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Surfside Beach Reviews
4.0
1 of 10 Best Attractions in Surfside Beach
Reviews
I think it’s a great beach. You do need to watch for traffic. Not much in the way of shells or sharks teeth. Miles and miles of beach to fish or soak up the sun.
Camping is also allowed on the beach. You need a permit if your closer to “town”. But a mile or two down the road starts the free beach and it goes for like 20 miles!
Please, Take care of your trash!! There’s blue bins every 100 feet or so. There’s no excuse for leaving your trash on the beach! None!
Surfside Beach is what you'd expect for one located on the Gulf Coast. You can drive on the beach, which has pros/cons -- if you want to kick back and be alone on the beach, come for a WEEKDAY get away. We were there on Monday morning and it was just us and the locals. Felt like we had the place to ourselves. The weekend was very crowded, but there was still room to plop a chair right by the water and relax. If you love people-watching activities, the weekend is the right time to visit, but things do clear out in the evening. You can walk forever on this beach and you can BUILD FIRES right on the beach! We took advantage of this and brought firewood for nightly campfires. No glass allowed -- so decant your wine to something plastic and be prepared to relax. Nice Gulf Coast destination, we'll definitely be back.
This is an interesting little town about two streets wide on a long narrow island along the Texas coast, the ocean on one side the Intracoastal Waterway on the other. Almost entirely modest homes on stilts, it sports a jetty at the southern end that seems to be a favorite spot for locals to hang out and fish on weekends. It is the only place for miles along the coast with any restaurants unless you cross over the high bridge spanning the Intracoastal waterway to the mainland - and all its refineries.
My family and I vacationed here for a month back in 1994, we had a great time with the regulars here made friends and didn;t want to leave here. My brother Donald Cooley still lives here on surfside somewhere,lol he loves it here! I hope to visit surfside beach and my brother again soon!!
This is possible the best stretch of beach (relative to easy access) in Texas. You can drive on the beach even in a modest car (meaning you don't need four wheel drive) and if you can get your fill of sun and saltwater for a couple of hours and be back in Houston is a little more than an hour. Not to be confused with the beautiful sand and water of other part of the Gulf Coast, but the beach is relatively clean and people are very friendly. We go in early May or June before it gets too hot. It's very easy to find and if you close your eyes at times to avoid the murky brown water and unsightly clumps of seaweed, you can almost imagine being in paradise?
Surfside Beach is wonderful. Please bring a trash bag to use while visiting and take it home with you to dispose. Keep our beach clean and safe for your next visit, and by all means, Enjoy!!!
Excellent quality beach on the warm Gulf of Mexico. Really easy parking straight behind the bridge. Was free as well if I recall correctly. Several restaurants available. Also lots of colorful wooden houses straight on the beach for rent.
Not exactly a hidden gem, but Surfside Beach is less popular and less developed than the nearby Galveston. It is one hour south of Houston. The public beach has 2 parts - pedestrian, which is free; and the driveable beach, which requires a $12 annual permit. We recently spent a very pleasant evening hour at the pedestrian beach. It was full of people, but not overcrowded. The beach is small and not very deep. The sand is fine, firm and brown, like most in TX. Since we did not look, I am not sure if there are public restrooms. The beach does not close. As we left around 8:45PM, we saw a few families setting up small pit fires and BBQs. All in all, a nice, small beach for a quick visit.
During the week in may, it was quiet and not crowded at all. The beaches were pretty clean and the water was warm.
Gee..Moved to area in 1963...Ma, Pa, and little Brian. Have done about everything you can do, at a beach, work, lived, camped, visits, resident...I am a fan of both the town, and the beach. Folks there are great, cops are cool, if Bingo is still in-house, dude's got a surf shop...boards or whatever for day, clothes, gifts, and if you're around on Sunday, he is a Minister, you can get some God w/him too. Full service community that cares about people. During the week...quite a change from Galveston...Bring it on Y'all!
We went to the Stahlman park pavilion. Walked down the ramp to the beach. We used to go to Surfside often. Kids have left home. We aren't interested any more.
Beach Resort Services is a must!!! Rent a beach home from them and get front row if possible. We have used them 4 times and their homes are great and they are very attentive.
It was great as always ,could b a beach bum...??....love love live the waves and sand,beautiful plac
I understand Texas beaches are nothing close to the Caribbean. However, this beach makes Port A and Galveston feel like resort style beaches. I would definitely avoid this place if possible. We went for a short trip and left early. Wish I would have read the other reviews before driving all the way down here! It was dirty and packed with people. Trash was everywhere! I guess that’s why the permit is only $12 for the entire year and places like Galveston are $90. You get what you pay for. The distance from the water to the “road” where you drive on the beach is really short and people drive way too fast. It is pretty dangerous if you have little ones. Save yourself from a miserable time and drive to Galveston. It’s 1.5 hours down the road from here, but much more clean and family friendly!
What an amazing home with heavenly views, you have to see for yourself. Come enjoy a great relaxing getaway like we did.
This is a hidden gem,if you go to the beach to play on the beach.This place doesn't have all frills and thrills of galveston,just a very nice clean,kid friendly beach.It has a few restaurants and Kittys purple cow has great burgers and is very casual.The rates are reasonable,you will be pleasantly surprised as our family was.
Come over the bridge on HWY 332, and turn right at the stop light. Go until the dead end, take a left and go to Surfside park, there by the jetties for the old Brazos River. There is ample free parking here. This park to access the beach is free. If you walk out the jetties into the surf, be careful because it can be very slippery, especially in the wet places. There are few and minimal bathroom facilities. One can walk the beach and pick up shells. You may get tar on the bottoms of your feet. But you can see a beautiful sunrise from the beach or jetties. The jetties are to prevent silting up of the approach into the Freeport harbor, and people fish off the jetties all the time. If you go straight at the stop light you will have to pay to drive on the beach in the summertime. Surfside Beach runs all the way northeast to the toll bridge to Galveston Island. Beware, you can easily get stuck in the sand, and there are cuts that will not allow you to drive the beach all the way to Galveston. If you drive on the beach, be sure to pressure wash your car, and wash from the bottom side as well. The salt is especially corrosive to steel, and your car will rust out. If you want a really pretty beach and clear water, go to South Padre Island, TX (but this is 5+ hours away). Also the beaches along Gulf Shores, Alabama to Panama City, FL are beautiful beaches. The reason that Galveston and Surfside beaches are murky is from the silt carried down the Mississippi and Brazos rivers. Surfside is less developed than Galveston. If you want a more deserted beach, go to Quintana Beach the other side of the jetties. You have to go through Freeport to get there. Surfside Beach runs all the way northeast to the toll bridge to Galveston Island.
PS.. if you turn left at the light and go about a mile on the Blue Water Highway towards Galveston, a super good seafood restaurant is on the right, The Red Snapper.
We stopped going to Galveston because it's overpriced, over crowded, and its just a pain to get around. We found our alternative in Surfside. It's about 40 miles south of Galveston. We like to rent a house on the beach, and found it's cheaper than a hotel because you don't have to go out to eat every night. The beaches were perfect, zero seaweed in October. Plenty of trash cans to dispose of refuse but sadly, you still get those people who like to litter. The beach is constantly patrolled by local police making it nice. Two things to consider before coming down, bring or buy lots of bottled water. The city water is NASTY! It smells like a mix of feces and seawater, and has high levels of arsenic. It makes everything smell, your clothes and yourself. All in all, we love the place.
Great beach, park right by the water. But watch out for the soft sand. You might get stuck. Enough room that you don't feel crowded.
Have always loved Surfside friendly atmosphere, fun. Music love this place been going for 10 years. Always somewhere to stay and park never any violence or drama.
This park is located right next to the beach and is great in that aspect, but unless you feel lucky I would not book ahead of time because if something happens the owner will not give you your money back no matter how far in advance you cancel. The did ask you the reserving experience was pleasurable, but got affined when you expressed a opinion on the no refund policy. You know there has got to be away to "keep peoples money" if people do not cancel in a time frame.
If you travel through the 332, remember to take a left at the 257. My google maps made me turn right. The good beach is at the left. You drive like 1 or 2 miles until you find a sign that indicates beach entrance. You can pay the 12 $ permit in a kiosk at the entrance to the beach. The beach is brown as in Galveston and shallow. But do not get overconfident. We felt a strong current an even walk was difficult. We had a very good time. We didn't expect crystalline waters. The color is due to the currents and is mainly the sand. The temperature was excellent and we had miles and miles to choose where to put our canopy.
We were looking for a nice beach that wasn't too crowded and found it at Surfside Beach. No parking fees and a wide clean beach made for a perfect spot. I loved looking at the beach houses and cottages that are available to rent, and really wished we could just stay forever, since I miss the beach terribly. I took a walk along the beach and was really intrigued by these two abandoned houses that are up on stilts at the water line. I can't imagine how they wound up like that (hurricane? beach erosion?) I thought it was just really interesting and my imagination provided all kinds of scenarios. Great beach to walk on....nice and flat, no jellyfish to step over or stinky seaweed to avoid. Highly recommend Surfside beach for a day trip or a week's getaway. There's a couple of restaurants/bars near the beach but not whole lot of places for eating/shopping; it's just a very quiet, small beach town. If you like quiet and a beach without hustle/bustle, then Surfside's for you.
We went to Surfside Beach in early October of 2017. Obviously, this is not the busy time of year. The weather was great....sunny and mid 80s. The beach was clean and well-maintained. Tropical Storm Nate had been just off shore the previous week and the surf was still somewhat rougher than we were told it normally is. My wife and I walked the beach for about two miles and I don’t think we saw any litter the entire way. We found the atmosphere inviting, as there are no high-rise hotels along Surfside Beach. I am certain we will return in the future.
The days of seaweed and mosquitos are over. The blue water has taken over this summer season and Surfside is in its prime. Golf carts cruising the streets, surfers and SUP’ers on the beach, and fisherman catching trout and reds on the jetty. Cheap beach houses for rent and plenty of restaurants and shops to keep your wife and kids happy.
This is my second trip to Surfside. First visit was in August and very enjoyable. This trip in May was incredibly crowded. Vehicles drove up and down the beach starting at 10 am on Saturday through 7 pm — both on the softer dry sand and on the wet sand near ocean. Very, very crowded. Will stay in Galveston next time. It may be crowded there, but cars and trucks aren’t cruising the beach.
Don't even know where to start! These folks really know how to throw on a St Patricks Day celebration!
If you are looking for a quiet day at the beach to enjoy with your family, Surfside beach is not for you. Cars are allowed in the beach and therefore people will bring big propane grills, stoves, tables, big tents, chairs, generators, Texas big coolers full of beer and loud stereos. The loud music and smells from all the cooking from all your neighbors around you will blend together along with the constant traffic making the whole experience stressful. On top of the noise, a few annoying drunk folks made us pick up our beach chairs and leave...
The most peaceful and relaxed I think I have ever felt in my life. My husband travels with his job and had just talked me into leaving my job to travel with him...and we landed in a little rental house on Surf Drive in 2012 - December 2013, my own little piece of heaven and I am so grateful for that opportunity. Peaceful walks on the jetty, the beach, no crowds and some days even no one but me & God. If you are looking for some quiet time...try it out. You won't be sorry. We have been in Galveston for this last job and have been back to visit Surfside on two occasions, would love to be able to stay there again.
No crowds during this weekend in October. Clean. nice place to hang with a family. There were a few tents set up in the dunes for long term residents, maybe from the Hurricane Harvey problems. They could use a few more trashcans on or near the beach.
During the week the beach is a great place to relax. THe weekends though are crazy busy. The beach is clean with folks in golf carts offering trash bags. The gentle slope of the beach makes it very kid friendly.
Surfside Beach is a nice beach with easy parking.
There were people fishing right off the beach. The Seagulls and birds were out.
February is quite windy and cold. Still we had a nice walk along the beach.
There are some nice restaurants along the beach.
We enjoyed our trip to Surfside Beach. We would return.
We stayed in a house on the beach from Sunday-Thursday. When we arrived on Sunday, the beach was pretty packed. On Monday you could see others, but you did have your own space. This was nice because when at the beach, I do not want to be shoulder to shoulder with strangers.
Tip: Look for the dolphins mid morning!
