Houston Has Great Beaches

November 5, 2021
Paul Mitchell
Mortgage News

Are there any nice good beaches in Houston? Yes, there are! There are a lot of great beaches in Houston close to your house. There are several beaches among the best on the gulf coast just a short distance from Downtown Houston. Many Houstonians will know these will – but we’re willing to share our favorite below.

Houston is quickly becoming one of the leading cities for tech startups and small businesses. The city has Texas Medical Center which ranks as the world’s largest. With our world-class museums, sports teams, restaurants, and nightlife, Houston has something for everyone.

We love living in Houston – it is big enough to give you lots of opportunities yet small enough that you can get around quickly. We’ve got everything you need without the hassle of huge city life.

Houston has great beaches! If you are looking for awesome beaches we will give you the breakdown of 5 of our favorites below.

Surfside Beach

Swaying palms, a deepwater channel with refreshing water, and the lovely ambiance of an elegant seaside village. These are all part of the Town of Surfside Beach.

This unique Gulf Coast vacation spot has something for everyone. With four miles of unspoiled beachfront, one-of-a-kind eateries, and bright surf shops. Surfside Beach, located about an hour from Houston, is a laid-back retreat from the bustle of the city.

Want Activities?

Surfside Beach is much more than a place to tan on the beach. Deep waters near the coast provide ideal surfing, kayaking, and windsurfing conditions. There’s more to the beach experience than you might think.

Fishing is one of the most popular activities in Surfside Beach, as it is throughout the country. From the beach or a pier, fish using your own equipment or take a deep-sea fishing excursion to try for a shark or tuna. The village also provides a paradise for bird-watchers, with more than 200 species of birds, including roseate spoonbills, sandhill cranes, and a variety of herons and egrets having been observed here.

For the younger generation, there’s a new 2,000-square-foot Splash Pad Park to enjoy. The splash pad is ideal for cooling down in the summer, with ten water features and plenty of room to play. If you love Texas history, make sure you visit Fort Velasco. This recreated fort has a museum with artifacts, vintage guns, and dioramas that depict the tale of this crucial period in Texas history.

The village’s wide variety of outdoor activities will no doubt leave you hungry. Fortunately, you won’t have to travel far for a delicious dinner. You’ll discover delicious food if you’re in the mood for simple American cuisine or delectable seafood. Make sure to enjoy the entertainment while relaxing with a cold beer or cocktail and watching a fantastic local band

When it’s dark and time to unwind, you’ll have a lot of options. Cozy hotels, beachside RV parks, and luxurious vacation rental homes that can accommodate large or small groups are all available in Surfside Beach, allowing you to create your own ideal holiday.

Do you need to host a major event in Surfside Beach? The Stahlman Park Reception and Conference Center, located in popular Brazoria County destination Stahlman Park, is the perfect spot for weddings, corporate retreats, and reunions.

Quintana Beach

The beach at Quintana Beach is one of the less well-known beaches in Houston, Texas, but it’s well worth a visit. It’s located just south of Surfside and adjacent to Quintana Beach County Park.

Quintana offers six miles of natural sandy beach with free vehicle access and parking. Quintana Beach County Park offers RV sites, cabins, restrooms and showers, a playground, and an elevated boardwalk that leads to the beach. The park also has hiking trails and a great lighted fishing pier.

This beach is perfect for families looking for a fun-filled day on the sand. It’s not overly crowded with tourists, making it ideal for individuals seeking peace and quiet. You can go walking with your dog at this beach because leashed dogs are allowed.

Quintana is maintained by the tides and weather as a natural beach. The beach may sometimes be cluttered with driftwood, seaweed, and other vegetation. These materials provide food and stability to the ecosystem. In extreme cases, the beach is raked to remove excess seaweed and litter.

The sand on Quintana Beach is brown, tightly packed, and clean. The beach attendants do a good job maintaining the beach area. There is plenty of trash cans, which are regularly emptied by staff. Still, you’ll probably not want to walk barefooted, since there are many little shells in the sand (on the other hand, good for shelling!).

The island is home to a variety of birds and butterflies, including the Quino neotropical bird sanctuary.

Want to stay away from Tourists?

You won’t find many tourist facilities and much entertainment here; nevertheless, the beach features a few beautiful wooden walkways, a long pier, covered picnic areas, playgrounds, and the minimum standard amenities like showers and restrooms. A perfect place for a quick holiday trip from Houston at any time of the year.

The beach is located south of Surfside and Galveston and is easily accessible. The road near Lake Jackson is quite picturesque, so going by car may become a pleasant experience.

There is no direct parking on the beach, but there is a parking lot close by. Furthermore, there’s a well-maintained RV park with water and electricity hook-ups as well as playgrounds, grilling areas, and a volleyball court. The atmosphere is pleasant, and the majority of the park personnel are courteous and helpful.

Quintana Beach is accessible to people with disabilities: apart from ordinary stairs, there are special ramps for handicapped visitors on the wooden walkways leading to the beach.

Quintana Beach doesn’t have to receive crowds of tourists; however, it offers all necessary facilities, which are always clean and well-maintained, including restrooms and outdoor showers to rinse off the sand and saltwater.

There are also several shaded pavilions with tables and benches – a nice place for picnicking with your family or friends in any weather. If you want to engage in fishing or watching for dolphins, you can do that on a long pier going far into the ocean.

As for the water, it is decently blue for this part of the Gulf, but still far from being crystal clear. It often gets muddy and blurred, because the beach is close to the mouth of the Brazos River.

Crystal Beach

The Crystal Beach or Bolivar Beach in Bolivar peninsula is one of a kind for here. You can experience tranquillity at its finest. It encompasses 27 miles of Beach Shoreline on the Upper Texas Gulf Coast. It is located along Highway 87, close to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge.

