McGee Beach is a small urban beach located on Corpus Christi Bay along the seawall in downtown Corpus Christi. The protected location in the bay creates calm, shallow waters ideal for families with young children and beginner swimmers. The beach offers convenient downtown access with restaurants, shops, and hotels within walking distance. Water equipment rentals […]
Texas Beaches
Texas boasts 367 miles of Gulf of Mexico coastline protected by the world’s longest barrier island system, stretching from Sabine Pass, McFaddin Beach, and Bolivar Peninsula through Galveston Island, Surfside Beach, and Matagorda down to Port Aransas, Mustang Island, Padre Island National Seashore, and South Padre Island. Under the Texas Open Beaches Act, the public has guaranteed free access to the wet-sand beach between the mean low tide line and the line of vegetation. Unlike most East and West Coast states, many Texas Gulf beaches permit licensed motor vehicles and 4×4 trucks to drive and park directly on designated stretches of sand, provided drivers purchase the required local annual beach parking sticker (such as the $12 Corpus Christi / Nueces County permit or Bolivar Peninsula beach sticker) and obey bollard swim-only closures. Before heading out, check Texas Beach Watch for water quality, verify sargassum seaweed and rip current conditions, and pack shade. Use the filters below to compare Texas Gulf Coast and bay beaches from the Upper Coast (McFaddin, Crystal Beach, Galveston, Surfside) through the Coastal Bend (Rockport, Port Aransas, Mustang Island, Padre Island) to South Padre Island for 4×4 beach driving, surf fishing, camping, birding, and swimming. Always verify local beach parking sticker requirements, check NOAA tide and wind forecasts (which affect high-tide driveability on narrow beaches), and consult the Texas General Land Office Texas Beach Watch map.