The beach is extremely small and they allow cars to go inside and park on the sand . It was extremely crowded although there was alerts for covid19 social distancing but no measure what so ever had been taking . No place for kids to play on sand as the cars literally occupy the beach . Do not go there at all
Not the Bahamas but a good Texas beach. The beach is shallow, so the kids could enjoy the water and be safe. It wasn’t too busy the day we went. The parking was a bit confusing, but there’s a big parking lot by the jetty we eventually parked at. We’ll definitely return for another weekend getaway down to the Texas coast.
Located on the Gulf Coast just an hour’s drive south of the city of Houston, Surfside Beach is a small community with a narrow stretch of sandy beach. Less popular than the beaches in nearby Galveston, Surfside Beach presents a nice alternative to the more congested beaches common to its eastern neighbor.
The best feature of Surfside Beach is the lack of crowds. With so much open space, it is easy to find a place to stretch out with a beach towel or chair without bumping into others. This makes Surfside Beach a good choice when you want to get away from it all. Even on the weekends, it’s not difficult to find open stretches of beaches with few people around.
As far as the views go, well, this is where Surfside Beach may disappoint a little bit. The water here doesn’t have the blue or green luster that makes beaches in the Caribbean and Florida so appealing. And you can see chemical plants in plain view, right from the beach. This does take away from the natural beauty and it won’t sit well with those who want to enjoy nature without distractions.
One feature that’s different with Surfside Beach is the fact that motor vehicles are allowed to drive on the beach with proper permit. This is both good and bad. It’s great for those who want to pull up the car or truck, pop the hatch, and have a party in the sand. But it’s bad for those who worry about their young ones getting themselves in the path of a vehicle and those who simply don’t like the idea of having cars in what should be a natural environment. The cars and trucks do travel slowly and tend to stay away from the water so everything should be fine, but I know that some visitors will not like seeing vehicles driving by while they try to enjoy the sand and sun.
Surfside Beach allows bonfires to be built in the sand and this is yet another unique feature you don’t find in many public beach areas. Arrive during the day and you will likely see piles of firewood in the sand, just waiting to be lit. People at nearby hotels and others light the fires at night and while I have never attended such an event, it does sound cool.
Beaches are a great way to get away from it all, work on your tan, cool off in the water, practice surfing, etc., etc. Surfside Beach isn’t the greatest beach on the planet but it does offer a nice alternative to Galveston and it does make a nice choice when you want a quick getaway.
This is our second visit, our first visit we stayed at a hotel on the beach in September after Labor Day. This time we rented a beach house on the beach for 6 of us in August (Monday-Monday). Monday - Thursday the beach is amazing! We collected shells, body surfed, relaxed, and sun bathed. It was amazing!
Come Friday the crowds started coming in and the beach was a parking lot Saturday the whole entire day. Beach rules seemed to go out the window: Horse on the beach, dogs not tied up, poop on the beach, bottles and bottle caps, and just trash not getting cleaned up from others. I just wish that visitors were taking a little more pride in the beach during their enjoyment.
Love the accessibility to the beach..miles of sand to stroll..however, the vehicle traffic is annoying and should not be allowed..protect your natural environment..it is your money maker..also please dont litter..lots of trash on beach and watch for broken glass..
Great Place! We had a wonderful time! Kids loved it, Clean Beach! Not too many shells but in general cool beach!
Surfside Beach is wonderful. It is so clean. The beach patrol came by often giving us a great sense of security. It was not crowded and so safe for small children and dogs. The crabbing pier is on the bay side. Everything is trash free and clean. It is a short drive to Galveston but there are wonderful restaurants at Surfside.
It reminded me more of tailgating in the fall at a football game. Cars and trucks backed up to the waters edge and everybody having fun at the beach. I don't rate it higher due to the lack of trees and vegetation, just my preference. I did notice a lot of garbage, not in the water, but from the folks on the beach. I am just not used to seeing that in most places I have visited. I stayed till sunset, nice area.
Nice, quiet little beach. Great waves. Lots of trash cans. Bathrooms. Easy access. No lifeguards. But nice soft sand
This was out first yep to Surfside Beach and it may have been the last. All the other reviews say how clean the beach was but I drove up the beach for 1.5 miles just to find a place to park that was clean. It was filthy. I'm from Indiana so the Indiana Dunes have soft sand, no seaweed, no driftwood and most importantly no garbage. You can't drive on the beaches there which keeps it cleaner in my opinion. Surfside had garbage, bottles and all the above everywhere. I literally picked up garbage to throw away as I walked to the garbage to throw away mine.
It's $12 for an annual sticker to drive on the beach which you must get. I was checked 3 times while I was there. The water was super warm but smelled bad. No matter how much you try not to drink the water it's impossible to keep it out of your mouth and it tastes gross and dirty.
The beach wasn't very crowded which was nice and I did like having my truck right there.
Make sure you bring chairs because the sand is very hard and a shade tent is recommended if you want a reprieve from the sun for a bit. Floaties are a good thing too.
Being 25 min from make easy access, very tranquil , beach access swim able beaches. Excellent stay cation. House reasonable priced depending on number bed, availability. Love it here.. come join the fun
We went on a Sunday. First visit. Liked the beach a lot. Probably one of the better ones in the Galveston vicinity. However, won’t go back because of the cars. Terrible experience.
Friendly also friendliest little town great food great little bars no problems clean beaches fun for all
Nice beach, good views. Great place to take a family for vacation. Will go back again in the future.
This beach allows you to drive on but you better have 4 wheel drive. There is also a fee. Beach can be stinky at times and seaweed wash up can be excessive sometimes but the people watching is magnificent.
Considering the proximity to Galveston or Houston, this is a great beach. Yes it does get crowded on weekends and looks like a parking lot at times. I was impressed at how clean it was considering the large numbers of people that were there. There is an area where cars aren’t allowed. It felt like mostly families but not sure if that was a result of timing. We went on a Sunday afternoon.
nice beaches... fishing on jetty ok... crabbing along intercoastal is fine too. dinner at Red Snapper restuarant was great.
I was in Houston and decided to take a trip to the beach. I have not been to any of the Texas beach towns, and I liked the Surfside name, so that was my destination. The beach was an easy drive and a nice break from the busy aspect of my vacation. Plenty of sand to stroll and given it was a weekday, not too crowded. A quick break at the beach is good.
I see some of the bad reviews. Let me tell you how to enjoy this. First, go very early. It is hot here in the morning so swimming does not have to wait till the afternoon. You can park on the beach so you don't have to lug you stuff. If you go early, you can set up your tent, umbrella chairs, etc. There is space to do that. Yes there are others around, but we found people courteous early. I will say in the later afternoon, say 4pm or so, it is more young people than families. This takes us back to go early.
The beach was clean. No rocks or seaweed. There are porta pottys around. There are also some places that you can walk for a drink or snack. We are planning to go back.
Finally, it is not expensive to get on the beach.
Great way to see the beach, drive, stop and collect shells, people watch, great drive on a sunny winter day.
Had a great time in surfside, stayed there for 4 days and three nights at the Ocean Village Inn and walked up and down the beach of Surfside. It was off season so it was quiet and very few people around which we loved! Beach were clean and very little seaweeds around. Most restuarant were with walking distance within each other or if you prefer a golf cart and the food was delicious at Pirate Alley, Red Snapper Inn, Bingo Board and Red Rock. We did not get a chance to try Sharkie or Purple Cow but heard they had great food there as well. Everyone was friendly at Surfside. We plan to visit again next Spring and Fall.
This was our third trip to Surfside Beach but our first using Beach Resort Services (BRS). We rented the Sea Witch property. On our first full day there the deck collapsed under me, causing me to twist my ankle. Thankfully I was able to catch myself before falling through to the ground.
I immediately called the management office who said someone would be out asap. A few minutes later I notice a man, who I later found out lives next door, walking around looking at the deck. He said that the management office called him to confirm what I had reported (like I would make that up).
About 10 minutes later a maintenance man showed up and along with the next door neighbor and a helped they fixed the deck. Needless to say I was very nervous the remainder of our stay walking around on the deck.
What's disappointing is that at no point did anyone contact me to ask how I was doing. Unfortunately, due to twisting my ankle I was unable to do the things I wanted to do; walk on the beach, swim, play in the water, etc.
According to the contract they are held harmless in situations like this but I can guarantee two things: one, I will never go back there or use them again, and two, all of my friend, family, and social media will know this too.
Be wary and careful using them!
This beach allows vehicular traffic so be prepared - it will be crowded - but even on a really crowded weekend day right before 4th of July we were able to find a nice spot to park and enjoy the water. The beach was also surprising very clean for the amount of people that were out there,
Surf side beach is very nice! My husband and I really enjoyed it. I loved that the beach was not crowded at all and perfect weather. What I didn't like was it was an overflow of crabs, I got bit several times not fun. The water was a little on the dirty side and several random trash coming up from the water. Other than that it was a good weekend at the beach. We may come back to visit.
I will never use trip advisor again! They took $2,100+ from my account and the rental wasn't available! The money went back into my account and then it was taken out again today!
First time visiting a Texas beach. You can drive your car onto the beach which is cool but if you don't get there early enough (8am and earlier) you won't get front parking to see the water. You must purchase a parking pass which is 12$ and lasts all year long. You can bring food and music and grill. They do provide a trash bag at the end for all trash to be thrown away. Bwach is fairly clean.
Brown sand and brown water. I went in and felt stinging on my stomach and back. Turns out they were sand fleas. My mother in law had them crawling on her when she got out. Tons of mosquitos once the sun starts to go down. Make sure to bring bug spray.
Will not return.
Good place to have fun at the beach, swimming or fishing. Park facility is well maintained. Great scenery- you will have chances to see dolphins and sea turtles - but please protect them by keeping it clean! If you want to fish at the jetty area, be sure to wear non-slippery shoes. When waves are high, it is dangerous and quite easy to fall if you fish outside of the rails. We saw a guy fell over to catch the fish, cut his shoulder pretty badly. Be careful when you have fun!
My friends think I'm crazy to drive from Dallas to Surfside and back in one day...but for me, Surfside Beach is the perfect getaway to recharge and find myself again. The beach is as clean as a public beach is. Unlike Galveston, there are fewer people on the beach. I steer clear of the parking part of the beach and make sure to enjoy the Pedestrian Only portion. It's usually quieter and less hectic. Stahlman Park has public showers to use if you're not staying in the area before you head back home. No problems that I noticed with the public shower.
Overall, I love this beach. I referred it to others but some don't find the appeal that I do. That's okay. To each his own. But if you like quiet, out of the way places, this beach might be for you.
PS. The Hampton Inn in Clute/Lake Jackson is a great place to stay if you want to spend a few nights not far from the beach. 10 minute drive and you'll be sinking your toes in the sand!
I go back every year.
It was 74 degrees- not much wind and a lot of Sunshine! Surfside rocks!
The beach was clear of the stinky seaweed. There was no trash and all the trash cans were empty.
Everyone was friendly and we had a great day playing tag with the tide.
Please note- it costs to drive on the beach-the dunes are anchored by old christmas tree- the sand is still pretty soft so careful when you drive- $200 fine for glass containers onbeach- all the rivers in this area empty out here so water isn't really blue.
Still it's a great little sot for a bit of fun in the sand.
Surfside is a wonderful beach with a quiet community. Perfect for a relaxing day on the beach with family or a special someone. There are a number of small restaurants right on the beach where you can grab a bite to eat while looking out at the ocean.
Surfside is always a fun place to visit. If you have small children, there is a pedestrians beach, where no cares are allowed on the beach. Usually good fishing from the surf and normally you can find some neat seashells.
Always a great place for your salt air fix.
Nice houses, walking distance to the beach, food, local shop keepers (some without actual shops.. But still pretty awesome) definitely recommend!
Visited Surfside beach for a morning during a weekend stay in the area and I would absolutely go back! You can pay $12 to drive onto the beach (we did not) and set up grills and tents. It definitely seemed like a family friendly beach! There are porta-potties all along the beach. Went for a walk down the beach and it was beautiful. The water did have some waves as it was a windy day, but the water was warm for March. Lots of restaurants and homes along the beach which makes it easy to spend the day at the beach. I would definitely go back!
Took my daughter 👭 and we put our toes 👣 in the sand 🏝, watched the water 🌊, watched people get stuck in the sand 🤣, watched dogs running and playing🐶, put 1 toe👣 in the water 🤤. Enjoyed every minute of it!!!!
This beach had so much potential to be nice, but obviously the city puts very little effort in keeping it clean. I have been to many beaches in the country and have never seen a beach with so much garbage cluttered EVERYWHERE.
