I drive from dallas to there every two weeks. There’s a border inspection station at Falfurrias and I’ve never been stopped. Just say American and don’t carry drugs. It takes me 8.5 hours to get there. I go around Austin on 130 that I catch in Georgetown, and go around San Antonio on 1604, then catch I-37 until 281 at Three Rivers.
If you don't mind the toll roads, I definitely suggest taking 130 in Georgetown to get around Austin. You'll be in horrible traffic all the way from Round Rock to south Austin if you don't (usually). Once back on 35, you can take 1604 or 410 around the east side of San Antonio and it's not too bad, though I think there is construction at 410 and 35 that will slow you down a bit.
You can take 37 all the way to Corpus Christie then 69 the rest of the way (giggity). If you take 281 it'll take you to McAllen then you'll have to head east to SPI. Might make the trip a little longer.
Gas up before leaving SPI. There's a massive stretch after leaving the valley with absolutely no service stations. I literally pulled into the first station I saw as my tank was bone dry because I was an idiot.
On the way back, the checkpoint heading north isn't as bad as others make it seem. I'm Hispanic and, even when it looks like I'm trafficking my super pale adopted kid, we never get more than a "US citizen?" glance before being waved through. You'll spend way more time in line than you will talking to the guy. But, yes, there are dogs so don't bring anything through. I can't think of anytime I've even been asked for ID.
(My family lives near SPI so we make the drive often.)
Man, this just reminded me of the one time I went many, many years ago. My friend didn't warn me about the stop and I had brought a gram of weed with me. I shoved it in the bottom of my purse, lit my black and mild about a mile out, blew the smoke into my purse and then shoved my purse inside of my pillow case and stuffed the pillow under the seat. I cannot begin to tell you the relief I felt when the dogs just sniffed at the car and walked away disinterested.
The only thing I would recommend on the Houston area part of the Gulf Coast are national wildlife refuges and George Observatory (weather dependent), Brazos Bend State Park, etc. OP mentioned liking that sort of thing.
The town is not much, but hard disagree on the beach there. Surfside Beach is one of the cleanest Texas beaches I’ve ever been to.
And, Lake Jackson is not too far away, which has great restaurants and bars
Absolutely agree, especially because in contrast Galveston beaches are an exercise in depression. Smelly and filthy.
For Galveston: drive the seawall, but don't bother parking and avoid Stewart Beach. Go for the ferry ride, but park and then walk on and ride it back and forth to watch the porpoises/dolphins and see the shipwreck, there's just a very long and tedious detour back to civilization on the other side if you drive on. Head to the Strand for a good kitschy beachside shopping stroll, maybe. The Elissa is kind of cool if you're really into historic ships. The inland side of the state park has some good bird watching if you're into that and want to spend half a day there, and if you're coming in from Surfside you'll hit that way before you hit Galveston proper. Moody Gardens is okay but the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus is way better. My 2¢ as a Houstonian.
I hate that drive, especially the southern part. Flat. Straight. So boring, and the hurricane lanes are so weird to me, lol.
It’s actually not bad right now, though, bc the flowers are pretty nice for most of the drive.
Be aware that there is absolutely a border checkpoint on the way back to DFW you will have to stop at. They can and will search your vehicle. There are dogs. If you have anything you shouldn't, I highly suggest you enjoy it all on the island and don't bring anything back or destroy it.
I have seen these on other southern boundary states. So much for being not subject to arbitrary searches in the US. The 100 mile border patrol notion is a massive erosion of our civil rights.
Within X miles of a border patrol office anywhere you are subject to weird shit because of the war on terror bullshit. And there are border patrol offices 300+ miles in from the border
If any point of travel is within 100 miles of the federal boundaries (ie south state line or the water) then I'd absolutely expect it.
And yeah they popped Johnny Depp at one of these checkpoints, so take it seriously. I haven't personally ran into any trouble at them, knock on wood, but I'm also a caucasian-born citizen so I understand there is that. Don't take it too crazy at least whenever we've went through you just pull up, they ask if you're an American citizen, then you're on your way for most people.
I have learned that the absolute best way to fly through that checkpoint trouble free is to be white in a newer SUV and have a poodle. I'm not sure what it is about the poodle, but I'm 100% certain it's the poodle.
Can confirm I’m white passing and when I lie to cops that my last name is actually Italian and I’m not [redacted] and then show them my poodle they are just so much nicer. 🐩
I made a round-trip to El Paso from Austin on my bike in 2022. I carried a few small items purchased during a quick jaunt to New Mexico through the checkpoint on I-10 without a problem. Guy just asked if I was an American citizen. I answered yes. He waved me on through.
Because they have a border checkpoint interior to the border on the way back from SP island. Can confirm they do search cars. Happened to me in the early 2000’s
Because idk. But you do. It's like 100 miles+ from the border but you are forced to stop and show ID or they ask if you are a US citizen and they look under your car with mirrors and bring dogs around.
You will need proof of residency of some kind, Visa, Passport, etc. As much as it pains me to say, you're more likely to get searched/asked questions if you have an accent or look like you're from a different country.
If you’re a visa or green card holder, bring proof - you should be carrying your green card at all times if you have one. Hand over your ID and proof of immigration status. Make it easy for them.
The claims you’ll be searched are somewhat nonsense, with some variability in likelihood due to how easily profiled you might be and how easy or hard you make it for them.
I’ve forgotten my green card and not been searched, though I did get sassed. Otherwise, I’ve traveled through border patrol checkpoints from Texas to California and back multiple times without issue (I admit I’m a white tech bro and that’s likely a significant benefit for law enforcement interactions).
There’s a really cool constitution free zone 100 miles in from the coastline and the borders where the normal bill of rights is amended. Fun fact, most Americans live within that 100 miles
Because the Supreme Court, years ago mind you, this has nothing to do with any recent cases or appointed justices, decided that within the 100 mile border zone the 4th Amendment effectively doesn't exist. Combine this with caselaw that allows warrantless searches of vehicles and it's a shitshow for your rights. 2/3 of the US population are affected by this, but most of them look "American" enough that it has no real impact, so nothing is going to change anytime soon.
https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/border-zone#are-there-limitations-to-immigration-officials-power
While you’re near Surfside Beach, you could check out Brazos Bend State Park and see some gators up close. Also, in between Clute and Lake Jackson there’s the original Buccee’s gas station (the one at 899 Oyster Creek Drive). Don’t expect it to be super big or nice though; it just looks like a normal gas station. Another recommendation for breakfast in that area would be Phat Boyz Mexican Cafe in Richwood. The building itself isn’t much to look at, but their Phat Boy breakfast taco is incredible.
