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When you think of the beach, you may think of yourself relaxing on a chair with the cool ocean breeze and a cool drink at hand and the sun setting on the horizon. Well there's much more that you may be missing out on!  Soaking up the sun is a great reason to visit the beach but there are plenty other fun things to do. Here are a few ideas...

Shelling

"Shell Shocked" is what you will be after discovering the 600 known shell species along our 27 miles of sandy Brazoria County beaches. Surfside Beach is one of the few of the shell hunting hot spots in the area. You will be astonished at the scads of seashells speckling Brazosport beaches. 

Fishing

The Gulf Coast at Surfside Beach is known for its excellent bay and offshore fishing. Offshore, the depth of the water changes dramatically. This deep water habitat attracts many varieties of fish such as red snapper, ling, bonita, and kingfish.

Natural bottom structure, coral reefs, and offshore oil platforms provide a perfect underwater world for fish to thrive. Surfside Beach is the headquarters for many charter and party boats of all sizes. Experienced captains make a day's fishing where catching the big ones is an exciting and enjoyable activity. Inshore wade fishing, bank fishing, or fishing off the long jetty allow anglers without a boat the chance to tie into flounder, redfish, or speckled trout. Just north lies Christmas Bay and San Luis Pass, offering bay boats miles of prime shoreline and deeper channels to explore. Launch from Surfside Beach and head to the jetties or venture offshore. Numerous bait and tackle stores can supply live bait, lures, and fishing equipment and offer advice on where to catch fish. Fishing is also popular along the shore and the jetty.

 

Surfside Museum

The Surfside Historical Museum is located on the second floor of the Surfside Beach City Hall. Inside, visitors are treated to a display of artifacts and exhibits from Surfside Beach and Fort Velasco. Outside are monuments that commemorate the Battle of Velasco and the sinking of the ship Acadia during the Civil War.

Surfside Historical Museum
1304 Monument Surfside Beach 
The museum hours are:
Monday-Friday 9am-4pm

 
museum image

Crabbing

crabbing pier sign
There are many places to crab in Surfside Beach, but the favorite is our Crabbing Pier! It is located across the highway from Stahlman Park at 2211 Bluewater Hwy.  You can also crab from the shore, the marshes or even under the bridge!
 

Birding

Located at 418 Parkview Rd and Monument. This trail was designed by our gardening experts and native bird fans! Featuring plants and flowers especially selected to attract our native and migratory aviary life, this trail winds down by the ship channel and twists and turns up around the Fort Velasco replica back to the boat ramps. The trail also features 10 workout stations for you to use and enjoy! Surfside Beach has been awarded Bird City status by Texas Parks and Wildlife and a Monarch destination by Monarch Gateway.

Free Birding Brochure

Bird & Butterfly Trail

The Surfside Bird & Butterfly Trail is 2.5 miles surrounded by native plants and trees and is bordered by the Freeport Harbor. Opened in March 2019, this is a great place to spot butterflies, Orioles, Buntings, Tanagers, Warblers and more. The entrance is located at the corner of Parkview and Monument Drive near Surfside Beach City Hall.

Splash Pad

splash pad sign
Kids of all ages will enjoy cooling off in the heat of the summer at Surfside’s Splash Pad! It also features a pavilion and picnic tables to enjoy your family’s get together. County bathrooms are across the parking lot. From the Splash Pad, the family can enjoy our Bird & Butterfly Trail.

Boating/Kayaking

Nowhere else in Texas can you launch your boat and get into the Gulf of Mexico faster than at Surfside Beach.  With our dry stack marinas, boat ramps, beach launching locations, and traditional marinas, you are just five minutes from the Gulf.  Whether you are looking to get out and go deep sea fishing, spend a leisurely day in the Gulf with your friends or family, take a diving trip, take your pontoon boat up the Intracoastal, go fishing in the backwaters, launch your jet skis, kayak or beach cat sailboats off the beach, or raise your sails  enjoying a peaceful day out on the water, Surfside Beach is a great place to go cruising for every type of boating enthusiast.  Check these links for boating services. There are companies that offer fishing charters, bird watching and dolphin cruises as well as sunset cocktail cruises. 