We truly enjoyed this area. Nice clean beach that wasn't too crowded. We were a bit disappointed that we needed to drive for lunch as we didn't find anything right near the beach. However the little surf shop nearby was great.
I had been here about 10 years ago on a cold spring day so didn't see much. This time we started at San Louis Pass and saw it all down to the Red Snapper restaurant in Surfside. I'll probably choose this over Galveston in the future. You can actually drive on the beach for several miles. Not a lot of people but some families, fisherman etc. The wind was up and made the water rough but I like hearing the ocean and feeling the wind. NOTE: San Louis Pass to the north is known for drowning as the current is strong. Closer to Surfside is probably a little safer. Not a lot of restaurants but the Red Snapper Diner is good.
About 40 minutes south of Galveston, we've stayed in Surf Side Beach at great rental beach houses through BeachHouses.com. The beach is a nice quieter alternative to Galveston's beaches. You can find beach front houses for reasonable prices.
The beach runs for miles and fun to watch the dolphins in the morning or go down to the jetty if you like to fish..
Very cute little town. The beach was very empty and we were the only ones in the water. The water was warm and the beach was clean.
Not a lot of tourist things to do, but if you are looking for quiet, relaxing times, this is the beach.
There isn't much to do here but fish and sun bathe! Just what we needed! The beaches are uncrowded with plenty of room to spread out. The locals are a bit excentric, but friendly. Great little bait and gift shop at the end of the island. Bingo's a combo surf shop and eatery is owned by a local legend. Stop in to see his custom boards and hear his stories from years past when he was a champion surfer himself! Groceries are close enough and city things to do are a little farther, but worth the quaint island stay!
Clean, right on the beach, friendly owner, many families, pet friendly, we had a great time. In the evening we sat around a large propane fire pit and met a lot of different people. There were horseshoes and bean bag toss. Soon there will be a restaurant that looks over the beach. We would go back again.
I'm a huge fan of Texas beaches. Right now Surfside is my favorite. It's the middle of summer, but the Surfside beach is still relatively quiet. No rowdy teenagers partying non-stop here. Instead there are tons of families enjoying the great breeze and the fun Gulf. There are TONS of rental properties available with easy beach access, RV parks and restaurants. Walmart and Target are about 20 minutes away in Lake Jackson if you need a supply run. I'll definitely be back!
Great beach! Went the week after Memorial Day and it was very clean! Only downside, which wasn't a problem for us, is that you will probably need a 4X4 vehicle to get any length down the beach. Most 2 wheel drive vehicles were either getting stuck, or trying to drive in front of where everyone was playing right on the water, which was kind of annoying, and not so safe for people with small children. Other than that, we had a great time! There are restaurants on the way back out towards Lake Jackson and Freeport that are worth checking out. Not very "touristy" though. Not many shops or restaurants close to the beach, so bring a picnic and plan on having all your kids toys and sunscreen before you get out there!
My favorite texas beach to date! Sand is clean, can drive on beach (well...with a 4*4)
It was entertaining watch people get stuck and get dragged out!!
Any beach is awesome, but this is my favorite! Only thing I don't like is the young kids driving really fast on the beach. We have young kids going back and forth to the house. So you have to pay close attention!
Wasn't sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. Super clean beach with great sand. Surfside Beach is much cleaner than Galveston Beach.
Clean and no seaweed and can drive right up to the ocean and not crowded away from the big tourist areas like Galveston which is still close enough to drive to.
We go to this Texas beach because we have always found it clean and available. We usually go during the week. Usually get better hotel rates and their are smaller crowds during the week. Even the one time we went on the weekend for an on-the-beach wedding, it was not crowded that time either. The town is not lined with souvenir shops and the locals are very friendly. Very little shopping in the town but plenty just across the causeway.
We discovered Surfside Beach this past year (2019) during a short visit. We came back for the winter leasing a beach house a few blocks away from the beach. There are lots of things to da as there are scheduled events often, even in the winter from the Surfing Santa to the lighted kite flying. Our favorite restaurants are Pier 30 and Jetty Shack
We were staying as an overflow to a friend who owns a beach house at Surfside Beach which is delightful. The beach in front of the hotel is littered and full of beer cans and rubish
Trashy, Dirty, Lowlifes everywhere, save your money. I will not go here anymore it has been taken over by enter-city Houston people
You can drive on the beach, which is littered even though trash cans are provided. Very crowded with parked cars and cars driving on beach. Family beach weekend was a disappointment.
Lots of families but the competing loud music made it impossible to relax. Same with a few patrolling vehicles going up and down the beach with loud music.
I love the beach in Surfside. The seaweed was not as bad as in Galveston but there was still quite a bit.
My wife and I visited Surfside Beach for the first time this morning. It is the offseason, and it was raining and foggy, which likely contributed to just how few people were out. We saw only a handful of other people all day, but it is easy to see how people should have no problem finding open space to hang out, even under higher traffic conditions. The beach is ridiculously long, and cars are allowed to drive and park along the dunes at the top of the beach, so you could just cruise until you find a spot you like. There were trash cans every hundred yards or so, which is a nice amenity, but restroom facilities were much more scarce. My wife thought maybe more would be deployed in the busy season, but I have no idea.
The sand was nice, not too rocky, and firmly packed. There was a fair amount of garbage around, some tossed up by the tide and some clearly from inconsiderate beachgoers, as well as piles of seaweed in various places. It wasn't overpowering, and we found plenty of clean areas to hang out. I'm not sure about normal surf conditions, but we came on a rising tide and the surf was pretty frisky -- even saw a few people surfing. It would have to be much calmer than it was today for me to feel comfortable letting small children swim.
We found lots of shells, but most on the beach are broken. However, families will have no problem finding an abundance of types. We also saw quite a few big jellyfish tossed up on the beach.
Overall, this is a pretty basic beach, decently clean, and with minimal facilities. On the upside, you should have no problem finding parking or navigating the beach, and the beach is free (although there is a permit required to drive on the beach). We will definitely be back when the weather is nicer to see a different side of the place.
we had just missed the seaweed invasion, stayed in Coney Island, next door was a house called flip flop villa,but was vacant due to some kind of water/plumbing problem, this cause mosquitos to come buffett on our skin..but all in all the people are very friendly, the house was nice a typical beachhouse, we had a great four day weekend, we have been back many time and will continue to do...this little piece of heaven has lots of potential if someone really came in and put some money into it.
CONTROL THE CROWDS!
Could be a wonderful place but it is FILTHY! Swarmed by huge crowds of unruly people blasting terrible music and setting up essentially restaurants on the beach to feed their packs. Garbage thrown everywhere with no concern at all--let the locals pick it up!
$12 a year for unlimited visits with vehicles packed to overflow is just plain stupid. THEY SPEND NOTHING in town and leave behind a disaster of trash, glass, and BBQ coals, often dumped in the fragile dunes.
Hike the entrance fees, charge per person, and return the town to the TAX PAYING residents, not the Houston mobs who are ruining the place.
We were very happy with the beach. Very nice. Gulf beaches I've experienced before were not very clean...of course that was another state though. At the time of our stay it was a bit on the chilly side, 50's and 60's. It was clean and not many people, which made our sea shell collecting quite easy. We got quite a few good sized shells, so the beach wasn't picked over. I cannot wait for our next visit!!!
Beautiful beach, miles of sand to walk on.. The only problem is : there might be too many people with cars and bikes on the beach .. which makes it difficult to walk.. Another negative is the lack of restroom. Otherwise, beautiful place, take a beach chair, enjoy the water and read a book/listen to your favorite music :)
This beach will meet basic needs if you are looking for a sea water, fresh sea air and a good walking tour. So it is OK.
But if you came with kids be prepared to spend time in the water cause it is nothing to do with sand. As for me a beach means a sand, a lot of sand. But in the case with Surfside Beach children can just collect shells and be bored in a hour by doing this.
This beach is not the "car free zone". It is the second factor a person as a parent can handle with.
In my opinion the beach is not children friendly, that's why i put the lowest score to this place.
Surfside Beach is a small coastal town away from the hub-bub of our normal hectic stressful life. We come to watch the ocean and just relax. It's a perfect get away!
Surfside Beach is small and relatively quiet. The down side is the water. Not the Gulf, that is great, but the tap water is awful. You can't drink or cook with it. And you can shower, but it smells really bad. I would buy a vacation home there if it wasn't for the water issue.
Very quiet, clean beach. Enjoyed swimming and playing in the surf and seeing an occasional dolphin close to shore. Not much else to do nearby, but if you're looking for a quiet and restful get away, Surfside is a good option on the gulf.
Ideal for kids as you can drive onto the beach and park up with all your kit right next to you. Pretty busy though.
We paid $12 to drive through crowds of people and other cars without even finding a spot to park. We finally gave up and left. It was just one big party spot with people drinking, pitching tents that hindered the flow of traffic and people getting stuck with 2 wheel drive vehicles in the sand. No thank you
This was our first time to the beach and we had a blast! It was so much fun that we have our next trip booked for next week :)
Since my mother loves Texas, the family decided on a family trip to Texas and chose Surfside Beach based on location and reviews.
Huge mistake!! I love the ocean and beaches and never have I been more disappointed or more saddened. On one end of Surfside beach it is clean “normal” somewhat but on the other end, it is disgusting. There is tons of trash everywhere, trash bags laying on the beach and on the dunes and logs all over beach. It also looked like homeless camps set up. Tarballs washed up on the beach and if you were to go in the water, when you came out you had tar all over you! Surfside Beach is by far the worst beach ever visited and we were disappointed with our choice.
Relatively well kept beach. Much more crowded than we expected, but it is busy summer season and we were there on a weekend. Recommend a week day if that’s an option for you.
Parking seems to be limited unless you but a $12 season pass. This allows you to drive/park your car on the beach. If you opt for this be prepared for all the sand and dirt you bring home with you!
Very minimal number of porta potties along the beach. In the area we were and walked both directions did not seen any public restrooms with rinse off showers, etc They May exist and we just didn’t see them?
Not a lot of food options especially depending on where on the beach you park. If you do NOT plan to bring your meals with you I would recommend researching on google maps before hand which section of beach might work best for you for walking access to food options. Near the Ocean Village Hotel provided several different food options either on the beach or just off the beach.
Fun to walk on the beach, swim, splash, and have an awesome time. Way less crowded than Galveston and way cleaner. Fishing is nice too:).
The beach is nice but it is really a hit or miss depending on how clear the water is and nobody anywhere not even the beach cameras can really inform the conditions of the clarity of the water. Also I really dislike that they allow cars on the beach. It makes a beautiful natural sight look like a parking lot which is just gross. People are so lazy to walk a few feet more they need to be in their cars 24/7 even for leisure, that's pathetic. Good thing is there is a bit of a stretch where cars are not allowed south of Starfish street but be prepared to be in front of homes backyards that are rented to tourists so its not private at all. Renting a room for the night at those homes is expensive and not worth it. Those homes are old, falling apart and bad taste with bad design and cero landscaping. They have port a potties for bathrooms. I mean its all Texas can offer, the tourism is expensive and not really worth it. Go if you must but if you are like me and are looking for quality, get on a plane and go to a real beach in Mexico. It's only one hour and a half from Houston. You can get good deals on flights and all inclusive resorts if you are smart about dates. I know Surfside is really trying to clean up their act so Im sorry Im leaving a bad review but they have a lot of work to do and they have to start by getting rid of the cars on the beach. They leave tire marks all over the sand which isnt pretty at all. Plus you have to worry about some drunk running you over. They also run over turtles nesting. Its really sad.
Was very nice to go here. They have a few restaurants. I didn't stay but for a few hours. Beaches were clean. There is driving on the beach if you buy a permit for 12 bucks that's good for a year. Would definitely return.
We went to Surfiside Beach and Jetty on the Sunday before Labor Day. The drive south from Houston was so much easier than the drive to Galveston. We got there before noon and had no trouble getting in the FREE parking lot. Then we took a stroll down the 6/10 mile long jetty. I loved that because we saw such diversity among the fishermen, women and families. The fishing appeared to be great that day. We watched birds and boats and most excitingly, lots of dolphins near the jetty. Then we changed clothes and went swimming near the jetty. The beach was crowded but there was plenty of ocean for all of us. We were in the no cars area; we didn't want our car to be too sandy. It was a sweet simple time. The only caveat is, and it's a big one, the restroom facilities were unsanitary to put it mildly. Guess you get what you pay for. So, wear your swimsuit or change in the car. There is no shower.