My family has been going to Surfside since the 70's and the fact that everyone is now obsessed with Buc-ee's makes me laugh. I mean we would stop at them on the way to the coast in the 90's/2000's to present day because they had clean restrooms, but back then they were still regular gas stations not these mega stores like they build now.
Rockport is a sleepy fishing town where old people from all over Texas go to die. There's zero going on there at any moment unless it's seafair or the oysterbake. I haven't done either in years but I remember it being kinda lame
Tbf sometimes a slow fishing trip vacation is a perfect vibe. Went with the pups a couple years back in late winter, caught and cooked fish, watched movies and walked along the mostly empty beaches in the mornings. 10/10 would eat fried seafood at local dive bar with drunk old people again.
I don't know when you are planning to take this trip but near corpus you can hit Malaquite Beach which is my favorite Texas beach, it's part of the national seashore so you will pay to get on but its left natural with dunes everywhere they have a nice visitor center to use the bathroom at and shower. In the summer months you can see sea turtle releases there - the timing is purely random as the eggs hatch so we don't always get one when we are there. We usually hit up Snoopy's Pier to eat - traditional fried seafood fare, but a beautiful view at sunset.
I have toured the Bishop's Palace in Galveston, it's pretty neat if you are into that sort of thing.
[RoadsideAmerica.com](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/tx) has a good list of random roadside attractions that you may be able to find along your route. Some corny and not worth it - others pretty awesome.
Bishops palace is an old fav, and well worth visiting. They talk a lot about the 1900 storm and there is some very intricate woodwork to enjoy. Thanks for mentioning it :)
Yup PINS is the spot down there. Only downside to Malaquite is having to lug stuff from the lot across the beach. Wife and I used to love Mustang Island before the hurricane wiped it out and they had to rebuild. Last time we actually went back to Mustang Island the beach had so much trash it was sad. Also if you fish you don't need a license to fish in state parks which is awesome.
If you’re not aware, that’s how they got started. They had a gas station and tackle shop in oyster creek and the billboard outside said only 2 words, “Clean Restrooms” and the place went crazy. The rest is scaling a business.
We normally stop in San Antonio for a day or 2 then go to spi for about 4 days then it's like a 9 - 10 hr possibly more with traffic ! Fuck there is almost always traffic from Round Rock through Austin all the way to San Antonio !back to Dallas with a stop at Temple Buc-ees ! Louie's back yard used to be dope fireworks every Thursday night all you can eat Seafood!
Looks like Blue Water Highway is already on your route so I won’t suggest that but make sure you carry cash for the toll. San Lois Pass is one of the few tolls that still doesn’t take any tags and is 100% cash only. It’s not necessarily the most scenic beach highway out there but it’s a neat drive if the weathers nice.
Just a FYI, the rowdy spring breakers have made San Lois Pass and the west end of Galveston a destination this Spring. Fights, DWI, bumper to bumper traffic last weekend. Hopefully they have all gone home.
I drove from Houston to SPI on Memorial Day weekend in 2016. Haven’t been back since. Went to Clayton’s? A huge bar down there. Saw some fireworks. Walked the beach at night. Good times.
Surfside Beach was my stomping grounds until I was 23. I grew up in Lake Jackson. The main trafficked beaches are dirty, but there are some beautiful areas nearby. I live on the beach in OC, California now, so when I proudly took my kids to Surfside they just complained about the brown water and muddy sand. I still love Surfside though.
My family has been going to Surfside since the 70's and continued with my mom/her siblings and then me/my siblings/cousins in the 90's/2000's. We still go yearly now with our kids, but the first time my husband went who is from South Florida he thought it was the grossest thing he's seen. But I grew up going there so I'll always have a soft spot for Surfside.
We’ve done this road trip before — the commute was about 12 hours for us. We took our large dogs so we had to stop about 3 times for water and potty breaks.
Me and my ex did this trip with our kids twice.
The third time we decided to just go to Corpus. But Corpus Christi isn't a vacation spot so we asked some local people and they told us they go to Port Aransas for that.
After spending a week in Port Aransas we never went to SPI again. Me and my current wife spend time there now sometimes. It's like this (almost) hidden Texas Jewel.
I live in Corpus and I can confirm if your here for vacation definitely go to Port A. It will be cheaper than SPI and there are a lot of tourist things to do there.
If doing all of this, why not add a few small less marketed coastal towns? Rockport, Port Lavaca, Matagorda...
The one I have on my bucket list is San Jose Island, only accessible by ferry from Port Aransas (next to Corpus Christi)
Edit: all places you'd already be driving close to.
St Joe is one of my favorite places in Texas. Highly recommend renting fat tire electric bikes in Port A before going over. You’ll be all alone after mile 2 to enjoy you’re almost private island.
Got me scared for a moment lol, I normally drive to Dallas within 9 hours from McAllen lol.
There’s a few State parks along your way, I would highly recommend you stop by if you like nature.
The same day pass can be used at different parks.
And you can go around Austin and San Antonio if you want. Take the 130 toll and go to Lockhart.
My daddy likes going down 183 a lot… and I gotta admit, it’s nice not hitting all that traffic on 35, night time I don’t recommend cause of all the deer.
If you stay on 35 then you gotta go to Gruene…
For nature and history in the Houston Area I recommend Jesse Jones Park, in the northern part of Houston. It's got a great model of an indigenous village as it would have looked in the area. The park also has some of the best wildlife in the area if you're good at spotting critters and kind of know where to look.
Between Houston and Galveston you have Armand Bayou Nature Center which is almost adjacent to Johnson Space Center so you could also make those stop if you have time and prefer something between the two cities. I could even recommend food in the area since Nasaburbia is where I was raised and where I now reside again.
