Living on South Padre Island in a Camper
South Padre Island is a great spot to spend the winter months, especially while living in a camper! For those that don't know, it is on the very southern tip of Texas. South Padre Island is a cute little island nestled right on the Texas/Mexico border. The island itself is not very big, but there is still quite a bit to do to keep yourself busy.
Sally, me, and Sunny running on the beach.
We discovered the campground, Isla Blanca State Park, randomly while researching campgrounds on the Gulf Coast in 2023. This year was our second time staying there. It is by far one of the cheapest and best locations we have found when it comes to an oceanside campground. Unfortunately they will be closing for a year starting October 2025 until October of 2026 for a full renovation. We will miss it this next winter!
Going into it this time around we knew some of our favorite places, but we were excited to try more out and also being there an extra month meant we could really explore.
The weather on SPI from mid-December to end of February was a little dreary at times, I won’t lie. The month of January was very grey, windy, and rainy. I feel like we barely even went out to the beach. But on the nice days, we soaked up as much sun as we possibly could! Because every nice day, was basically perfection. There is nothing like the sun shining down on the palm trees with a slight breeze… doesn’t get much better.
By pure chance, our friends from New Hampshire, Josh and Nina, were at Isla Blanca as well for part of the time! They ended up being just a few sites away from us. It was nice having friends around. We even made new friends from Bingo at the campground! Normally I am not a social bug, so going to campground events was kind of a big deal for me. Having friends there made it even better!
While we were there, we celebrated Christmas, New Years, my birthday, Valentines Day, and our Anniversary! (Dec-Feb are very expensive months for us LOL). This gave us lots of special memories for these holidays!
I LOVE South Padre so much. It holds a special place in my heart! We are definitely going to miss staying there next winter.
Are you planning a trip to SPI? Let me know! Below is a list of all of our favorite spots and activities.
Restaurants and Bars:
F&B (Food and Beverage): OUR ABSOLUTE FAVORITE RESTAURANT. We loved this restaurant so much we went twice (my birthday & our anniversary). It is on the expensive side, but completely worth it!! The service is amazing and the food blew our minds. I still am thinking about the lamb chops I had. drooling
Viva: I would say this was my second favorite. Again, a nicer restaurant but a little cheaper than F&B. A perfect date night spot! We watched the most beautiful sunset. It felt like it never ended! We had seats facing the bay and wow, it was stunning. The view alone is worth it!
South Padre Island Brewery: Picture an older, island brewery and you've got it! Great food and cheap happy hour! Can’t beat that. Nice place to hang out on a rainy day.
Lobo Del Mar: This spot was our favorite the first year we visited and held up this year too. It's right on the bay. And their happy hour is one you can’t beat! $3 Margaritas and half priced apps. Need I say more? The owner’s sons play the National Anthem on bagpipes every single night at sunset. Which is always entertaining and quite a skill!
SPI Wine Bar: This is one of the places we visited the most. They have a fantastic happy hour! And they had a special Valentine’s tasting night we attended that was great. Their food is also delicious. The waitress was also named Lauren, so we bonded over that obviously.
Breakfast and Coffee:
Sunrise Bakery: OUR TOP BREAKFAST AND COFFEE SPOT! Sunrise Bakery was new to us this time around and I am SO glad they exist. Their lattes are the best on the island in our opinion. Their bakery items are NEXT LEVEL. We got too many of their filled croissants and other desserts. We also got my birthday cake from them and it was delicious. I wish I was eating it right now as I type this.
Grapevine Cafe: Had the best Mexican eggs benny! We ate breakfast here with our friends, Josh and Nina, and it was a resounding thumbs up.
Karma Coffee and Books: This was our go-to spot to work outside of the camper. Cute little coffee and book store. And all of the employees were always nice!
Milos Coffee House: This spot is a runner up on best latte next to Sunrise. They have a Nutella latte I was obsessed with and would get every Saturday before the Farmers Market!
Thrift Stores:
ReNEW Thrift Store: This was my favorite spot to pass time on a rainy day! I think I found something to buy every time I went. They had very cheap prices and a great selection. In the same shopping center, they have another store for men and household items, I found some fun shirts for Martin there!
Whiskers Resale Shop: I also frequented this spot often as well. I got some jewelry and coasters that we love! And it benefits the animal shelter of SPI, so it’s a good cause.
Experiences:
SPI Farmers Market: This was our favorite weekend activity! I love a good farmers market. There is this cilantro sauce that we are OBSESSED with. If you come across it, you have to get it. There is actually quite a bit of variety at the market! We always came home with a goodie or two.
Driving on the beach: At the opposite end of the island from the campground you can drive on the county beach for miles and miles. We went a couple times and let the girls run around crazy in the water. It is a fun and freeing experience driving on the sand!
Rocket Launch: Watching the rocket take off and land was crazy to witness. Isla Blanca is just 5 miles away as the crow flies from Space X which meant we had a fantastic view across the bay. It felt like such a united moment with everyone else watching, and I am a sucker for moments like that. Not something you see every day and kind of a bucket list experience for me.
USS Kennedy: Isla Blanca Park is also right next to the Brownsville Ship Canal and it's a large port. Massive ships come by all the time. But the USS Kennedy took the cake on the largest! We watched on as it was towed through the bay being lead to its final resting place.
Dolphin Cruise: We went on a Dolphin Cruise and had a blast! The weather was not ideal so it was only about 10 people on the boat total which meant we basically had it to ourselves. We went with our friends from the campground (shout out to Sammy, Brian, Audrey, Nina and Josh!) We saw dolphins, held a starfish, and I even got to drive the boat for a second!
Stained Glass Museum: Words can’t describe how stunning the Stained Glass Museum was! I went with Nina to shoot photography and a music video and we spent the entire day there. It is a private collection and beautifully set up. This is actually in San Juan, but its worth the drive!
If you do any of these on your next trip to SPI, let me know! I would love to hear your thoughts. :)
Cheers.
