If you are a visitor to the state of Texas, stationed here in the military or if this is your home, it's a good idea to take a trek to the coast and enjoy the beauty of Padre Island. From San Antonio North Padre Island is about a 3 hour drive but if you want to go to South Padre Island, it's more like a 5 hour drive, but very much worth it.

Padre Island is located off the southern coast of Texas and is the world's longest barrier island and is famous for its white sand beaches. The second largest island in the lower 48 states, it is 130 miles long. The northern tip connects to Mustang Island by a roadway located offshore from Corpus Christi and the southern tip is at the resort community known as South Padre Island.

The island is sparsely populated but the towns of South Padre Island and Port Isabel are located on its southern end. The central part of the island is preserved in a natural wild state as Padre Island National Seashore. Padre Island is located in five counties: Cameron, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, and Willacy.