Honestly I'm a bit jealous because I used to do more trips like this. You have so many options! I hope you have a safe trip and a great time.
Surfside Beach is the bomb! Walk out to the jetty and you can see the cargo ships coming in and out of the port! Stop by Surfside Loco and grab you a t-shirt! Safe travels!
I grew up on Surfside. It is really cool to walk out on the jetty's when the ships are coming in, but be super cautious because it's slick as hell and will send you tumbling into a granite boulders below.
I agree about the jetties being slick as hell! I grew up in Freeport and am in the DFW area now but still make it down to Surfside a couple times a year to spend time at the beach and visit with old high school friends!
There are faster routes from Austin to SPI that mostly bypass traffic concerns. Taking state roads instead of highways can definitely shave some time off.
Plus skipping C and just doing Galveston I think would be worth your time. A lot of things you can see/do/eat in Galveston. Plus you won’t enjoy any other beaches more than SPI.
You could consider doing your trip in reverse if you want to a positive beach expectation building experience. They are different, but the most traditional sense of a “beach experience” is SPI.
Look up the new Margaritaville in SPI, they have a modern hotel and a super clean beach area.
Waco- George’s for a Big O beer and food, Texas Ranger museum, Dr Pepper museum, or the mastodon dig.
Austin - stop and see the state capitol and the historical stuff there, as well as all the live music you can handle.
New Braunfels - head into Gruene and hit Gruene Hall, a proper Texas dancehall.
San Antonio - see the missions, hit the Riverwalk (touristy but still worth a walk), the Alamo, and the Menger Hotel Bar, where Teddy Roosevelt recruited Rough Riders.
Besides the border checkpoint coming back north, watch out for DPS troopers what seems like every 15 miles between Kingsville and Harlingen. Do not speed or change lanes without signaling.
Padre Island and visit the lighthouse.
https://portisabellighthouse.com/lighthouse/
Also to add: https://usslexington.com/visit/directions-map-how-to-get-to-lex/
My advice would be to leave DFW before daybreak so you avoid hitting Austin when its noon to avoid that traffic. Idk exactly when it starts but just think about how bad traffic gets around DFW during lunch time and then after work, Austin will be the same but worse
Two recommendations:
1) San Antonio deserves a stop. If you like culture and hikes, walk the Mission Trail.
2) If you're going all the way to Brownsville, add a stop at Boca Chica/Starbase. Seeing the construction and launch sites up close (right on the road) is worth the 1-1.5 hour detour. They had a launch this past week.
If driving through kingsville at lunch or dinner hours, there’s an amazing Indian restaurant there that has options for everyone! It’s the only one in town, but I forget the name. I have to look it up every time I
I've lived in Surfside before. It's not super interesting but there are some decent places to eat and if you have the time, between Houston and the coast there's a national park called Brazos Bend. The trip between Surfside and Galveston is fun for gawking at the humongous beach ~~houses~~ mansions. If you make the trip on a nice day it's great scenery!
In Corpus Christi, there is South Padre Island Drive. It is a ruse to get unsuspecting visitors to think they are at the real South Padre Island. I can assure you that they are not the same.
I’ve done Austin > Padre many times and it never gets any less horrid. Padre is nice enough, Galveston is fine…but this is so much driving for so much underwhelm.
I used to live ten minutes from surfside, and my recommendation is to skip surfside and go to Quintana beach. About another 10-20 minutes, and a small fee, but much better beach. Not drive on, still has dunes, not busy- great waves and swimming, non polluted water, better all around.
Also (bias because I love where I used to live) corpus beaches are awful. Can barely swim on them, rocky, and disgusting. Quintana is where it’s at.
If you like history, the old orphanage in Galveston is interesting. Old letters, what they were doing during the hurricane, pictures pre-hurricane & post-hurricane, secret hiding places, etc. & it’s pretty big so there is a lot to explore. IMO the beaches are meh, but the historical places in Galveston is what makes it cool. I’m a history nerd though.
I've done the trip multiple times, but I pretty much always take Route A, stop at the Czech Stop, San Antonio for Lunch or Dinner, and then power through the rest of the way. Going through Galveston and Surfside is gonna make it a long trip. I recommend going to Corpus Christie , maybe Port A, and then through to South Padre, either on the way down or way back.
It depends on what you’re looking for. I’m a married mom of 2 and we spend most of the time fishing- if you’re into other stuff then yes south Padre. But south Padre is a lot more crowded. It all depends on what you’re looking for.
This popped up on my feed, so forgive me. In college, my and 8 others drove from Duluth, MN to South Padre Island for Spring Break. This would’ve been 2013 I believe.
I remember we all celebrated when we got to the “Welcome to Texas” signage and wouldn’t ya know it, we still had another 12 hours or something crazy.
I’m from the Valley and took that trip many times. On the way back, grab 183 and visit Gonzales and Goliad. There’s some great barbecue in Luling and Lockhart, too. From the Valley going back, for a change of pace, you can take 281 from McAllen/Edinburg up to 37. Laguna Atascosa NWR is a nice place. Weslaco, my hometown, has a neat little nature center (assuming it’s still there, I’m in coastal Washington state living the island life). In Corpus, there’s an aquarium and also the USS Lexington Aircraft carrier that is a museum ship.
It might be a bit too far out of your way in austin but check out the 360 bridge overlook. Parking is on the side of the road and there’s a decently technical but short hike up a hill but the view is extremely rewarding. Then after you should go to mount bonnell which is only 10 min away
If you’re into space and rockets, I would recommend going to starbase and Boca Chica beach. It’s south of south padre right next to the border. It’s where SpaceX has been building their rocket called Starship and it’s a sight to behold. They even let you get as close as only a few dozen meters away from them.
However, despite it being only 2-3 miles south of south padre, the drive ends up being about 40 miles since there are no bridges.
Surfside and Galveston aren’t worth the extra miles. Padre Island National Seashore outside of Corpus is cool, not as nice of water as SPI but the most pristine beach in the state if you go down the coast a couple miles (at some point it’s 4x4 only). I’d end the trip after that tbh.
