Things to do when staying in Port Isabel & South Padre Island, Texas.

So you found our cute little kid friendly beach bungalow via an Airbnb search or stumbled across our Instagram, liked what you saw and decided to book a trip with us. Yay! Now, you are probably going to start working on that itinerary, being the planner that you are :) so instead of spending hours surfing the web, we rounded out the top things to do when you are staying in Port Isabel or our neighboring city South Padre Island, Texas.

Glady’s Porter Zoo: an oasis nestled in the center of Brownsville, Texas (about 30min away from Port Isabel). With 27 acres of lush tropical plants and some 1,500 animals, the Gladys Porter Zoo is known for its successes in breeding endangered species of wildlife. For tickets and pricing, click here. After you spend the day at the zoo, grab a coffee for that afternoon pick me up at 7th & park.

JuiceUs: located in Brownsville, this cute little healthy eatery has everything from craft smoothies and juices to refreshing poke bowls, salads and wraps. Don’t forget to leave room for their sweet (and healthy) treats! Order in store or online here.

Grapevine Cafe: if you’re looking for vegan and gluten free food options, Grapevine Cafe is for you! Located in South Padre Island, just 10 minutes from us, this cafe has options for all (their fish tacos are a must) and they even roast their own coffee! Kid-friendly restaurant, so bring your kids along, as kids eat free from noon-3pm. Free and healthy?! Doesn’t get much better than that!

SpaceX Boca Chica Facility: just across the bay from South Padre Island is the SpaceX Boca Chica launch site. Here is where you’ll find some of the most advanced rockets being tested for everything from near orbital satellite deployments to the Mars mission. After visiting the facility take a drive to Boca Chica Beach and have the beach all to yourself while watching rockets launch right behind you. Truly a one of a kind experience not to be missed!