Splendid beach on the Gulf of Mexico, walking among the different colored stilt houses is very relaxing, in winter it is not very crowded and is an excellent time to relax in the sun
We have been taking our family to Surfside for 6 years. Tranquility Base is the best beach house we have rented so far. The house has everything you could want or need. Hope to re rent next year.
We knew the coast has so much pollution after my daughter and me got so bad rash. It was super itch for 10 whole days. We googled that called "swimmer's itches" around Houston coast. And the seafood i caught there cause me allergies too.
What a pleasant surprise Surfside is, not all commercial and crazy like Galveston. Beautiful beach, clean water nice little restaurants and bars. Awesome waves!
I used to live very close to this beach and still go every chance I get. They always keep it clean and it's a really nice weekend get away. Some times the seaweed is bad but they don't plow it for a very good reason.
The beach is quiet, Purchase a day pass and you can drive and park your vehicle there. I found lots of small sea shells.
i have been twice to this family-friendly beach. we stayed right on the beach, with a beautiful view. several good restaurants, on the beach. we walked a long ways, so decided to rent a golf-cart to get back. my kids loved it! mosquitos were terrible, but we have had so much rain.
Beach gets crowded as hell on weekends and during tides beneficial to surfers. Water is murky and marine life is present. The beach is clean in areas and dirty in others. No seaweed this time however, the mosquitos were a nightmare. No way to walk out the door without literally being covered in the blood suckers. I did come up with a temporary remedy. I called "Action Pest Control" who will actually do a treatment on the beach on and around your rented beach house. The mosquito population dropped from several thousand to only a few making it possible to enjoy our rent house on Beach Dr. It's not a permanent fix but gives you several days of relative peace. You will still need Off at night. On a side note, always wear shoes in the water. Sea Urchins and Lures abound.
We stayed at a friends' condo at Surfside Beach over Labor Day weekend. The beach was in the middle of being rebuilt from last year's storm, but it was not crowded and still had enough sand on it. Beach just like Myrtle, but not as touristy.
First time visiting I thought the beach was very cute. We stayed right on the beach so the views in the morning were gorgeous.
Easy going atmosphere. Not crowded m-f. Very crowded s/s with lines of parked cars and trucks. Dirty beach - trash, seaweed and general rubbish and debris. Can’t drink the water and the background glow of Dow Chemical’s many processing and refinery facilities. Kind of scary.
Great if bring dog and being responsible. Stick to shrimp at the restaurants if looking for fresh. Restaurant prices to reflect the local shrimp biz - ie VERY expensive. Big city prices for 8 shrimp. I had expected a local reflection of shrimping biz in prices. Not the case.
Nice outside beach front dining at the Seahorse.
All said, it was a nice visit (we rented a row 2 beach house). Not likely to return due to fear of so many carcinogens in water and around.
Laidback - perfect
Food - good but expensive
Beaches - dirty but manageable
I went to Surfside Beach just before the Spring Break rush with my family. It was a great experience. The ride to Surfside from Houston was easy, and there was plenty of parking.
A nice feature at this time was no crowds. We were able to walk almost a quarter mile in either direction with only a handful of other people in the vicinity.
The beach was clean, with great sand, nice wind and wave action, and a long beachfront to explore.
We enjoyed every minute and stayed a little extra to take it all in.
We could definitely come back again!
It's more laid back than Galveston. With a permit you can drive and park on the beach. Several restaurants on the beach. The Seahorse Bar & Grill was excellent. Withheld one star from beach due to limited facilities, such as portable rest rooms and nowhere that I could find to change clothes or rinse off.
The water is lovely, and quite warm by August. I find it's cleaner than Galveston. See trash around? Pick it up! Get your reusable cleanup needs from 4Ocean dot com. World wide, Ocean Day is June 8th. But we can pick up beach and water trash every day.
YES! you can park your vehicle ON the beach here. It's a Texas thing! Texas citzens own the whole shoreline. Annual Pass for Surfside beach parking is a whopping $12. If you had a bad time at Surfside Beach, we forgive you. There's lots of beaches in the country where you can do your thing. But Texans have their own unique way here. There's a reason we're called The Lone Star State. We're like a whole other country. Study up y'all!
My daughters wanted to go to the beach and Surfside Beach was the shortest distance from DFW. The beach was nice and not very crowded. The water was clear and warm. The beach house we stayed at was also very cute and comfortable, not too far from the beach. There are a couple of food marts and prices seems average for groceries. One gas station and a restaurant near the beach. The closest city is about 20 mins away for a Walmart or HEB. Galveston is only an hour away for a day trip. I'm glad we found this place and may have to come again for the summer.
Pleasant walk on the long stretch of this beach on a Sunday afternoon. Water temperature - nice, that is: cool. Just the right thing to make the day complete
This was a very peaceful beach with strong waves and very compact sand. Most people seemed to be walking or relaxing with few swimmers but we were also visiting when it was cooler. The main concern is the proximity to multiple chemical plants. Even though you can’t see the plants ( they are North while the beach is South-facing) you do still see tankers awaiting to dock.
I was visiting Houston on business and had some extra time. Driving the two hours from there was a breeze and WELL worth it! I have never seen finer sand, it’s almost powder! Clean, friendly, beautiful water, and HOT sun! Half of the beach is drive on, (with permit purchase) but there is a big section that is for pedestrians only. Free parking for those who walk in.
The water was the perfect temperature, the waves were amazing to float in.
Families, couples, and singles all had a really wonderful time.
Drive around the neighborhood if you get some time to see the amazing architecture that goes into those beach side homes.
There are several restaurants nearby and gas stations.
The beach was a little dirty and lots of mosquitoes. The water was a little stinky but the waves were great.
The beach was so clean this year and it is patrolled by the sheriff's department. It has speed limits posted on the beach.
I was a Galveston Beach girl until we went to surfside, I actually saw my feet in the water. Drive or park and walk unto the beach. Gets crowded on the week-ends but nice during the week.
We had a wonderful dry camping stay on this beach. We stayed Thursday through Sunday. The weekend crowd was not too big. We met friendly people. Most people came enjoyed the beach and left. Driving, pulling, and parking the rv travel trailer was not a problem. Leveling was easy. All we needed was a board on the beach water side. The views, sound of the waves, sights of the birds, breeze, stars at night made this a great experience. When we needed something from the store, there is a small convenience store a short distance away. We also went to a Kroger store that was a little further away, but not too far. It was part of enjoying the journey.
We appreciated that this beach is very laid back and casual. Zero pretense whatsoever! This is a very casual, comfortable beach. The trash, though, is overwhelming! Trash drifting in from the gulf, trash from beach visitors: paper towels, food wrappers, beer cans - just too much garbage.
My family and I have been renting homes on surfside beach for over 10 years - great beach and depending on when you book its not crazy with people everywhere & most of the homes have been great with some exceptions but never ruined the vacation
This is a great Beach area. They have plenty of garbage cans and the beaches are relatively clean. The only thing they don't have is lifeguards. Plenty of rental properties right there on the beach. And a couple of restaurants though they do close kind of early. You can drive on this beach and park on the beach. I believe it's only $10 a day. The surf is nice the water is perfect temperature. There are also porta-potties spread throughout
We rented a home on the beach and were able to walk down whenever we wanted. Ordinarily the beach is wide and clean. This weekend of course was extremely busy, but we enjoyed the weekend none the less.
We rented a beach house in Surfside for Father's Day weekend. I had heard that this beach area was always called the "Poor Man's Galveston" but I thought we would give it a try anyhow. The house we rented was OK, but the tap water was undrinkable - be sure to bring lots of bottled water and do NOT even make hot coffee with the tap water. It's a brownish-greenish color and it smells. The beach is dirty, trashy and filled with seaweed. Mosquitoes were so thick you could breathe them through your nose. Yuk. And the lowlife rednecks that permeated the area do make it seem like a "poor man's Galveston". I think we'll save up to visit Galveston next year - at least the government takes care of the place!
I initially discovered Surfside Beach, Texas in 1970 with my family when I was in the 6th grade. After subsequently living in Florida, I did not think I could return with the same enthusiasm based on water clarity and sand consistency. That was 1988. Since, I have had a growing appreciation of what this fine destination has to offer. Breathtaking sun and moon rises over the Gulf of Mexico with brilliant sunsets over the bays. The shallow and gently sloping beachfront with multiple sand bars serving as wave smothers for the majority of the township allowing swimmers, floaters and body surfers hours of safe fun. The area by the Jetties is reputed as some of the finest waves along the Texas coast and a surf cam keeps surfers up to date on-line viewing their potential for spectacular rides. The township is governed by civically minded leadership with an outstanding police department along with amazingly dedicated and rapidly responding volunteer Fire and EMS personnel. The efforts by employees of the maintenance department, teams of local volunteers and the many environmentally conscience beach goers keep the sands free of debris and trash from both Mother Nature and those who care not about her. Although the island only boasts one fine dining establishment ( Red Snapper Inn ), there are plenty of places to grab a burger, taco, bbq or a frozen drink. The real secret is that the City of Lake Jackson is now only 15 minutes away and with the new freeway through the heart of the city, one can quickly find anything from Thai to Indian, Wine Bars to Beer Gardens, Fresh and Fit for those calorie/nutrition oriented, bowling to roller skating and All Star Pizza where a group of kids can burn away a rained out beach day playing indoor games with killer Calzones and Pizza. You will clearly not find the Ritz or Four Seasons, but there are plenty of nice, clean lower priced Motels but the real draw is the many personal homes that owners rent out fully furnished and equipped for short and long term. Don't let the posted prices intimidate you, they typically accommodate 3-10 families which then can make economic sense, especially if you opt to eat in or make your own picnics. There are two brand new HEB and Kroger stores in Lake Jackson to stock your place to your hearts desire and a liquor store on the island for those who imbibe. I highly recommend that you experience this hidden gem on the Texas Gulf Coast and I hope you love and enjoy it as much as our family has.
We visit family in Kemah every year and have visited a lot of the beaches on Boliver Peninsula and Galveston Island. This beach wasn’t as crowded and has cleaner sand and water despite all the car traffic. Our Friday visit wasn’t to crowded until later in the afternoon. No problems getting on to this beach like we’d had at Crystal Beach in early June.
A bit pricey to get on the beach, $12, but plenty of police and maintenance withers appear to keep things safe for families despite the fact there are no lifeguards.
This is by far one of the prettiest beaches we've visited in Texas; clean, not overly crowded; bring your own umbrella and chairs, because the rentals pretty much disappear after 8am.
I have been many times to Surfside beach.The beach is one of the cleanest beaches around. The community really does help take care of this beach.They are all the time handing out trash bags to people and I have seen several early morning walkers there picking up trash on the beach. The beach houses there are affordable. I usually got at least 2 times a year and I live 5 hours away.
Headed to Surfside Beach from League City - an hour drive. There was parking before the entrance. The beach was nicely walkable and it was busy, but not overly crowded. There was a delightful off shore breeze that kept us cool. Definitely not a surfer’s beach though, but the dog had a blast!
We went for the week . Rented a beach house . Things washed up on shore . But we found alot of shells . Had a bon fire an relaxed nice vaction . Nights were cool . Days eere earm to play in the water.
For the price we had to pay it was too high.the room and bathroom was too sandy,wiFi didn't work,doors slamming all night and no good places to eat out there. We will never go back there !
Great place to walk the beach, enjoy the surroundings, watch dolphin, birds, surfers and people wind surfing.
Hotel is located by a beach and several restaurants. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Parking is included.
Vouchers are provided to purchase set of chairs and an umbrella. This was necessary because it was hot. No towels are provided at the beach. As a result, we had to purchase towels at a nearby shop. Towel as are provided at the pool!
While not a fancy hotel, it had some toiletries, hair dryer, iron and ironing board.
I would return to this hotel!
The beach is a lot cleaner and the water is clearer than Galvaston. We stayed at a vacation rental managed by Beach Resort Services. So far they have been good. We'll see when it's time to get my deposit back! We stayed at Seas the Day and Come to the Well. I highly recommend them both. Beach access and 3 ocean view porches. Clean and relaxing. It was the best Family Reunion Ever! Not a lot to do except the beach but Lake Jackson is only 15 min away. I recommend renting a golf cart. It made the trip fun for the teenagers to cruise the beach. Little ones had a blast and the grown ups were relaxed. We will definitely come again.