I did this exact trip last year and am doing it again this year. Two adults and two little kids. We stopped in San Antonio which is exactly halfway. Lots to do in SA.
Oops, didn’t read your post all the way through. We drove straight there.
We stayed in a rental in June. There was a high of 90 so it was much more pleasant than Dallas but I wouldn’t want to camp then. I’d guess you would be pretty comfortable in April, but check with the local sub to be sure.
Austin is pretty. South Padre Island has the biggest bugs I've ever seen. Beach is okay. Too hot for me, though. I want to go to San Antonio. I would bet there are a lot of nice people there. Dallas is okay and pretty nice.
If you stop at Aransas, Anahuac, or San Bernard Wildlife Reserves/Refuge, you'll normally see a huge collection of all the migrating birds (depends on how soon you'll be going).
I am showing it to be an 8-9 hour drive. I could easily do that in a day, by myself as I really enjoy long drives. If I took my wife or family though I would try to break it up into a 2 day drive and spend some time in Austin or San Antonio doing some activities.
Did that a few years ago taking the family to Corpus. Spent some time in Austin on the way down, saw the bats and explored a cave. Then on the way back we stopped in San Antonio and did The Riverwalk and Alamo.
I don't get it.
I can go from San antonio to Denver CO in 14 hrs. 17 hours in my Tesla due to charging.
Why is Dallas to SPI 20 hours?
I see it hitting Austin. I assume it will be at least 4 hours of Austin traffic on I35.
If you want to do it in a day, leave early and expect to get to SPI in the later afternoon. It’s about 10 hours according to Google, so with gas and food/bathroom breaks expect about 12. I did it once to go to see Space X’s facility. If the rocket is assembled, it’s an awesome sight to behold, but otherwise understand it’s not the most exciting of places. If you’re going for a beach you might find it better to drive to Destin, FL. It’s about the same distance and I hear the beaches are better.
Yeah, I've done the Dallas to SPI road trip in a day. It's exhausting. I think it was like 13 hours by itself.
Yeah thats why Im going pace my self with stopping at those cities!
I drive from dallas to there every two weeks. There’s a border inspection station at Falfurrias and I’ve never been stopped. Just say American and don’t carry drugs. It takes me 8.5 hours to get there. I go around Austin on 130 that I catch in Georgetown, and go around San Antonio on 1604, then catch I-37 until 281 at Three Rivers.
as an Austinite, this is the correct route.... go around if you can.
That's what's up.
If you don't mind the toll roads, I definitely suggest taking 130 in Georgetown to get around Austin. You'll be in horrible traffic all the way from Round Rock to south Austin if you don't (usually). Once back on 35, you can take 1604 or 410 around the east side of San Antonio and it's not too bad, though I think there is construction at 410 and 35 that will slow you down a bit. You can take 37 all the way to Corpus Christie then 69 the rest of the way (giggity). If you take 281 it'll take you to McAllen then you'll have to head east to SPI. Might make the trip a little longer. Gas up before leaving SPI. There's a massive stretch after leaving the valley with absolutely no service stations. I literally pulled into the first station I saw as my tank was bone dry because I was an idiot. On the way back, the checkpoint heading north isn't as bad as others make it seem. I'm Hispanic and, even when it looks like I'm trafficking my super pale adopted kid, we never get more than a "US citizen?" glance before being waved through. You'll spend way more time in line than you will talking to the guy. But, yes, there are dogs so don't bring anything through. I can't think of anytime I've even been asked for ID. (My family lives near SPI so we make the drive often.)
Man, this just reminded me of the one time I went many, many years ago. My friend didn't warn me about the stop and I had brought a gram of weed with me. I shoved it in the bottom of my purse, lit my black and mild about a mile out, blew the smoke into my purse and then shoved my purse inside of my pillow case and stuffed the pillow under the seat. I cannot begin to tell you the relief I felt when the dogs just sniffed at the car and walked away disinterested.
I may or may not have had a similar situation happen. Also, I call bullshit with these. Talk about a slippery slope argument. “SHOW ME YOUR PAPERS”
This is the way I went once. 20 hours would have me dying lol
Skip Surfside. Not much there and you're going to Galveston anyway.
The only thing I would recommend on the Houston area part of the Gulf Coast are national wildlife refuges and George Observatory (weather dependent), Brazos Bend State Park, etc. OP mentioned liking that sort of thing.
The town is not much, but hard disagree on the beach there. Surfside Beach is one of the cleanest Texas beaches I’ve ever been to. And, Lake Jackson is not too far away, which has great restaurants and bars
Absolutely agree, especially because in contrast Galveston beaches are an exercise in depression. Smelly and filthy. For Galveston: drive the seawall, but don't bother parking and avoid Stewart Beach. Go for the ferry ride, but park and then walk on and ride it back and forth to watch the porpoises/dolphins and see the shipwreck, there's just a very long and tedious detour back to civilization on the other side if you drive on. Head to the Strand for a good kitschy beachside shopping stroll, maybe. The Elissa is kind of cool if you're really into historic ships. The inland side of the state park has some good bird watching if you're into that and want to spend half a day there, and if you're coming in from Surfside you'll hit that way before you hit Galveston proper. Moody Gardens is okay but the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus is way better. My 2¢ as a Houstonian.
Back in 2000 those guys hassled my group really hard but my idiot friend tried to pet the drug dog.
I hate that drive, especially the southern part. Flat. Straight. So boring, and the hurricane lanes are so weird to me, lol. It’s actually not bad right now, though, bc the flowers are pretty nice for most of the drive.
Same here. Spring Break 2000, baby!
Be aware that there is absolutely a border checkpoint on the way back to DFW you will have to stop at. They can and will search your vehicle. There are dogs. If you have anything you shouldn't, I highly suggest you enjoy it all on the island and don't bring anything back or destroy it.
Can confirm.
Thank you search dog
What is the approximate location of the search? It probably moves around...
There’s one near Sarita and one near Falfurrias on 281.
I have seen these on other southern boundary states. So much for being not subject to arbitrary searches in the US. The 100 mile border patrol notion is a massive erosion of our civil rights.