Boat Ramp

Through a joint project between the Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Village of Surfside Beach, we have a boat ramp on Thunder Road that leads directly into the Freeport Channel.  This boat ramp park with restrooms and a fish cleaning station is free to use. It is the fastest boat ramp access to the Gulf on the Texas Coast.

Surfing

surferSurfside Beach is called "Surfside" for a reason. Surfside Beach produces some of the best, most consistent surf on the upper Texas coast. It works on small swells and holds double overhead and better. Two factors are responsible for this fact: deep water and long jetties. Deep water is much closer here and south of here, only about eight miles offshore, compared to 35 miles at Galveston. The deeper water allows the swell to pass without decreasing wave size from the drag of shallow water.  The best surf is usually a half mile+ or so north of the jetty, at or near Texas Street.

Under a strong S/SW wind, the jetty blocks side shore wind while allowing the swell to wrap cleanly to the beach. A strong NE/E/SE wind creates overhead surf, but the onshore wind creates choppy conditions. Check out the local surf shops for information on what gear to buy and what lessons they teach.

Golf Carts

Sometimes the only way to get around the island on the weekend is by golf cart! Enjoy almost 4 miles of golf cart lanes to travel safely around the village. You can also cart travel on the beach driving east, but the speed limit is 15 mph. Never drive your cart on Fort Velasco and be sure to read a copy of the golf cart rules from your rental company. Only licensed drivers can operate golf carts in Surfside Beach. 

 

Biking

Feel the breeze and get some exercise on a bike rental. What a way to travel around the island! There is even a designated bike path on Surf Drive and a path on Bluewater Hwy. Traveling the beach on bike is also popular. The Bluewater Highway Trail in Surfside Beach runs from the main entrance at Hwy. 332 and Bluewater, all the way to edge of town. This nature trail is ideal for walks, golf carts, bicycles, or joggers. 

 

Bluewater Hwy Trail

The Bluewater Highway Nature Trail was a combined effort between the City of Surfside Hotel Motel Funds and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Grant Funds. Surfside Beach would like to make a special mention of thanks to Precinct One for their help on this public project as well. Please enjoy the trail with observance to the roadway traffic. 

Jetty Park

This park, operated by Brazoria County Parks and Recreation, runs along the Freeport jetties.  It has picnic areas, restrooms, and a trail.  The park has a great view of the Gulf and the ship channel. You may walk the jetty, toss a line from the rocks, or just watch the large ships come and go. 

Fort Velasco

Fort image

Walk in the Footsteps of Stephen F. Austin:
Known as the Cradle of Texas, Surfside Beach is the home of the famous Fort Velasco. The actual fort was located near the current City Hall.  It was at this port that Stephen F. Austin and his colonists first arrived in Texas in 1821.  Eleven years later, in 1832, the first battle of Texas’ war for independence was fought here.  Historical markers state:

Here was fought a battle -- the first collision in arms between Texas colonists and the Mexican military -- a conflict preliminary to the Texas War for Independence. On June 26, 1832, when Texans under John Austin and Henry Smith came downriver with a cannon for use against Mexican forces at Anahuac, they ran against the resistance of Lt. Col. Domingo de Ugartechea. As commander of Mexican forces at Velasco, de Ugartechea refused passage through the mouth of the Brazos River to the vessel bearing the cannon to Anahuac. Some 112 Texans attacked the port at midnight, and after nine hours under the fire of Texas rifles and cannon, the Mexican garrison was forced to surrender. The Battle of Velasco, brought on by a customs quarrel at Anahuac, was unknowingly fought after the dispute at Anahuac had been peaceably settled.

After the victory at San Jacinto four years later, President David G. Burnet moved the capital of the Republic of Texas temporarily to Velasco. Here the Treaty of Velasco, ending hostilities between Texas and Mexico, was signed on May 14, 1836.
Off the end of the Bird & Butterfly trail, there is a fort fence replica of Fort Velasco. Stroll through and read about the timeline of our rich history in Texas!