Fun in the sun. Drive your jeep on the sand. Enjoy the sun set perfect day a bit cold for the water still lots to enjoy at Surfside heading to quintana now for some off road fun
A lovely beach for families and couples I recently relocated there. People are friendly a lovely area and in off season there is less traffic
We didn't see the beach because it costs money to enter. If we had had more time, perhaps we would have driven up Blue Water Highway to an open beach.
The beach was clean. The people were friendly. A beach goer gave our puppy a frisbee as we did our afternoon walk. Dogs are not allowed on the beach between 10am and 5pm but we walked him in the morning and late afternoon. We loved the area! Lane had our seats and umbrella up everyday we were there.
Great place to live or visit. Fishing & crabbing is abundant. Sunrise is amazing along with every kind of bird you want to see. Nice quiet beach with friendly people. Jetties is a great place to take the family for picnic, fishing, bird watching, dolphins really put on a show when the ships come in. Caution to new comers stay out of the dunes for rattle snakes are a part of the normal habitat here. I Love my friends in law enforcement here they help maintain the friendly atmosphere for those that do not follow rules. I find that people not native to our country leave lots of trash & fishing line behind. Please clean up your mess. I walk & pick up fishing line & trash. If you have ever seen birds entangled in line with no way to fly or survive you would understand. Very relaxing place to live & visit. Driving on the beach is a plus & is free on most of bluewater highway. Pets are welcome & enjoy the beach with their families. My fur babies love the water. I as a female feel safe enough that I walk to the beach late evenings & nights. Come see us!
Great local beach here in Houston. No coral on the shore, less congested, but no restaurants off the water or anything like in Galveston.
Loved that the only people on the beach were other renters. Not real touristy so plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the beach without being on top of one another.
Everyone was friendly, beach stayed fairly clean with so many families there -- drivers were nice and the beach was lovely. Not much seaweed. Water smelled nice -- not icky or dirty and was not TOO hot. Really great experience.
The beach was clean and the sand was nice. I can see through the water too which was a bonus. My only complaint is that cars are allowed to drive on beach, which made me nervous for my kids.
Rented a beach house for the week. First, the air conditioner did not work, but they did come fix it quickly. The first part of the week which was during the week was great. The weekends were out of control. Way too many people with no respect for personal space. You had someone by you five feet away. Then, in the evening, two ladies came up to our beach house trying to ask us questions about how to rent the house when the information is posted on the house. I believe they were drunk. Also, had 3 beach chairs stolen when going to eat. Really, stolen when they cost 5.00 at Walmart or Academy. Don’t come here on a weekend!!! You will regret it. Additionally, the police did nothing to control the crowd or beach access.
We stayed in a cheap little hotel in Surfside so that we could drive to Galveston and catch the cruise ship to the Bahamas. We had breakfast at Kitty's Purple Cow and then drove the Bluewater Highway in the early morning hours. It was beautiful and eerily quiet as the fog lifted. We saw a part of Galveston Island we had never seen before. I would drive this way again, and avoid the hustle and bustle of Highway 45 south of Houston any day, and twice on Sunday!
Really nice beach, not a lot of development in the area, and you are able to drive to a secluded area on the beach to have the desired privacy required for you and your family.
Fell in love with this little island. Hesitate to share info about it though since I want to keep it just the way it is now. Great seaweed-free beach and lots of it. Simple, serene, safe.
Book a room or rent a house and plan to spend some quality time enjoying nature.
Had a really nice beach day at Surfside- it's not too crowded, there is free parking, the water is warm but not too warm and seemed clean, and the beach did have some litter but we were able to find a clean spot. And all less than an hour away from Houston!
This is our second stay at Surfside and renting a beach house is the way to go. Steps from the beach or on the beach front is great. Just enough busy and if you stay the week you can pick the time of day you go to the beach. Clean and soft surf. The wind can be pretty strong, and sometimes a rip tide. Don't go out too far especially watching the kids. You can walk a long way along the beach, pick up shells, etc. The drinking water is terrible all over so bottled water is the way to go. We stayed a two great beach houses and enjoyed some driving around Galveston, Freeport, Clute, and Lake Jackson. I would say Lake Jackson has some pretty good places to sight see around the area along with fishing off the Galveston Pier or Pier 60. There is Jetty Park and fishing from the Jetty which is free. I would recommend Sea Center for the kids. It's free and in Lake Jackson not far away.
Enjoyed the early morning sunrise on the beach...it was nice quite nature at it's best....the cool sand under our feet!
The beach is pretty, people are friendly and there are places to eat and drink along the beach. This village takes care of the beach. In the morning you see local volunteers cleaning the beach. In the evening, take a flashlight out and watch the sand crabs. My favorite part of my stay at Surfside is the sun rising at dawn and the sun setting at dusk.
The beach is dirty, it's over crowded, there's a lot of trashy people there. If you go to the free side there's a lot of people there yelling and trying to show off their big trucks. The sand is not soft it's packed and wet. It's not the type of sand a kid would enjoy playing in. The water is very murky and brown. There are no public restrooms. There are only porta potties and there are no handwashing stations. The Porta potties are nasty of course. The gas stations nearby do not have public restrooms but porta potties outside. If you are planning on camping in tents there are no showers to use outside. Checked out the pay side of the beach and it's exactly the same as the free side only more crowded if even possible. Anyway, this is a very ghetto, dirty beach. If you are expecting anything pretty or nice for your family..this is not the place. I'm not sure why anyone would give this place a good review. This was a very disappointing trip for my family.
We wanted to check out Texas beaches, so we came to Surfside Beach. First of all I do not like cars on the beach. Second there is trash all along the dunes between houses and the beach.Third people play their music really loud, so if what they are playing is not your thing, too bad. We will look for another beach. But our condo was nice, except for the people upstairs who never quit moving around. Every time somebody walked, which was pretty much all the time, the building shook. At first I thought we were having an earthquake. But no, just the people upstairs with heavy feet
quiet, less developed area. very family friendly. people are friendly but there is enough room that you have your own space.
We had a nice time at the beach and enjoyed it as much as we could it was freezing cold and windy - i found the beach very clean and the people we met very friendly a very family friendly beach - you can have fired on the beach and that is nice too.
beach in galveston - terrifying in how dumb it is to even get out of your car and risk death to go there. drive all the way to surfside beach...the drive is great...but get out of your vehicle in surfside and get greeted with a horrific amount of mosquitos....i mean like a biblical plague - drive thru the police stake-out daiquiri/snow cone stand at the 4-way nightmare intersection at surfside only to have yourself stopped by the police 100 yards down the road looking for open container violations - beach is compacted with mud - its not really sandy, like to make castles with, more like dense and hard like an asphalt driveway - brown stuff in the foam of the waves and on the beach - the whole place is a freaking trash pit mosquito haven place for people that cant afford destin florida.
I went with some friends from North Dakota and had a great time. We had fun finding seashells and feathers.
I ordered a short captain coke tonight but it got served as a tall so I asked for a new one. I watched the bartender just poor the tall into a smaller glass. She doesn’t even know there is a difference in mixer. Terrible! Drank weak captains for the night. On a good note, the prime rib was excellent.
There was no space to park on the beach by 10am on the last Saturday of July so get there early! Despite how busy it was there were ample trash collection sites and also lots of potties. Police also patrol the beach.
We cycled from the Seahorse Bar and Grill to the San Luis Pass bridge. We were impressed by how tolerant everyone was of us - we cycled behind the parked cars and not on the sea side- and had a hot, but fun day.
Thank you to all of you who were on the beach this Saturday 28 July.
We went and stayed at the hotel on the beach on a Wednesday and Thursday in June and although there were several other families along the beach it was still pretty peaceful and we had our own space. Very clean with little seaweed and tons of beautiful little shells. We had fun splashing in the waves and enjoying dinner with ocean views at the seahorse. We can’t wait to go back
I’ve stayed at the Peregrine Townhomes many times, it’s remote location is surrounded by wetlands and the Gulf, and across the bay from the San Bernard Wildlife Refuge. Multitudes of birds, a fantastic spot to rest while exploring the numerous birding locations in the area, and from the balcony! Great swimming beach, miles and miles of empty beaches. Very comfortable, large and clean one and two bedroom units, reasonably priced. Highly recommend! 10202 Bluewater Highway, at San Luis Pass, 77541
979-239-1515
Water is cool but not cold and rather clean. LOVE being able to drive on the beach though there are some rather large holes near area where we pull in and out of beach, you'd think since they charge you$12 for an annual sticker and the beach is packed with folks they could fill these few huge holes!
The beach was very clean . The pedestrian side as well as the vehicle access side have trash cans , umbrellas and several places to sit and watch the surf. Nice shelling and sea glass found here. We even went out at night with flashlights and always felt very safe.
This was our first time visiting Surfside Beach. Overall, a great place. We will be back. Here are some tips that we learned.
Before you go:
1. The beach is less touristy than Galveston. Pros include lower prices and less crowds. Cons: less restaurants and activities (no boardwalk or pier, etc.).
2. There are 2 parts to the beach: one side where cars are allowed and a "pedestrian" beach that does not allow cars. If you want to drive your car, the price (as of June 2016) was $12. There is no fee to access the pedestrian beach. The beach also allows for camping on the beach. Also, dog friendly (on leash) year round.
3. You can use "Surfside Beach" in google maps or GPS to get you to the general area.
4. There was ample parking available.
5. Stop at Buc-ees gas station before crossing the large bridge (on 332) to stock up on snacks, drinks, fried chicken, sunscreen, towels and anything else you might need for your trip (there's not many options once you reach surfside beach).
*We did see a few restaurants on Surfside Beach (Sharkie's Bar & Grill) but we did not try any of them.
If you think you would like a small, quiet town right on the coast with a long clean beach, lots of birds, a nice place to stay and lovely little seashells then look no further. I just left and already wish I could go back.
Clean family oriented. No seaweed.
You can drive on the beach. What a trip. You can rent horses to ride the beach.
The thing that impressed me the most kindest of all the people I love that everything we needed was within a mile of where we were staying we never once had to cross the bridge to go back into town
The beach is really pretty with fine, light tan sand but very few shells. It was super hot but the breeze off the gulf helped a lot. Walked out from the Oceanview hotel at 7:AM and access, the views, and places to stake our claim were excellent but by 8:30AM the cars and trucks started rolling in and by lunch, people were double parking their cars, and trying to park between people on blankets (without cars) and the ocean. Really rude, really annoying but not surprising. Get there early, go during the week and avoid holidays and it will be much better.
I could live on this beach!! Its always clean and beautiful! You can swim and play in the water or walk the beach for hours. You never know what kind of interesting things, or wildlife, you might find.
We stayed at a cheap hotel where you could walk right down to the beach. It was a very nice & clean beach. We will be coming back.
This is a great beach for the whole family. Great fishing, surfing, and beaches everyone will have something to do.
I discovered this beach on a drive to Mississippi. I fell in love. Depending on what your looking for, this beach could be amazing, or not so much. I was there in July and back in August. I spent 5 weeks camping ⛺️ on Surfside Beach. I had a lot of time to explore the area during my stay. If your looking for peace and quiet, come during the week. The weekends on the beach were so busy they had to stop letting people on the beach. I had my tent set up so after being told I could not get back on beach, they finally let me. Ugh! If your looking for restaurants, bars, nice hotels, then you will be very disappointed. This little town has nothing much but a few gas stations and a few restaurants. Now, In July, the beach was beautiful. Yes, there was some trash on the beach from uncaring people, but for the most part, it was very clean. There are trash cans all over, too bad people are to lazy to use them. During the week, there were not many people out, and I enjoyed every minute. When I came back in mid August, the beach was dirty and seaweed was everywhere! It looked like a completely different place! So, depending on what time of the year and day of the week you go will make or break your beach fun. Waves were perfect. Great for the kids. Pull up and park right on the beach! I slept alone in my tent and no one really bothered me. A few weirdos , but they are everywhere. You can get your beach permit at gas station for 12 bucks and it is good for a year. I liked that there was nothing around. I felt safe and everyone was very friendly. Fair amount of beach patrol as well.
We were looking for a nice relaxing get-away with a beautiful view of the Gulf and fishing and crabbing nearby. We appreciated an excellent restaurant, The Red Snapper, that was minutes away from our house, The Flying Dutchman. We could surf fish right in front of the house or from a nearby fishing pier. We drove around and found other good spots within a mile. Our stay was in April, perfect weather and much peace and privacy. We even picked enough wild blackberries to make a cobbler. We drove up the coast for shopping, miniature golf and dinner in Galveston. After some vacations we've needed too recover. Not this time, We were rested and refreshed!.