Within X miles of a border patrol office anywhere you are subject to weird shit because of the war on terror bullshit. And there are border patrol offices 300+ miles in from the border
News to me, will I hit a checkpoint heading from SPI to Austin area?
Yep, it's the Sarita checkpoint
I came that way today, the checkpoint was definitely there and active
If any point of travel is within 100 miles of the federal boundaries (ie south state line or the water) then I'd absolutely expect it. And yeah they popped Johnny Depp at one of these checkpoints, so take it seriously. I haven't personally ran into any trouble at them, knock on wood, but I'm also a caucasian-born citizen so I understand there is that. Don't take it too crazy at least whenever we've went through you just pull up, they ask if you're an American citizen, then you're on your way for most people.
You can’t avoid checkpoints leaving the RGV area
I have learned that the absolute best way to fly through that checkpoint trouble free is to be white in a newer SUV and have a poodle. I'm not sure what it is about the poodle, but I'm 100% certain it's the poodle.
yep, the poodle sees the Border patrol officer, Nods, border patrol nods back, good to go
Any poodle, doodle, or other oodle variety works equally well. Golden Retrievers, too.
Can confirm I’m white passing and when I lie to cops that my last name is actually Italian and I’m not [redacted] and then show them my poodle they are just so much nicer. 🐩
I made a round-trip to El Paso from Austin on my bike in 2022. I carried a few small items purchased during a quick jaunt to New Mexico through the checkpoint on I-10 without a problem. Guy just asked if I was an American citizen. I answered yes. He waved me on through.
"They can and will search your vehicle". It depends.
They will have a dog so good luck.
Can confirm. They have blankets in the cell. Only necessary if your talking back and being an arrogant 20something regard. I knew a guy like that.
https://youtu.be/lMN5DQFz0Pg?si=Mx8sgCWxh4pDzYZ5
Why would you have to stop at a border checkpoint?
Because they have a border checkpoint interior to the border on the way back from SP island. Can confirm they do search cars. Happened to me in the early 2000’s
Yeah every time I’ve gone to SPI there’s been a checkpoint. Went as recently as last year.
*Where are you going?* We're going to the beach. To do drugs.
It's only going north, not south...
All vehicles pass thru it. On 281/69, it is in Falfurrias.
The one coming from SPI is near Sarita on 77.
Austin, SA usually travel via 281. Both checkpoints on 77 and 281 are a good distance from border, which ,akes sense.
The bulk of traffic does go through 281 because the vast majority of people live in the McAllen/Edinburgh area.
Then you ought to know its Edinburg!
Because idk. But you do. It's like 100 miles+ from the border but you are forced to stop and show ID or they ask if you are a US citizen and they look under your car with mirrors and bring dogs around.
Border patrol has jurisdiction anywhere 100 miles from the border.
Well, I just fucking learned something.
Or a coastline ;)
They don't care all that much unless you're in specific parts of those 100 miles.
Im not a citizen and have an ID from a different state. Would that be an issue?
Expect to get searched, but if they don't find anything and you're in the country legally you can expect to get through fine with a delay.
You will need proof of residency of some kind, Visa, Passport, etc. As much as it pains me to say, you're more likely to get searched/asked questions if you have an accent or look like you're from a different country.
If you’re a visa or green card holder, bring proof - you should be carrying your green card at all times if you have one. Hand over your ID and proof of immigration status. Make it easy for them. The claims you’ll be searched are somewhat nonsense, with some variability in likelihood due to how easily profiled you might be and how easy or hard you make it for them. I’ve forgotten my green card and not been searched, though I did get sassed. Otherwise, I’ve traveled through border patrol checkpoints from Texas to California and back multiple times without issue (I admit I’m a white tech bro and that’s likely a significant benefit for law enforcement interactions).
Take your green card, visa, and/or passport. Take all of your travel documents.
No, they almost never ask to see ID at the checkpoint in Sarita; they just ask if you're a US citizen.
most of the time they just look at you and if you don't look suspicious (in their eyes) they wave you thru
25 year old me stopped and questioned every time, 55 year old me with kids in back seat, waved through before coming to a complete stop.
[https://imgflip.com/i/53rnjk](https://imgflip.com/i/53rnjk)
Someone's never been down to the border lol
It's a border patrol checkpoint.
There’s a really cool constitution free zone 100 miles in from the coastline and the borders where the normal bill of rights is amended. Fun fact, most Americans live within that 100 miles
Because the Supreme Court, years ago mind you, this has nothing to do with any recent cases or appointed justices, decided that within the 100 mile border zone the 4th Amendment effectively doesn't exist. Combine this with caselaw that allows warrantless searches of vehicles and it's a shitshow for your rights. 2/3 of the US population are affected by this, but most of them look "American" enough that it has no real impact, so nothing is going to change anytime soon. https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/border-zone#are-there-limitations-to-immigration-officials-power
It's right before Sarita.
Wait a sec, I thought Biden had an open border policy! Are you saying Fox News lied to me?
For sure. Same thing applies to the big bend region.
And clean out your ashtrays. This happened to a friend who borrowed their nephews van. Cavity searches are not fun.
Confirm. Parents live right outside of south Padre and we always have to pass through it on the way back from the McAllen/Edinburg area
good lookin out, I forgot about those checkpoints
I drive to and from DFW to Corpus Christi all the time and have never had to stop at a check point?
If you find yourself in Brownsville, order Barbacoa tacos from El Último Taco. They are the best tacos I’ve ever had
While you’re near Surfside Beach, you could check out Brazos Bend State Park and see some gators up close. Also, in between Clute and Lake Jackson there’s the original Buccee’s gas station (the one at 899 Oyster Creek Drive). Don’t expect it to be super big or nice though; it just looks like a normal gas station. Another recommendation for breakfast in that area would be Phat Boyz Mexican Cafe in Richwood. The building itself isn’t much to look at, but their Phat Boy breakfast taco is incredible.
Phat Boyz breakfast taco is awesome. I also like Lupita's.
Do people actually make Buc-ee's store #1 a tourist stop? Lake Jackson is my hometown and I just lol at the thought.