Crystal Beach is a popular destination since it allows camping and fires, as well as fishing. There are few restrooms and no-rinse showers at Crystal Beach, which isn’t surprising because it’s not much of a tourist attraction or beach facility. You’ll also find that there aren’t many businesses on-site, so double-check that you’ve got everything you need – food, picnic equipment, sun chairs, umbrellas, etc. There are several nice restaurants and stores in the area, but getting there will take some time.

The beach has coarse sand lined with shells and a pile of seaweed where you can scourge for shells and shark teeth. Firework displays on the 4th of July and New Year’s Eve on the beachfront are a sight to behold. The area is secluded and empty for most of the year.

There is something for everyone on the Bolivar Peninsula. Are you looking for a relaxing weekend or a vacation filled with family fun? Rent one of the many beach houses located here. Do you enjoy fishing? The North Jetty, about two miles from the ferry landing, is a renowned spot for catching fish. It is also a great place to go crabbing with the kids. And in spring and fall, you will have no problem catching your limit at Rollover Pass. Birdwatching is always a popular activity here because there are over 100 species of migratory birds such as egrets, herons, and roseate spoonbills.

Looking for history?

During your stay, pay a visit to the Point Bolivar Lighthouse. It served as a navigational aid for sailors for 61 years after being built-in 1872. This lighthouse withstood two violent storms in 1900 and 1915. As seen in the 1968 film “My Sweet Charlie” with Patty Duke. The lighthouse is privately owned and not accessible to the general public. There is a popular Instagram photo stop. Take the free Galveston-Bolivar ferry to view dolphins, huge oceangoing vessels, and perhaps even a cruise ship as it leaves the harbor. Parking at the landing and walking on for a round trip is an option.

Although the region was damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008, recent years have seen significant development and repopulation in Bolivar. Beautiful new beach houses are being built. Restaurants and enterprises have been resurrected and are now flourishing.

Simon Bolivar, a freedom fighter who battled to free South and Central America from Spanish domination, was the eponym of the Bolivar Peninsula. The region is steeped in history, such as the infamous pirate Jean Lafitte. The town is notable for Jane Long, who is known as “The Mother of Texas. ” She gave birth here in the winter of 1821 while her military spouse was away on a mission. In her memory, Hwy 87 was renamed ‘Jane Long Memorial Highway.’

Sea Rim State Park

This isolated and distinctive coastal park is on the far southwestern coast of Texas. Sea Rim State Park is home to 5.2 miles of Gulf beach frontage. Sea Rim, which derives its name from the point where the sea meets the marshes, covers over 4,000 acres. The Marsh is packed with animals and includes several paddling trails to view them. Famously there is a population of alligators located in the brackish waters.

At this location, you may set up camp, go birding and beachcombing, paddle a canoe or kayak, swim, fish, hunt (in season), and walk. The Gambusia Nature Trail Boardwalk winds its way through the marsh.

Stay at one of 15 campsites with utilities or in our cabin. We also offer primitive camping on the beach.

Fish in the surf or in the marsh areas. You do not need a license to fish from shore in a state park. We have a boat ramp, and we loan fishing gear for use in the park. Download Sea Rim’s Fishing Tip Sheet.

Paddle one of our trails, from the 1.79-mile easy trail to the 9.59-mile advanced trail. Experience the coast from a kayak or canoe. Bring your own or rent one at the park. Take a virtual tour with our Interactive Trails Map.

Horseback ride on over 3 miles of Gulf Coast beachfront. Enjoy the East Beach with your favorite horse; you can primitive camp on the East Beach but we don’t have any facilities, so you’ll need to bring a portable pen or tether your horse to a trailer.

Some campers pop their tents right on the beach, hopping out of their sleeping bags straight into the warm Gulf waters for early-morning swims.

Want to getaway?

This is such a peaceful place to spend a weekend. Campers while away the hours picking perfect shells off the quiet beach and spotting herons and egrets out on the three-quarter-mile boardwalk loop through the thick of the marsh. The breeze rustles through the tall grasses while visitors lazily drop a fishing line in the water, the lucky ones catching something for dinner. It’s hard to believe a place so untouched, so wild, could exist just down the way from what you drove through to get there. But to us, that makes this place even more special.

Sylvan Beach Park

The beautiful beach in this 32-acre area in Harris County is the ideal location to get away from city life and enjoy a lovely ocean breeze. Sylvan Beach, unlike other beaches in the region, has excellent finer sand, no seaweed on the beach, and smaller waves for more pleasant swimming.

There is also a playground for youngsters in Sylvan Beach Park, as well as clean benches and picnic tables, and an air-conditioned pavilion. Bring a picnic for lunch and spend the whole day at the beach. It also offers a boat ramp for easy access to the bay and on the pier.

Don’t miss out on their yearly Sylvan Beach Festival Crawfish Jam, which takes place in the spring.

Do you have an event planned?

This location is ideal for parties, meetings, and outdoor activities. Bring the family and enjoy a day at the beach with beautiful views of Galveston Bay, complimentary parking, and terrific snacks.

With free parking, you can have the best time of your life in the water. Sylvan Beach has two picturesque piers that are good for more than just taking selfies. There is a much-loved volleyball court. And with plentiful picnic benches and on-site grills – it’s an awesome place to hang out with friends and family.

When you are traveling with a group, you can deviate from sleeping in the usual hotel room while you visit La Porte. By spending the night in the Battleship Texas, a Navy ship that saw action in not one but two world wars. This last surviving dreadnought-type battleship is open to visitors daily from 10 in the morning to 5:30 in the afternoon.