Great FREE parking if you do not drive on the beach. Otherwise buy an $11 pass for a year- runs from exactly when you bought for a year (not a calendar year).
Really nice spot to walk, fish, drive. Street parking available only along street at the end of 288. Permits to drive on the beach available at entry guard shacks.
Other than the rattlesnakes and unleashed pit bull incidences, this is a nice beach. Great for flying kites and boogie boarding. Stay away from grassy areas on the dunes because rattlesnakes abound. Dogs are supposed to be leashed, but at least one pit bull was not, running at my kids repeatedly.
We drove further down the coast of surfside beach and found an area that you could drive your car right onto the beach and just enjoy the place! The beach was super clean and the sand was really nice. The water was pretty nice considering we aren't on the Florida side! Enjoyed it immensely!
Beautiful clean Beach. .. so quiet during the off season. You can have small fires on the beach Anna the sand is clean. No glass, no garbage. Relaxing! !!
We enjoyed spending the day here! It was a nice clean beach in that there wasn't any seaweed, etc. (When we arrived, there was a fair bit of trash someone left behind in our area but we all pitched in and threw it away, then it looked great.) As the day went on, more and more people arrived but it was very Family friendly. The waves were a little rough the day we were there but were really fun to jump and play in with the kids! This was one of the better Texas gulf beaches we have visited.
I love this beach! I stay every year for vacation! I love how the tourist are in Galveston and not here :) the locals are always super friendly! Love getting together with friends and family!
Sleepy community, but there is food to eat and beache to drive on. We did not do that, but apparently it is a common thing to do along the gulf coast of Texas. Good location to find whole scallop, muscle, and oyster shells and the like.
We came here for a quick visit while in the area for a funeral. The sun was close to setting and it was just beautiful. The beach was very nice and clean.
It has been 30 years since my last visit. As a resident of the Houston area, this beach is close enough for a day trip. I was so disappointed. Nothing stands out and be prepared to use filthy port a potties. The town has 2 little convenient stores, lots and lots of beach houses for rent that are very close together, and a couple small hotels. I saw 2 restaurants, one on the beach, that looked nice and had a big deck. I paid $12 for a beach sticker, found a spot that was not crowded. I just was not comfortable. Trash EVERY WHERE and the trash cans spilling over. After 1 hour, I left and will not be back. I would rather drive 4 hours to Port Aransas. Do not recommend.
Surfside Beach is one of my favorite beaches. It is not your "resort" type of beach bursting with hotels, restaurants and activities. It has a small town feel and has many quaint beach houses for rent. Of course the bonus is the beach.
This was a fun beach party experience just down the road from the Marriott and next to Reflections listening to the cool sounds by DJ Self, enjoying the shaded areas for wonderful breezes. This is another beautiful beach to enjoy.
Everything was good and everything was clean until a family with a dog came and put the dog in the water. The dog pooped in the water and the owner scooped the poop with her hand and left it sitting on the sand for 20 minutes until she picked it up. Then she put the dog in the water again and was cleaning the dogs behind with water from the beach with disregard that children are playing in the water . 😡😡😡😡
I have not been to Surfside Beach in years.
I am from the town of Richmond and we used to drive over frequently.
Sadly the area has a lot of industrial sites.
Keep on going though and get to the beautiful, clean beach.
I was amazed. Last time I was in Galveston, it was pretty gross.
The beach at Surfside was sooooo CLEAN!!
Found some lovely seashells.
Seemed safe and family friendly.
I enjoyed my time there very much.
If I didn't know any better, I would I have thought I entered another dimension when I visited this beach town last week. Except not in a positive way. I am a native Houstonian and spent most of my weekends fishing in Galveston and Surfside. We rented an Airbnb on the beach last week over Labor Day weekend, which was lovely. However as soon as we entered the town of Surfside, we knew we felt a lot of eyes on us. My family who traveled with me were Ages ranged from 9 to 82. We took our group of 12 to celebrate my stepdad's 82nd, boyfriends 65th and sons 17th birthday. Within an hour of our arrival we had 3 cops casually drive by after dark on a very quiet street. I get, 1, EVEN 2 times ok, BUT 3? By Saturday at 3 pm, we had gotten a speeding ticket supposedly going over speed limit, been told our music was offensive. It was not, it was Yach Rock. (1st 911 called made on us), then told we could be on beach but couldn't stick our toes in the water (2nd 911 call on us because i was sitting in 2inches of water), oh and another time because the 3rd 911 call told the Brazoria County SD that the beaches in that neighborhood were private property (they are not) and he wanted us and another 4 air bnb rental families to not be "allowed" on the beach. Labor day comes, more cops more arbitrary rules no one could define. No signs to tell you anything. I will happily go by the rules but I can't follow them if I don't know them. ANYWAY, the entire town is run by a bunch of power hungry cops, residents and politicians. It really put a damper on our entire weekend. No one could relax enough to enjoy themselves. I can say, one thing is for certain, there is a reason almost every house in Surfside/Freeport/San Luis Pass is for sale. It is simply the "vibes". No one wants to be that policed when they are having a quiet relaxing weekend at the beach. I will spend my money on the Galveston County side. At least you can have fun there and not worry about all the BS in this small town.
We had read other reviews of trash at weekends being strewn on this lovely stretch of sand and were pleased that we had chosen to go there during the week. There is free parking but cars can drive directly onto the beach up to the water's edge and are a useful wind block and can offer a sunscreen too. Beach access is $12 but that will allow you onto the beach until the end of the year.
There are plenty of painted oil bins at the rear of the sands, up by the small dunes, so there is no excuse for litter. In fact we remonstrated with some youngsters who dragged a float from one of the bins, causing trash to also drop out. "Hey, pick that stuff up. Put it back in the bin!" And they did.
The level of the sand as one wades out is pretty uneven. It's easy to loose one's footing even when the water is only up to the knees. And do watch for the rip tides.
weekends are PACKED with wall to wall people and vehicles on the beach but Monday through friday noon is heavenly. Beach surprisingly clean despite the masssive quantity of people and cars on weekends
There isn't much to do in Surfside and it's a pretty basic beach at that. But it's safe, easy to get to from Houston, and still the beach.
We had a blast playing at the beach! It's clean, no seaweed and it's not really crowded. (Of course we went midweek though)
Had a family day with friends that live near there and had a great relaxing day. Pulled on to the beach, set up umbrellas, made sandwiches and just enjoyed the beautiful day. This is not a white sand beach or a beach with blue green water like the emerald coast but still a great beach and place to hang out and relax. Cannot wait to go back!
I had never been to a Texas beach, and I wanted to take my 2 1/2 year old and 11 month old to the beach for the first time. I hear that Galveston is a little busy for little ones, so my wife and I headed to Surfside. We really enjoyed our 3 hours there. It was clean (although they needed to empty the trash barrels) and there was no seaweed. We bought the pass to drive on the beach ($12 I think). I have a Toyota 4Runner, but I still got stuck for a few minutes, so I would recommend a 4 wheel drive vehicle and sand-driving experience. We really liked the water, and I hear that there are great rentals for good prices. We will be back!
First time to Surfside- recommended by a friend. Great little beach- very clean, easy access. Loved it. You can park on the beach $12 yearly permit. Bring food and drinks- only one convenience store near by.
I do not recommend unless you like to be on a crowded small beach area with lots of cars, loud music, and shoulder to shoulder people. Take a few more minutes and drive to Galveston Beach and spend quiet time in beautiful beachlike surroundings. Zero natural beauty at Surfside. Very disappointed.
Great beach to check out early December. It’s off season and we had the beach to ourselves. Drove on the beach for miles and had a blast. I’m sure in summer it’s a different story and much more going on but we wanted some quiet and got it.
I stopped by Bridge Bait to pick up some bait. My total was $8 and I paid with a $20 note and was given $2 back in change. I asked about my change and she refused to give back the right change and said I paid with $10 note.
Terrible experience - she was sitting in the bait shop smoking and was very rude. I will never go back and the bait had freezer burns as well just to tp off the experience.
We were searching for a relaxing spot. We were in the area for a family gathering and decided to check out the beach. It was quiet and the waves were great! There is a burger/taco stand on corner as you exit the beach. Food was so yummy! You will love the Homemade burgers and were priced so reasonably! Take something to sit on and a little cooler. Sand had sticks and some small debris. It is a very "raw" beach. Mostly locals...no frills...waves and sand. It was perfect. You need to be prepared with your own snacks, drinks, chairs, umbrella, towels, etc. You will not find a lot of stores around...a few restaurants...but not much. I didn't see public facilities other than porta potties and a shower head at the main entrance as you exit bridge. There may be some at another location. We stayed in the main area. Next time we plan to explore some more and maybe make a fire on beach. Looking forward to it now that we know what it is. Enjoy the sand!!
Our family stayed in a second row beach house for 3 days mid-week. It was a very short walk to the beach, which was clean and had very little seaweed. It was not crowded at all and the other people on the beach were families as well. The whole atmosphere was unpretentious and relaxing and we had a great visit to Surfside!
This is a quiet beach with plenty of room to spread out. It does have a lot of seaweed if that bothers you or your kids.
The beach is excellent. You pay $12 for the annual pass and you can park your car on the beach. We were there on Saturday, 01/07/23, and the beach was very crowded. The only incident was that my daughter and her friend had an unpleasant encounter with jellyfish. And, they had minor burns. Other than that, the sea was very clean and pleasant. To get a good seat, you must arrive very early. And, let's go to the beach!!!!!
Beach Bum Horse Rides is an well-run family business who I am so happy we were able to book a private ride on the beach with! I had tried and tried contacting another company (who does have a tripadvisor profile - see my reviews) to no success. Leslie from Beach Bums called me back within 24 hours and brought us two healthy looking horses for our ride. Her son was our guide, and he did a wonderful job leading us along Surfside beach. The Beach itself was beautiful, and not crowded at all this time of year (January). We were able to see dolphins swimming not far from the sand during our ride! Thank you Beach Bum Horse Rides, and Surfside Beach for all the fun!
The weathers great, so is beach. No sargasso, no trash clean beach. Calm water-- word of advice-- dont put kids in water next to bloody bait surf fishing- small sharks aren't unknown here.
It's a great beach.
It's fun-- It's Springtime--we're in Texas have fun
It was like having a private beach, especially after seeing Galveston Beach. The water was very warm and the sand was inviting.
The first year we took a beach trip to Texas, we went to Galveston as most do. I was so frustrated because the beaches were crowded, dirty and you had to pay for them.
Luckily my daughter told me about surfside beach.
It's about 35 minutes away from Galveston, straight shot, nice drive. We literally drove every day to get there. We now only vacation in Surfside.
Its beaches are clean and virtually private, NEVER crowded. When Galveston has had water quality issues, Surfside's has always been lower.
There are several restaurants and shops to visit but if Galveston is your thing, you can take a short drive to visit there. I highly recommend Surfside beach!
The water was very clean. The beach was magnificent. It was all very peaceful and pleasurable. I highly recommend it.
The beach was never crowd. It was kid and family friendly. Good parking options, close bathrooms, food near by. We spent hours there
Definitely The best beach in TX. Was kept clean and seaweed was cleaned up. A lot of people fishing but were respectful of the swimmers. My family will only be visiting Surfside from now on.
While the food and drinks are typically overpriced if you go out to eat anywhere near the water, good luck on escaping without being eaten alive by mosquitos.
We couldn't sit outside at all, day or night, without being surrounded by mosquito repelling coil candles for safety. Runs to the car had my friends and I covered in massive mosquitos that bit us through our shirts, shorts, socks, and pants.
Not sure if there are better times to visit, but from what I am reading, there may not be.
AVOID AVOID AVOID!!!
Go somewhere safe. Go somewhere where you can enjoy the beach.
Great little beach town in Texas. Great swimming beach with gradual drop and lots of shallows for kids. Great for boogie boarding and just general beach fun. Drive on beach, goes for miles. Back bay is great for fishing, kayaking and bird watching.
It is a good option here in Texas. Water is not clear but it is clean and enjoyable. Kids have fun. Not places to eat, not easy to find a parking lot.
Long endless beach packed with people and their car on the beach having good time in Summertime, BBQ, sea baths, sun baths, fishing, sometimes small sharks are visiting, report is on the news.