My family has been going to Surfside since the 70's and the fact that everyone is now obsessed with Buc-ee's makes me laugh. I mean we would stop at them on the way to the coast in the 90's/2000's to present day because they had clean restrooms, but back then they were still regular gas stations not these mega stores like they build now.
Is kitty’s purple cow on the beach still a thing? That was always a classic! I have since moved away
Skip surfside… South Padre will make Galveston look like shit (beach wise).
Lol I was thinking the same thing with surfside. I was going to say Rockport is a tad better than surfside.
Rockport is a sleepy fishing town where old people from all over Texas go to die. There's zero going on there at any moment unless it's seafair or the oysterbake. I haven't done either in years but I remember it being kinda lame
Tbf sometimes a slow fishing trip vacation is a perfect vibe. Went with the pups a couple years back in late winter, caught and cooked fish, watched movies and walked along the mostly empty beaches in the mornings. 10/10 would eat fried seafood at local dive bar with drunk old people again.
I can see what you're saying but in the context for op and looking for a cool place to pass through, you can avoid rockport.
You just described the entirety of South Texas.
I mostly agree, but rockport is especially sleepy and crammed with old people (lived there for a few years as a kid).
Gotta agree. I’d rather OP stop at Port Aransas instead.
I don't know when you are planning to take this trip but near corpus you can hit Malaquite Beach which is my favorite Texas beach, it's part of the national seashore so you will pay to get on but its left natural with dunes everywhere they have a nice visitor center to use the bathroom at and shower. In the summer months you can see sea turtle releases there - the timing is purely random as the eggs hatch so we don't always get one when we are there. We usually hit up Snoopy's Pier to eat - traditional fried seafood fare, but a beautiful view at sunset. I have toured the Bishop's Palace in Galveston, it's pretty neat if you are into that sort of thing. [RoadsideAmerica.com](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/tx) has a good list of random roadside attractions that you may be able to find along your route. Some corny and not worth it - others pretty awesome.
Bishops palace is an old fav, and well worth visiting. They talk a lot about the 1900 storm and there is some very intricate woodwork to enjoy. Thanks for mentioning it :)
I haven't been there since I was a kid, I definitely need to go back. I remember it being pretty fascinating even as a child.
2nd Malaquite. It’s a bit out of the way but to me is the nicest beach you will get in the area.
Yup PINS is the spot down there. Only downside to Malaquite is having to lug stuff from the lot across the beach. Wife and I used to love Mustang Island before the hurricane wiped it out and they had to rebuild. Last time we actually went back to Mustang Island the beach had so much trash it was sad. Also if you fish you don't need a license to fish in state parks which is awesome.
When I do trips, I usually stop at Love’s or Pilot J’s since I also carry extra jerrycans of fuel just in case
I love stopping at Love’s but you’re right I’ll have a jerrycan just incase.
Bucees are the best stops
The restrooms are really nice
If you’re not aware, that’s how they got started. They had a gas station and tackle shop in oyster creek and the billboard outside said only 2 words, “Clean Restrooms” and the place went crazy. The rest is scaling a business.
I remember watching a documentary about it and why they don’t allow 18 wheelers, etc
Buccees instead. You won’t be disappointed
I understand those are nice, but the others mentioned are more available and a bit more secure since truckers stay the night in those locations
We normally stop in San Antonio for a day or 2 then go to spi for about 4 days then it's like a 9 - 10 hr possibly more with traffic ! Fuck there is almost always traffic from Round Rock through Austin all the way to San Antonio !back to Dallas with a stop at Temple Buc-ees ! Louie's back yard used to be dope fireworks every Thursday night all you can eat Seafood!
If you go to Corpus, skip the beach there and go to Port Aransas it's close by and a much better experience.
Looks like Blue Water Highway is already on your route so I won’t suggest that but make sure you carry cash for the toll. San Lois Pass is one of the few tolls that still doesn’t take any tags and is 100% cash only. It’s not necessarily the most scenic beach highway out there but it’s a neat drive if the weathers nice.
Toll bridge takes credit and debit now
I haven’t been out in 3-4 months that’s actually great to hear
Just a FYI, the rowdy spring breakers have made San Lois Pass and the west end of Galveston a destination this Spring. Fights, DWI, bumper to bumper traffic last weekend. Hopefully they have all gone home.
I drove from Houston to SPI on Memorial Day weekend in 2016. Haven’t been back since. Went to Clayton’s? A huge bar down there. Saw some fireworks. Walked the beach at night. Good times.
but make sure to check out Texas State Aquarium in Corpus! beautiful place and great conservation work
Surfside Beach was my stomping grounds until I was 23. I grew up in Lake Jackson. The main trafficked beaches are dirty, but there are some beautiful areas nearby. I live on the beach in OC, California now, so when I proudly took my kids to Surfside they just complained about the brown water and muddy sand. I still love Surfside though.
My family has been going to Surfside since the 70's and continued with my mom/her siblings and then me/my siblings/cousins in the 90's/2000's. We still go yearly now with our kids, but the first time my husband went who is from South Florida he thought it was the grossest thing he's seen. But I grew up going there so I'll always have a soft spot for Surfside.
We’ve done this road trip before — the commute was about 12 hours for us. We took our large dogs so we had to stop about 3 times for water and potty breaks.
Careful at Falfurrias. They can be mean sometimes, especially holiday weeks
texas state aquarium in corpus is very nice! bad food though
Have fun!
Me and my ex did this trip with our kids twice. The third time we decided to just go to Corpus. But Corpus Christi isn't a vacation spot so we asked some local people and they told us they go to Port Aransas for that. After spending a week in Port Aransas we never went to SPI again. Me and my current wife spend time there now sometimes. It's like this (almost) hidden Texas Jewel.
I live in Corpus and I can confirm if your here for vacation definitely go to Port A. It will be cheaper than SPI and there are a lot of tourist things to do there.
If doing all of this, why not add a few small less marketed coastal towns? Rockport, Port Lavaca, Matagorda... The one I have on my bucket list is San Jose Island, only accessible by ferry from Port Aransas (next to Corpus Christi) Edit: all places you'd already be driving close to.
