and experienced, thanks to the South Padre nature trail by the convention center and para-sailing from Sonnys Beach Service, which offers the only ocean para-sailing on the Texas coast.



And the best of spring break is made possible by the many beach home and condo owners of South Padre who either rent the properties or make them available for their children, grand-children and friends.



And of course the big attraction of South Padre's famous beach and bay, makes the Island a number one beach destination for much of the world!



There is more to South Padre than the beach, bay, fishing and boats!
It's a quality of life that spans generations and brings families together.
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Comments
Spring Breaker @ Tuesday, March 22, 2011 7:14 AM
Spring Break was wonderful! For a change the island was jam packed, near fully occupied. Cash registers were ringing, everybody was having fun, and our "Future South Padre Property Owners" were busy exploring all this wonderful island has to offer.

The only problem I have with all this is the TRAFFIC. In the later parts of the day it's pretty much impossible to get on or off the island, so you have to do your off-island shopping EARLY in the day, when the late night party-goers are still in bed with hangovers. Seriously, I wonder how much longer it will be before we HAVE to build a new bridge. Did you notice they stopped bridge maintenance this month to accommodate the larger flow of Spring Break traffic, and the bridge still wasn't wide enough?

Even with proper maintenance I don't know how long that bridge can last - a couple decades at most? The salt air is very corrosive. It's almost getting to the point where a single old bridge is not enough. The problems during Spring Break really make that clear. If you can't get off the island in an emergency, that's a real problem. Hurricane evacuations also jam up the bridge. Visitors don't take gentle warnings very seriously, and many won't pack their bags until they actually see the bad weather , when the bridge is already jammed up. Too often it's impossible to accurately predict where those hurricanes are going, and visitors know it. Why bail out of a nice rare annual vacation if you're not sure that bad weather is really on the way?

We've been hearing stories about a new causeway servicing the north end of the town, but so far that seems to be nothing more than talk. To the best of my knowledge they still haven't even decided where exactly the bridge would go, much less start to drive any pilings. Let's face it, the state and federal government are pretty much broke, so I'm not expecting much progress on a new bridge anytime soon. Perhaps at some time in the future after the economy heals it will be possible to build a toll bridge to the north end of the island. It would help relieve traffic, and provide a faster path to the island for those willing to pay the toll. The toll concept might also attract investors, solving the big funding problem for the whole project.

A toll bridge would be very good for property owners on the north end. I bet the Franke Bros are drewling over that possibility, as it would probably double the value of all those empty lots in The Shores. Even a definitive official announcement of plans for an off ramp by their development would have a major impact on nearby property values.

Can you imagine the island with two bridges, a free one to the south and a toll bridge to the north? That would really change the character of the island as the day trippers continue to trash the south beach and the wealthy folks make their homes on the north end of town. Hey, who knows, in ten years it may actually start to happen. The existing infrastructure of this island can't accommodate much more growth without some serious upgrades, and a new bridge seems like the next logical step. Considering the difficult economy though, more than a couple people are going to have to literally die trying to get off this island in an emergency before anybody starts building a new bridge. That's sad, but it's just the way human nature works. Not even the big deadly bridge "wipe-out" a few years ago was enough to convince authorities to build an alternate route to the island.
The Houston Chronicle @ Wednesday, March 23, 2011 7:26 PM
Tourism officials up and down the Texas Gulf Coast report what appeared to be the biggest influx of spring-breakers in years on the Texas beaches.

Galveston Island Beach Patrol Chief Peter Davis said he had to post lifeguards on towers for the first spring break in 20 years. Davis told the Galveston County Daily News that high gasoline prices and warnings against travel to Mexico contributed to the bigger crowds.

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports police traffic officers worked beyond scheduled shifts to help traffic in and out of north Padre Island
WFRV News @ Monday, March 28, 2011 9:37 AM
This year is set to be one of the best on record.

It seems that warnings against travel to Mexico and other popular international destinations are contributing to the bigger crowds.

In addition, the pain at the pump may actually be helping domestic tourism in the U.S.

"The high price of fuel has impacted air travel and the cost to go international. People can hop in mom and dad's SUV and drive down," said Chad Hart, founder of Inertia Tours.

Many store owners in South Padre Island say business is already up 50 percent.
opinionated investor @ Monday, March 28, 2011 11:35 AM
I have no doubt that island tourism will increase this year. The economy is slowly getting better. Many people ARE afraid to vacation in Mexico, and higher gas prices will encourage more people to vacation closer to home - which all could mean more tourism business for SPI this year. That could all help the commercial property market, as revenues go up.

I do however seriously question how much of this extra tourism will actually feed the local residential real estate market. It most certainly will help, but the overall positive impact may be dwarfed by other housing market considerations. For a lot of people a vacation home is an investment which they hope to eventually financially profit from. With price declines in recent years and an unusually soft market, it's getting much harder to make the case that SPI residential properties are a good investment, even over the long term. The S&P 500 is now about 16% below it's peak back in 2007, but many SPI property investors would LOVE to have only lost that much money. Especially if you throw in all the costs of ownership, including annual taxes, HOA fees, maintenance, special assessments, insurance, etc.

Even in good times when property values quickly appreciate it has been a challenge to recover all of your annual expenses over time, especially if you've got a significant mortgage. Unless you're a Mexican drug bandit looking for some place to stash your cash in the USA, the only real reason to buy SPI property is because it is GOOD FOR THE SOUL.

Just look at those pictures of smiling people above. Those pictures are very real. In general, this is a very happy place, and a fantastic place to take a vacation. People buy condos here because the whole place feels good, and less because it is a prudent financial investment. What really sells this island is the irresistible blue water, seductive sandy beach, tropical weather, palm trees swinging in the breeze, serious fishing, great food & drink, small town atmosphere, etc. With so many mind altering attractions, financial logic often takes a back seat when buying an SPI condo.

P.S. I wish they would relocate those alligators to the mainland. Combined with the birding center they showcase the island's unique diversity, but they're also within dangerous crawling distance of tourists and second home owners. The first time one of those things attacks a tourist in the parking lot of the Convention Center, it'll be a disaster for island tourism. If you ask me, it's just an unnecessary disaster waiting to happen. Personally I wouldn't advertise to potential property owners that we have real alligators on this island, but it's your web site.
Shark Surfer @ Tuesday, March 29, 2011 9:17 AM
If you're in the South Padre area, and enjoy flirting with wild animals, forget about the stupid alligators. Get you a boat, head out off the coast, and try some whale shark surfing while drinking a beer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rSjhEJWmgg&feature=related
Sky Diver @ Monday, April 11, 2011 4:32 PM
Sky diving over the island is more fun than watching alligators or shark surfing! There is a lot more to this island than just going to the beach. This place is a vacation mecca, full of exciting things to do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g6o6drEKds
Four Wheeler @ Monday, July 18, 2011 7:51 PM
Want to have some fun going 4 wheeling on South Padre, check it out:

http://www.spireviews.com/articles/before_you_go.html

Pay special attention to that page that describes where the buried treasure is!
Trampoline enfant @ Monday, January 02, 2012 6:25 AM
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infection urinaire @ Wednesday, January 04, 2012 8:52 AM
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