I ampretty regular to this beach where waves are not that big most of thetime, even some time very even, then the name is still a conundrum for me but anyhow this is my favorite place on the gulf coast much better to me than Galveston.
And to mention the nice Seahorse beach restaurant and the Ocean Beach hôtel which are the same facility.
Had a great time, great weather, even the deputy on the beach was a hoot. Not too crowded. Will skip the summers from now on.
We were in town for business and the beach was very relaxed, no one to speak of on it. Looks like weekends would be a crush. They seem to allow cars to drive on the beach which seems odd but to each their own.
Beach right at Surfside gets very crowded, the Ocean Village Hotel Restaurant is very good. We drove down a bit to the public park and it was a bit less crowded but parking was very limited and the beach houses dont want you parking on the road. Next time we will probably go the Quintana Beach Park if its crowded.
Not a good place, I wish I could say something positive but it just wasn’t good . The people that live there are rude angry folks. The sewer is leaking into ditches all over the town. Literally the town stinks. The water is not drinkable at all. If you shower in it you feel dirtier than before you got in. The food served on the island is not great. Beach was trashed. Not a family beach, it’s more like the hood. They rent to anyone no questions asked. There’s virtually no police so it’s a haven for bums. Go anywhere else. Galveston has more to offer and it’s much cleaner.
Love this beach, quick getaway from the city and close enough for a day trip. Pay $12 for the year and you can drive your vehicle right up to beach. Water is clear, light brown sand. Restaurants nearby for lunch or dinner.
We planned to drive on the beach but it was $12... No way... So we walked.. Dirty and loud vehicles... What a waste of time..
And don't stop at the bar near the beach either as everyone in to there was smoking heavily... Yuk...
There’s two sides to this beach: the rather small pedestrian-only area to the west and the extremely long stretch of beach to the east where you can park your car right next to you! We went to the latter and had an amazing experience. The cars drive real slow, so it’s quite safe even for little kids. The beach itself is clean and nicer than Galveston. Everyone around us seemed like families. It was real convenient to have the car right next to where we were sitting: we didn’t need to take everything out and carry it with us. It costs $12 for an annual pass to bring your car, but it is totally worth it.
I don’t see beaches that allow vehicles that often and this was one of them.
Permits could be purchased from nearby stores for around $12.
I ended up just parking on the side of the entrance next to all the historical markers (old Velasco, canal, etc). Worth a read.
Pedestrian only beach was located on the right side but was a lot shorter versus the drivable portion.
Beach was clean, water was cold and grayish color, and sand was soft. Homes were located close by with 4 colorful ones angled over the beach. It was a good place to collect shells.
This is an absolutely gorgeous beach during the week, but is packed on the weekends. Driving on the beach means that you will find yourself lounging in a parking lot on busy days. Not many amenities in Surfside. There are a couple of convenience stores and a few restaurants.
Decent beach and to overcrowded with folks. County law patrolled pretty regular which is a good thing. Surf fishing can be really good here.
beachoues are well kept and nice especially around October when cooler and less crowded. small crabbing pier and fishing on jetty.
It's a nice area to visit. Quieter than Galveston (not too far of a drive.). The Jetty is a must see. The water is not like Florida... But if you live in Texas and want to hear waves, smell the ocean and play in the sand it's a nice place to go.
We LOVED Surfside just spent a long Father's Day weekend there. Growing up in Miami, Florida and traveling to Destin for the last 8 years I would say we are kind of beach spoiled. So I was very worried and did a lot of research prior to finding a beach within a days drive. Such mixed reviews here and now I know why. When you enter Surfside (sign that states Welcome to Surfside) if you head to the left it is vastly different than if you go to the right towards Jetty Park. Our house was to the left and it was perfect down that way. Lots of family's and people just cooking out, swimming and having a great time. All the houses had lots of yard space for kids to fly kites it was really great! To the right feels almost as if you have left the country just sort of crowded and kind of crazy. Saw things there I wouldn't normally see; just very different from my life.
Now on a side note: I want to say to all visitors (PLEASE PICK UP YOUR TRASH)! This is a small town without the resources of somewhere like Destin. But people live here! You are a visitor to this beautiful place and this is their home. My 7 grandkids picked up trash every single day that was left by other people and I don't think other children since most were beer cans, lighters, water bottles, etc. I do not care if you are black, white, brown, or red. Blue collar, white collar. Democrat or republican. If you have been blessed enough to come here to enjoy this little piece of paradise you should be decent enough to clean up after yourself. You might even go the extra mile and pick up some that may not be yours. We are what we leave this world and it is important to teach children to do the same. Judith A. Williams
There are several good restaurants. Plenty of surf and sand and meeting places at he free beach. Bring plenty of water, sunscreen and plenty of time to enjoy it.
This is the best beach in this region. It is close to Houston, clean, beautiful, and there are many places to eat and buy supplies. The people were friendly and it was a safe place for kids. We will definitely come back! Our son had a great time.
We've been going to Surfside regularly for many years. Of course there are prettier beaches in the world (and in Texas) but Surfside is convenient, safe, and relatively clean. Being able to drive on the beach is a lot of fun.
This is not a tourist trap. No chain restaurants, stores, hotels or resorts. Just beautiful beaches on one side of the highway and the bay on the other. Beachy bars and burger joints and a long standing restaurant for great traditional seafood choices. This your beach, surfing, fishing, crabbing vacation.
Skip Galveston, go to Surfside, Quintana or Bryan Beach in Freeport. The Ocean Village hotel is the place to stay.
The beach is wonderful because it is THE BEACH! Beaches feed your soul-not to be too corny. The waves, the view restore something in most of of us humans. The sad part for me is that the oil industry takes priority there. If they would shut those down and focus on tourism it would be better for the environment and who knows maybe even more money could be made than oil. I dunno, but the 1st time I went in May the beach had a lot of trash and oil deposits in the sand. When I went back in August it had been cleaned up a lot.
Love the beach and the ability to drive on the beach. Nice surf and seems like nice fishing - see all kinds of people fishing around us.
Surfside beach was very relaxing and fun! I am used to the Florida gulf coast so Texas beaches are not as beautiful, but the atmosphere is the same...sand, sun, waves! My only disappointment was all the trash on the beach.
Lots of mixed reviews for this Texas beach. So why I didn't give it 5 stars? Because nothing is perfect! ;) We stayed at the Beachfront RV Resort (same property as Beach Front Deck Bar & Grill) over 4th of July. Grabbed our rented golf cart and hit the beach right away via the very convenient beach access from the RV resort itself. The days leading up to July 4th, we did not see trash on the beach as some have said and did not see any cars driving the beach, only a few golf carts. The beach really was not all that crowded (weekday) either and never felt unsafe as far as kids/cars. The 4th, however, was stupid busy. People and cars lined the beach for as far as the eye could see, BUT even then, never felt unsafe. Put it this way, there were so many cars, throughout the day (forced to only go one way) it would be impossible for anyone to speed or be reckless. And even if someone tried to be stupid, no doubt there were plenty of people and law enforcement to put them in check real quick! Made friends with the people around us, made for some great people watching, and enjoyed the souped up vehicles that went by. There was still plenty of room to have the canopy up, and space in front of that for kids to play in the sand safely and plenty of safe opportunities to go back and forth from our canopy to the water. As for the night of the 4th, there is not anywhere close by that does a big fireworks show, but you can shoot your own off in the area where you are able to camp. Enter this area at your own risk! Went down there in the jeep later in the night and it was crazy!!!! Trash and fireworks going off everywhere. Not a ton of people, but the little that was there.....wow!!!! We frequented the drive thru daiquiri spot on the corner and the Jette cafe, which all can be done in the golf cart. Overall we had a blast and have already booked our spot for this year's 4th!
Surfside used to be a small unknown beach south of Galveston. It is growing year by year and the beaches are great. They have a pedestrian beach and drive-on beach. They are kept clean and there are portable toilets available. You will need a beach permit of $12 to drive on the beach but it's a small price to pay for a clean beach and nice water. There are two restaurants on the beach and motels. Great place to take the family if you enjoy the beach without all the cars, bars, and hub-bub of Galveston.
On the Gulf of Mexico, Surfside Beach is accessible by automobile with a fee of $12.
Parking is just a few feet from the water. There is a parking area with access to the jetty
which reaches out into the Gulf. Dolphins could been seen on our walk out on the jetty.
My family and I live in Katy, Tx, and Surfside is a nice little beach located just south of Galveston that we like to visit. Quiet and clean other than a lot of seaweed sometimes. The only drawback is that cars are allowed to drive on the beach, which might make those with children nervous. Dogs are also allowed, which is a plus or minus depending on who you are.
It’s a beautiful beach and our beach house had a great view. But the tap water!!!! I really wish I had read reviews about the tap water smell and quality! It’s nearly unbearable. I know people say it’s sulphur, but to my nose it smells like sewer water. The smell stays on your skin when you wash your hands or shower. I don’t believe I will visit Surfside Beach again.
It was still raining from tropical storm cindy out in the gulf, so I can't really give more than a fair review. There was only one porta potty at the entrance. There was trash on the beach. Not a lot else to do there. The restaurants listed on tripadvisor are more like shacks with a bar in it. I was not very impressed and probably will not go back if I'm ever in Galveston again.
I spent 10 years on the Florida east coast beaches. That said, this is not comparable to Florida ! I hadn't been to the beach for several years, so surfside was great. I gave four stars because the beach could have been cleaner.
It was awesome. The water was clear and the blue was out a bit. Clean and well taken care of. We will return and rent a house for a longer stay.
There are many things to do in Surfside Beach. There is surfing, sunbathing, fishing, golfcart rentals, beach house rentals, motels, convenience store, restaurants, and much more. Kitty's Purple Cow and the Beach Front Deck bar and grill are two of the must do's. Surfside Beach is only a very pleasant 40 minute drive along the gulf to Galveston.
This is our go to beach for a quick trip from Houston. You can drive right up and park along the water. You do need o bring everything with you as the closest Buccees is a short drive away. The water is very nice
This beach is a hidden gem. You can drive right on the beach, park and setup. Most people were left plenty of space between cars. We stayed here all day. Unloaded the coolers and grill and we were set. The beach was pet friendly. Only cost $12 per car. I would definitely recommend if your just looking for a nice stretch of beach without all the hassle.
Cleaner and less crowded than Galveston, we enjoy paying less for a beach house rental. It's only a lovely 40 minute drive up he coast to Galveston if you want to go there for a day trip.
I'm giving this beach a rating of 5 for coastal beaches but but but..... It truly is a slice of heaven. On Friday and Saturday morning the beach was beautiful and so serene. Security is very friendly and helpful. Then came Sunday morning and the horror of all horrors is seen. What people can do to a beach and throw trash around such a wonderful place. I took it personal and I don't live there, and maybe the police should give out more tickets on littering. The funny is there is a trashcan every 10 feet. Use it people!!!! Also do not leave anything on the beach for too long. My very nice sandles were stolen along with my little lights at our morning hang out area. People have so little respect for nature and it's disgusting how people think others should clean behind you. Pick up your trash! The beach is lovely, it's the people that are sad and need to learn appreciation for beauty. You can tell the police try too by driving by and giving out free garage bags. What is wrong with people! I say pass out fines!
A pristine beach for TEXAS! Built a small fire, popped some chairs and enjoyed a Sunday evening just listening to the waves. PLEASE clean-up after your visit!
Very clean. Not overcrowded. Love Surfside Beach! Best place to catch blue crabs for dinner!
We always go back!
Surfside is amazing. We had the best time on the beach. The Red snapper inn was our favorite restaurant. We rented a VRBO. Absolute blast!
Don't go!
Been renting beach houses in Surfside TX for the last twenty years. The beach was never a "destination spot" due to murky gulf water and rundown accommodations. But, the location is convenient to Huston, cost less than Galveston, and the beach crowd was laid back.
No more. On weekends, the beach looks like a mall parking lot on Black Friday. Forget about Police enforcement of traffic laws. It's a crowded mess.
During the week? In the past we left canopy frames anchored on the beach. No problem. Quick set up in the morning and let the kids play.
This year, 6 canopy frames stolen. This was not someone "cleaning up abandoned" frames left out. Some frames were stolen, some left unmolested.
To top off the week, the "locals" defend the theft. Read the "friends of surfside" they hate the "tourist".
Find a friendlier, cleaner place to go. Leave Surfside to the transient, daily, beach-goers who park on the beach and leave a ring of trash behind when they pull out.