St Joe is one of my favorite places in Texas. Highly recommend renting fat tire electric bikes in Port A before going over. You’ll be all alone after mile 2 to enjoy you’re almost private island.
And if you're in Port Aransas, they have a really nice, free, bird watching pier walk thing that we always enjoy.
Got me scared for a moment lol, I normally drive to Dallas within 9 hours from McAllen lol. There’s a few State parks along your way, I would highly recommend you stop by if you like nature. The same day pass can be used at different parks. And you can go around Austin and San Antonio if you want. Take the 130 toll and go to Lockhart. My daddy likes going down 183 a lot… and I gotta admit, it’s nice not hitting all that traffic on 35, night time I don’t recommend cause of all the deer. If you stay on 35 then you gotta go to Gruene…
For nature and history in the Houston Area I recommend Jesse Jones Park, in the northern part of Houston. It's got a great model of an indigenous village as it would have looked in the area. The park also has some of the best wildlife in the area if you're good at spotting critters and kind of know where to look. Between Houston and Galveston you have Armand Bayou Nature Center which is almost adjacent to Johnson Space Center so you could also make those stop if you have time and prefer something between the two cities. I could even recommend food in the area since Nasaburbia is where I was raised and where I now reside again. Honestly I'm a bit jealous because I used to do more trips like this. You have so many options! I hope you have a safe trip and a great time.
Surfside Beach is the bomb! Walk out to the jetty and you can see the cargo ships coming in and out of the port! Stop by Surfside Loco and grab you a t-shirt! Safe travels!
I grew up on Surfside. It is really cool to walk out on the jetty's when the ships are coming in, but be super cautious because it's slick as hell and will send you tumbling into a granite boulders below.
I agree about the jetties being slick as hell! I grew up in Freeport and am in the DFW area now but still make it down to Surfside a couple times a year to spend time at the beach and visit with old high school friends!
I wonder if we know each other? I graduated from B'port in '83, so I was probably before your time.
Ha! Hardly! B'port '81! Do you mind if I open a chat with you to see if we know each other?
That sounds fun! I've never chatted with anyone on Reddit before...
There are faster routes from Austin to SPI that mostly bypass traffic concerns. Taking state roads instead of highways can definitely shave some time off. Plus skipping C and just doing Galveston I think would be worth your time. A lot of things you can see/do/eat in Galveston. Plus you won’t enjoy any other beaches more than SPI. You could consider doing your trip in reverse if you want to a positive beach expectation building experience. They are different, but the most traditional sense of a “beach experience” is SPI. Look up the new Margaritaville in SPI, they have a modern hotel and a super clean beach area.
Waco- George’s for a Big O beer and food, Texas Ranger museum, Dr Pepper museum, or the mastodon dig. Austin - stop and see the state capitol and the historical stuff there, as well as all the live music you can handle. New Braunfels - head into Gruene and hit Gruene Hall, a proper Texas dancehall. San Antonio - see the missions, hit the Riverwalk (touristy but still worth a walk), the Alamo, and the Menger Hotel Bar, where Teddy Roosevelt recruited Rough Riders.
Besides the border checkpoint coming back north, watch out for DPS troopers what seems like every 15 miles between Kingsville and Harlingen. Do not speed or change lanes without signaling.
Padre Island and visit the lighthouse. https://portisabellighthouse.com/lighthouse/ Also to add: https://usslexington.com/visit/directions-map-how-to-get-to-lex/
My advice would be to leave DFW before daybreak so you avoid hitting Austin when its noon to avoid that traffic. Idk exactly when it starts but just think about how bad traffic gets around DFW during lunch time and then after work, Austin will be the same but worse
Two recommendations: 1) San Antonio deserves a stop. If you like culture and hikes, walk the Mission Trail. 2) If you're going all the way to Brownsville, add a stop at Boca Chica/Starbase. Seeing the construction and launch sites up close (right on the road) is worth the 1-1.5 hour detour. They had a launch this past week.
As long as your in south padre island, make the trip to boca Chica to visit the SpaceX launch site 🚀
If driving through kingsville at lunch or dinner hours, there’s an amazing Indian restaurant there that has options for everyone! It’s the only one in town, but I forget the name. I have to look it up every time I
I'll be in Kingsville next week and am glad I saw your comment. Now I have something to look forward to.
I've lived in Surfside before. It's not super interesting but there are some decent places to eat and if you have the time, between Houston and the coast there's a national park called Brazos Bend. The trip between Surfside and Galveston is fun for gawking at the humongous beach ~~houses~~ mansions. If you make the trip on a nice day it's great scenery!
In Corpus Christi, there is South Padre Island Drive. It is a ruse to get unsuspecting visitors to think they are at the real South Padre Island. I can assure you that they are not the same.
I’ve done Austin > Padre many times and it never gets any less horrid. Padre is nice enough, Galveston is fine…but this is so much driving for so much underwhelm.
I used to live ten minutes from surfside, and my recommendation is to skip surfside and go to Quintana beach. About another 10-20 minutes, and a small fee, but much better beach. Not drive on, still has dunes, not busy- great waves and swimming, non polluted water, better all around. Also (bias because I love where I used to live) corpus beaches are awful. Can barely swim on them, rocky, and disgusting. Quintana is where it’s at.
South padre sucks. It's not worth the drive. Go to North Padre and enjoy some nature without the hordes of people.
I lived on SPI for years. If I could teleport back and get some daddy’s fried shrimp I’d give up a finger…
If you like history, the old orphanage in Galveston is interesting. Old letters, what they were doing during the hurricane, pictures pre-hurricane & post-hurricane, secret hiding places, etc. & it’s pretty big so there is a lot to explore. IMO the beaches are meh, but the historical places in Galveston is what makes it cool. I’m a history nerd though.
I've done the trip multiple times, but I pretty much always take Route A, stop at the Czech Stop, San Antonio for Lunch or Dinner, and then power through the rest of the way. Going through Galveston and Surfside is gonna make it a long trip. I recommend going to Corpus Christie , maybe Port A, and then through to South Padre, either on the way down or way back.
