6 Best Beaches in Corpus Christi, Texas

With more than 80 miles of beaches along the Corpus Christi Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, Corpus Christi is a beloved spot for beachgoers, as it combines both big-city attractions and numerous places for a calm, quiet beach day. The city also includes the Padre Island National Seashore and Mustang Island State Park, both of which give visitors plenty of shoreline for beach days, fishing, and paddling. Whether you’re looking to relax in the sand, rip through the surf on a board, or spend a day on the beach with family, Corpus Christi’s beaches deliver. Here, our favorite beaches in Corpus Christi for both adventure and respite.

With more than 130,000 acres of grasslands, dunes, and beaches, Padre Island National Seashore is a protected stretch of coastline that’s a quieter alternative to some of the more populated Corpus Christi beaches. The barrier island offers 66 miles of coastline along the Gulf of Mexico, giving beachgoers plenty of room to explore. Fishing is ample throughout the park—you just need a valid Texas fishing license—and birding is huge here, as more than 380 species call the National Seashore home at varying points of the year. See snowy egrets, white ibis, white pelicans, long-billed curlew, crested caracaras, sandhill cranes, and more along tidal mudflats and grasslands. 

You can also hunt for sea shells along the numerous beaches here, and are allowed to keep up to a 1-gallon container of sea shells and sea beans you find (but if a shell has an animal living in it, you must leave it where you found it). Campers also frequent the Seashore, as camping in the park is allowed year-round. Just keep in mind that camping is first come, first served, no reservations are accepted, and park entrance fees are required. The National Seashore is also home to Texas’ sea turtles: the Kemp’s ridley. Here, the Sea Turtle Science and Recovery program protects and monitors sea turtles, who nest along the beaches in spring and summer. All nests are moved to protected areas until the hatch, but if you’re lucky, you can catch a sea turtle hatchling release when nests begin to hatch. Watch for hatchling release announcements throughout summer months.

Named for the white sands found at this beach located between Padre Balli Park and Michael J. Ellis Beach and Seawall, Whitecap Beach is great for families and solo travelers. It’s a favorite of locals, as it allows dogs and camping, has on-site restrooms, has lifeguards on duty in summer months, and has the perfect sand for sandcastle builds. Texas allows driving on most public beaches, but at Whitecap, the right side of the beach in front of the seawall is for pedestrians only, making it a bit safer for those with small children in tow. Whitecap Beach is also located conveniently near restaurants, beachfront hotels, and rental vendors, creating an easy beach day right in the city.

Named for the wild horses that once roamed the island, Mustang Island State Park is located along an 18-mile-long barrier island, with the park itself containing more than 5 miles of coastline. Here, families love to spend time in the sand and surf, go camping, picnicking, fishing, kayaking, birding, and even geocaching. The park is home to the Mustang Island State Park Paddling Trail, which includes three segments of trail following the western shoreline of the island. In total, there are 20 miles of trails that pass through shallow-water fishing areas, allowing you to cast a line straight from your kayak. 

You can also fish from the jetties, or wade in and fish in the surf. There are about 600 species of saltwater fish in these waters, and shrimp and crabs inhabit the bay side before migrating to the open Gulf. Birders love this spot, too, for its 400+ bird species that are identified here throughout the seasons, and spring and summertime visitors can sometimes see sea turtles waddling ashore to nest.  Camping is available with water and electric or primitive sites, and two beach wheelchairs are available for loan, free of charge. Just check in with the park staff when you arrive and they can assist.

Known as J.P. Luby to locals, North Packery Channel Beach is the place to be for thrill seekers. Here, surfing is the best in the area due to offshore winds from the northwest, and jet skiing, wakeboarding, and kiteboarding are also all popular. Surf fishing is also big here, as anglers can comfortably wade into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and fish for hours. Families also love to set up for a beach day here, as they can head to the areas that are designated for swimmers during summer months. Because of all the activity, this beach stays busy year round, so if you’re looking for peace and quiet, this isn’t the spot. Outdoor showers and on-site toilets are available, and dogs and camping are allowed.

Beach campers love Padre Balli Park, as it has almost 100 paved campsites for RVs and 12 hardtop areas for tents with water and electric hookups, ADA-accessible facilities, a bathhouse, access to the shower house, and Wi-Fi. Miles of beach between Mile Markers 224 and 235 allow you to idle away in the surf, but it’s worth noting that camping on the beach is not allowed between Access Roads 4 through 6. Fishing is great past Mile Marker 235, but a 4×4 vehicle is required, as the beach isn’t maintained after Access Road 6. Complimentary beach wheelchairs are available at the Padre Balli Park Office, and there are free trash bag stations here plus restrooms on site. Dogs are allowed on leashes.

South of the Packery Channel is, fittingly, South Packery Channel Beach, where local anglers look for their catch of the day by casting from the southern jetty, and surfers take advantage of waves, also stirred up by the jetty. Campers can overnight beach camp here, and beachgoers love the steady breeze blowing in from the Gulf of Mexico. What makes this beach unique? Look for the sand dune coyote statues, aka “dune deer,” near Mile Marker 210, made by a local out of palm tree debris.