Even in December when we visited this beach was a blast. Clean and clear, we even saw Dolphins. Our grandkids loved running in the water and we got some pictures and memories to last a lifetime.
Surfside seems a typical TX beach. If you enter at the public beach it is divided into car access and pedestrian only. The visible shoreline is pretty long with a jetty at the far right end. The sand is quite packed down but mostly clean. The entry to the water was shallow on this day, with a fun sandbar that made a wading and relaxing pool. The water seemed clear and was warm with lots of blow holes for the crabs. There are plenty of rental properties of various sizes and types along the shore. It was very low key. There are only a few restaurants nearby.
Great beach and place to visit. Clean, nice and sandy beach . Great geo caching fishing pier . You csn watch the big oil ships come in
Loved the beach, low traffic and clean for the texas coast
We will def be coming to this place again!
My wife and I took one of our daughters and granddaughter, free parking right on the beach. Only drawback lack of restroom. Over all quiet and relaxing, much better than Galveston.
I couldn't imagine the mess I saw after the weekend at Surfside Beach......trash, coolers, plastic bags, people going to the bathroom where ever they could due to no porta johns?!!!!!! The amount of trash left behind and during our outing could not be believed by Texans(if they were). The "beach rules" are not enforced at all and the use of glass bottles, which are not allowed, is just a joke. We paid $12 dollars for a sticker to a dump. Suggestion....bypass Surfside and go down the road to the county beach where it seems people some what respect their environment.
We are here first week in March - so Spring Break hasn't really started for most. The beach, especially during the week, has been empty. Even on the weekend, wasn't that crowded. Everybody is very friendly. The sand is brownish and mostly NOT fluffy. It isn't overly hard either - just right to walk on. The waves are just right to enjoy. The water does dump trash onto the beach each morning - consequence of being the gulf location. Lots of chemical plants on the mainland - but almost nothing off in the water, so nice view. Water is not the beautiful blue of some Florida locations, but the serenity of Surfside Beach makes up for it. Are lots of trucks on the beach, luckily we never saw any insane driving. Cops do go up and down the beach periodically. Watch out for RATTLE SNAKES in the dunes! Was walking back to the house on the walk path through the dunes, and a rattler with some attitude let me know he owned the area and I was willing to let him keep it ;-) Neighbors said dunes have a lot of mice - and thus snakes. Kind of added to the charm.
Porta Potties (boys used, girls would not) on the beach. No water, food, etc.
I live 20 minutes away and I no longer go to this beach, I understand the seaweed, but the trash is usually absolutely horrible. I don't feel safe there by myself. The water is murky and water activities are not very enjoyable.
Just got back from our yearly family beach vacation. Beach Resort Services has some great Beach Home Rentals. Surfside, Tx is cleaner, less crowded than Galveston,Tx. Small town feel. Check out Beach Resort Services for Beach House Rentals, they have a variety of homes and prices.
Only an hour or so from our house in Houston but such a wonderful outing after being isolated for over two months. The water was beautiful, the sand was clean and, even though it was semi crowded, there was plenty of room to be away from other families/groups. It was the perfect getaway! We love that you can drive along the beach and park your car on the sand. Don’t have to drag all your stuff - it’s right there. Can’t wait to go back. Note: didn’t see any porta potties anywhere around.
I've been coming to Surfside all my life, I'm 60. Love it that it has maintained it's small town feel. The people are nice.
These last few trips have left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I used to consider it safe but I don't feel that way any longer.
The city has chosen to penalize and terrorize the very people that patronize the town. Surfside is merely a speed trap. The cops sit on the side of the road awaiting their next victim. One right after the other.
No, I did not get pulled over or busted for anything. I'm merely a spectator watching Surfside going "cha ching".
I do believe in protecting the citizens and such but I am very disappointed in the path that Surfside has chosen. Enjoy all that money you are making.
most of the bad reviews were from a trip right after a hurricane. We have a beautiful beach. People don't realize how long it takes to remove storm debis.
Great beach to visit drive on the beach camping allowed. Very clean beach you can drive for miles not very crowded.
It is nice that you can drive out on the beach. Sometimes the trash pickup is not all that it could be.
I'm not much of a beach person any more, so I was very pleasantly surprised when I got here. I was part of a house party staying at an amazing house right on the beach. The beach is so much cleaner than Galveston Beach, without all the nasty seaweed. The water also felt a lot cleaner. The drive from Houston took just a few minutes over an hour, and was very pleasant on a Saturday morning with very light traffic. Be sure and check out the Stephen F. Austin-Munson Historical County Park in Angleton either on the way there or back. Featured at the entrance to the park is a 76 foot tall statue of Stephen F. Austin, one of the forefathers of Texas.
As Texas beaches go, this one is probably the best I've been to. The sand is clean. The water is warm but doesn't have a million jelly fish (like Corpus). There is a sand bar about 100 yards out which protects the beach from large waves making it ideal for small children or anyone who doesn't like huge waves. Be sure to bring a beach umbrella as there's no shade. The parking is free (which is a huge plus). It gets really crowded on weekends so get there early to get a good spot.
Long stretch of sandy beach. Less crowded than Galveston. Great surf for paddle boarding or long board surfing. Also great for kiddos of all ages.
We enjoyed staying at Surfside Beach in south Texas. The sand was nice, white and clean. People are allowed to drive on parts of the beach. There are not many entertainment options here, so enjoying the beach and ocean are the main reasons for coming.
If you don't want the ritz and glamour and just want to enjoy a beautiful beach Surfside is the place to go! I love this beach. I love the small town feel of it. The lack of amenities I appreciate and that is why I prefer it. The main hotel is over priced. There are not many options for lodging or food.
This beach is so awesome. You can drive right on the beach and park for the day. The police officer pastels the beach to keep down any nonsense. She is doing an outstanding job, she was so nice and helpful. The beach has some great places to stop and eat if you did not pack a lunch.
Prefer Sea isle point. No activities to do. Early April is not an ideal time to visit. Tried to schedule an activity with no success.
Crowded on Saturday but during the week was great! The beach was pretty clean until you got up by the walk down piers and then it was trashy.
Loved the family-friendly environment. The bech was quite and seemed to be enjoyed by all.
I loved the fact you could drive your car on the beach in many places. Some families had fires on the beach in the evening. Just beautiful to see.
We absolutely love beaches and this one has good hard packed sand, steady breeze, and natural dunes. This also offers a drive in beach experience reminiscent of simpler times.
Visited this venue for a music show with my in laws and his friends.
Massive massive thank you to Freddie McGregor for acknowledging all the Africans in the house.
Fantastic music show.
Wonderful bar staff . Drinks flowed all night
Yes, during busy summer weekends it can get crowded but $12 to drive and park on the beach for a year or go further down Blue Water Highway to the free beach. Don't leave a mess!
was there less than four hours, and had all of our property (including full size shade covering!) stolen while we were int he water less than 40 yards away.
Clean beach. The water is clearer than Galveston. We were in front of ocean village hotel. FYI cars are allowed on this beach, so be careful with small children.
It was peaceful and we were there from 5pm til sundown. Then got up again and were there by 8am. Fishermen were there early. There are public trash cans, but not sure on public restrooms close. We saw the police driving up and down. Felt safe. You can watch the barges too.
The beach was fine and we had a lot of fun at the actual beach. You can drive on the beach which was pretty neat.
But be warned… the water coming out of the tap smells really really really bad. You can’t drink it or cook with it and it smells super awful when you shower. You’ll have to buy bottled water. Strange in US to have water that bad.
What a beautiful inviting place. You can drive on the beach, take your dogs for a walk on the beach, swim, fish or whatever else you like to do. Such a great place.
Sun,beautiful,weather,wave,water,splash fun times love this beach is located in south of Texas we have an amazing time great for kids and adults very friendly staff and people you can actually park right in front of the beach within feet of the water is really cool I highly recommended.
(Around the Ocean Village Hotel, at least) It's a typical beach for this part of the world: vegetation and buildings away from the beach, a flat coastline. One downside (which may be typical in this part of the US; I've lived on the west coast) is that vehicles drive along the beach. Besides how ugly they make the scene, walking on tire tracks isn't nearly as nice as walking along a natural beach.
Go early or get caught by the crowds. One of the better beaches around - clean sand and water. There is a small cost for entry via car so you can park right there or can park outside and walk in for free. There is a pedestrian only area that was nice to relax in. Plenty of restaurants close by.
Surfside is such a refreshing contrast to the hustle and bustle that Galveston can become at the height of Summer.
It can be so hectic heading to the main beaches in Galveston and quite frankly there can be a lot of riff raff (the Human kind!!).
So if you want a more natural, more peaceful beach, head to Surfside.
We were under a heat advisory and I convinced my husband to head out much later. We must have left home around 5:15. I remember my mother would often do that in the Summer when we were kids.
She ran her own business and she would close up shop about 5 and we’d head to the beach.
Much more pleasant than going in the heat of the day. The advisory today was from 1 to 7pm, but it was nice by the time we got there. It was about 6:45 when we arrived. We had enough daylight left to really enjoy it.
There was one dude pumping out some pretty obnoxious music, but other than that it was calm. Just folks enjoying the day.
You are able to just pull right up to the water’s edge!
I saw one police car drive thru on patrol.
The beach was relatively litter free. We were able to do some decent shell hunting.
The water seemed so much cleaner than Galveston.
No offense to Galveston. I love the island’s history, but Surfside was really pleasant.
We had stopped and grabbed a bite on the way in Lake Jackson.
There are some unattractive refineries en route as you approach Surfside, but don’t let those stop you. Go over the high bridge and you are there.
I remember that bridge being much more intimidating when I was a kid. Maybe this is a newer version, or maybe it seemed scarier back then.
Definitely worth the trip over.
The water is warm, the sand is soft, less crowded and not overly commercialized. We love that we can arrive in the afternoon to miss all the Houston traffic and stay into the evening to have a bon fire and dinner on the beach. This is such a fun place, I prefer over Galveston by far! Also a plus nice clean port a potties right on the beach, so you do not have to walk far. Also pulling right up on the beach is awesome.
In just around 4 1/2 hours you can have toes in the sand on leaving the
dfw area. This is a wonderful small community that is very family oriented. We have been taking the small grandchildren to this area for over 4 years now and it just can not be beat to avoid a long drive or plane trip with everyone.The kids love playing in the surf , building in sand or just running or walking on hunt for shells. Lovely close restaurants that have great food and welcome children. Weather you rent a hotel room, a house or drive your RV you can not go wrong here. They do allow cars on the beach but it has not ever been a problem with enjoyment of beach since we have been going.
The beach was nice and clean and not jam-packed the way that Galveston can be. We really enjoyed our time here. Very peaceful.
I used to love to go to Surfside, it reminded me of Galveston when I was a child. Unspoiled and family friendly. I went that Saturday nite around 6pm. I was first surprised at the amount of tents I noted from to road on my way to entering the free side. Then as I drove slowly down the beach, there was not a spot that was open for over two miles. The noise and the lack of taste and respect I saw from the people there...i guess lots of alcohol reduces inhibitions.....and yes there were children there. I just shook my head and got out of there and vowed to NOT bring my grandkids to Surfside in June for our vacation. We will go to Quintana or Bryan Beach.
Visited with my husband and our 3 children. We purchased the $12 annual pass from the local gas station near the beach. It was nice and clean during our visit. The greatest part is that we were able to drive our truck onto the beach. This was our first visit, as we usually go to Galveston. However, after our great experience, we’ll probably be going here from now on. We’ll save Galveston for when out-of-town family comes to visit since it is a more touristy.
Surfside charges a fee to use part of beach. Drive farther north and you will come to the free beach. No crystal clear water here, but fishing can be very good at times. Not the greatest beach, but it's all we got.
raw sewage running down unpaved streets. the side that city hall is on ,has no working sewers, the city just lets sewage run in the beach and ICW.
This place is corupt goverment. GROSS run away!!!!!!!!!!!!
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We rented a beach house that was a short walk to the beach and it was wonderful! There were 8 of us total including my parents, our two young kids and my preteen nephew. The each access to the beach made it convenient to take several trips to the beach and not have to pack lots of stuff. Our kids had a blast. It wasn't too crowded and actually because of rain the temps weren't sweltering. The restaurants had mixed reviews so we skipped eating out and bought food and prepared meals. Worked great. Our house was nice. I saw there was quite a bit of variability in home styles and amenities. It's a great extended weekend trip from Houston.