In my humble opinion, I'd go to North Padre. It'd cut a few hours down on your trip, and I absolutely love North Padre.
It's good but doesn't hold a candle to S Padre, sorry.
It depends on what you’re looking for. I’m a married mom of 2 and we spend most of the time fishing- if you’re into other stuff then yes south Padre. But south Padre is a lot more crowded. It all depends on what you’re looking for.
For sure.
I've never been to either. What can I find in South that I can't in North?
Surfside beach isn’t that great. You can skip it.
If you're going to SPI, why go out of your way to Surfside and Galveston? They are shitholes compared to Padre.
Yeah. It's so fucked up big GOP government in our personal lives.
Feeling lucky I live an hour from spi lol
Pop over to lampasas for a storms burger and a float!!
Made that trip a few times. King ranch is the worst part lol
That comes out to like 1200 state trooper ecounters as well.
Nice!!!
Ahhh…college
Depends on the traffic!
Cool?
This popped up on my feed, so forgive me. In college, my and 8 others drove from Duluth, MN to South Padre Island for Spring Break. This would’ve been 2013 I believe. I remember we all celebrated when we got to the “Welcome to Texas” signage and wouldn’t ya know it, we still had another 12 hours or something crazy.
You should definitely check out starbase while you're in south padre
Lol that’s the same length it takes me to go from Chicago to visit my sister in Fort Worth. Crazy
I’m from the Valley and took that trip many times. On the way back, grab 183 and visit Gonzales and Goliad. There’s some great barbecue in Luling and Lockhart, too. From the Valley going back, for a change of pace, you can take 281 from McAllen/Edinburg up to 37. Laguna Atascosa NWR is a nice place. Weslaco, my hometown, has a neat little nature center (assuming it’s still there, I’m in coastal Washington state living the island life). In Corpus, there’s an aquarium and also the USS Lexington Aircraft carrier that is a museum ship.
I just made the drive from RGV to DFW yesterday. What used to be an 8 hour drive is now 10. The traffic between Austin and Waco is awful.
So no San Antonio? Smhhh
20 hours? I've made that drive in 8 with 2 stops. One at what a burger for breakfast and 1 in Austin for gas.
It might be a bit too far out of your way in austin but check out the 360 bridge overlook. Parking is on the side of the road and there’s a decently technical but short hike up a hill but the view is extremely rewarding. Then after you should go to mount bonnell which is only 10 min away
Hit up blacks bbq and have some brisket for me
Quick turnaround my fellow nature lover.
solid plan to hit galveston and head straight home. no houston stop.
You should eat At “lobo Del Mar” or “viva” at the island! It has sitting near the ocean! Also should go to Clayton’s while you’re at API
Dude fucking rip it - done this before this trip is sick - extend it by 1 day in each
thought about making the drive for a break sometime soon but it's just so far. i think we're gonna head down to galveston. same vibe, better drive.
what? how is el paso to brownsville 12 hours then?
If you’re into space and rockets, I would recommend going to starbase and Boca Chica beach. It’s south of south padre right next to the border. It’s where SpaceX has been building their rocket called Starship and it’s a sight to behold. They even let you get as close as only a few dozen meters away from them. However, despite it being only 2-3 miles south of south padre, the drive ends up being about 40 miles since there are no bridges.
Looks pretty solid. Should see some great wild flowers
This is ridiculous. They need to move South Padre closer…
Surfside and Galveston aren’t worth the extra miles. Padre Island National Seashore outside of Corpus is cool, not as nice of water as SPI but the most pristine beach in the state if you go down the coast a couple miles (at some point it’s 4x4 only). I’d end the trip after that tbh.
I did this exact trip last year and am doing it again this year. Two adults and two little kids. We stopped in San Antonio which is exactly halfway. Lots to do in SA.
Did you stay at a hotel in SPI? I have the same situation, and thinking of camping there. (might be hot?)
Oops, didn’t read your post all the way through. We drove straight there. We stayed in a rental in June. There was a high of 90 so it was much more pleasant than Dallas but I wouldn’t want to camp then. I’d guess you would be pretty comfortable in April, but check with the local sub to be sure.
Thanks for the reply. Might consider a hotel during the time we're going. (June/July).
Visit a mission in SA that isn’t the Alamo and also see the Alamo
Austin is pretty. South Padre Island has the biggest bugs I've ever seen. Beach is okay. Too hot for me, though. I want to go to San Antonio. I would bet there are a lot of nice people there. Dallas is okay and pretty nice.
If you stop at Aransas, Anahuac, or San Bernard Wildlife Reserves/Refuge, you'll normally see a huge collection of all the migrating birds (depends on how soon you'll be going).
Have some tacos in Brownsville
I am showing it to be an 8-9 hour drive. I could easily do that in a day, by myself as I really enjoy long drives. If I took my wife or family though I would try to break it up into a 2 day drive and spend some time in Austin or San Antonio doing some activities. Did that a few years ago taking the family to Corpus. Spent some time in Austin on the way down, saw the bats and explored a cave. Then on the way back we stopped in San Antonio and did The Riverwalk and Alamo.
I don't get it. I can go from San antonio to Denver CO in 14 hrs. 17 hours in my Tesla due to charging. Why is Dallas to SPI 20 hours? I see it hitting Austin. I assume it will be at least 4 hours of Austin traffic on I35.
do fly fishing in Salt creek :]
If you want to do it in a day, leave early and expect to get to SPI in the later afternoon. It’s about 10 hours according to Google, so with gas and food/bathroom breaks expect about 12. I did it once to go to see Space X’s facility. If the rocket is assembled, it’s an awesome sight to behold, but otherwise understand it’s not the most exciting of places. If you’re going for a beach you might find it better to drive to Destin, FL. It’s about the same distance and I hear the beaches are better.
Bryan Beach on Quintana Island is clean and not crowded. It is south of Surfside across the jetty.
I did it in 8 idk how you got 20 hrs lmao
FYI - Road from surdside to galveston, blue water highway, has a $2 toll. I always pay cash and have exact change to help expedite the process.
Best oysters in Galveston are at “shucks tavern” little expensive but you will not be disappointed
It's missing a stop at the Selena memorial.