Mustang Island State Park, Port Aransas

If it's not too crowded, you can shed your top. I may be pushing 40, but I like to wear as little as possible. Go to the end of the beach and, if you dare, catch all the sun you can! Could be a little less littered, but you can overlook that.

The beach is in a nice location. Far away from the city and in a perfect location for a day's outing... The white sand is so beautiful when I got down of the car and is nice and warm for the early August summer..... But when I walked into the beach, these dead plants were not cleaned and my first impression has been chattered... Then i had a small walk in the beach and found a lot of people who prepared to be there for the whole day with tent and some with bed too! Not sure they can stay in the night.... When i got into the water it was of body right temperature and shallow... I went in by around 150ft but i still had water to my waist.... And the Water had lot of these dead plants which rub my legs which I hated. I was there for a while but couldn't withstand those plants and shallow water. So started back disappointed.....

We had a fabulous time at Mustang Island! The camping fees were minimal and we were able to enjoy the beach (without trash and rude people) for a couple of days. We will be returning again as soon as is possible! The town is a bit pricey, but, learn to expect that and overcome it. Wonderful facilities and staff!

We wanted to take our 4 wheel drive down and see what there was to see farther out. Loved it! We went down to about the 25 mile marker. We have a 7, 5, & 3 yr old and it was great just having time for them to enjoy the beach. Weather was a little windy, but still warm. Loads of cabbage heads, and a bit of seaweed on the beach, but instead of complaining about them, we spent time showing the kids the different things that washed up. Man of wars were the ones to watch out for, and we saw about 4 over the weekend. Of course there was garbage, but we found places that were fairly clear to park and generally had a great time! The only bathroom we had the advantage of using was at the head of the state park and they were clean. Showers there too to wash off sand. We've been a few times and this was the cleanest we've seen so far. The seaweed is usually worse, but what can you do about that? That's nature. Its the garbage that gets me. Just glad it wasn't so bad this time around! We plan on going back next month for peak season of sea turtles!

1st vacation ever, 2 teanagers, 2 adults. Loved it, clean beach, not very poulated. Was able to enjoy 9 beautiful days at the beach.

I have been going to Mustang Island since I was 6 years old...I am 60! The Seaweed is seasonal...the abundance of shells (or lack there of) is also seasonal. My son stayed at Mustang Island State Park about 10 years ago and did not enjoy...camping in sand is not easy...not to mention wind/weather. We used to stay in the Rockport/Fulton Beach area and drive to the Mustang Island Beach enjoying the short ferry ride over, seeing the dolphins from the ferry, etc. When gas prices increased we decided to just stay in Port Aransas at a nice condo/motel and enjoy the beach from there. Most motel/condos have a stay for three nights get one free on weeknights. That makes it nice. You can stay camper or tents on a designated area between the South Jetty and Horace Caldwell Pier for a very minimal fee, clean showers/restrooms nearby...there are also several RV parks right off the beach with private showers/restrooms. I would recommend those alternatives to Mustang Island State Park. The seaweed is definately seasonal. They do rake it up and push it to the dunes but when it is in full "bloom" it is difficult to keep up with. You can drive to different parts of the beach sometimes and find areas with less seaweed. Be careful...there are some areas of Mustang Island Beach that have a "beach fee". You might get a ticket for "parking" on the beach unless your vehicle has a sticker ($12.00 for a year long pass). We make sure to stay in the free areas. Early June seemed to us to have the most seaweed...also around spring break time??? Again, seasonal. But...shells seem to be the best at the same time the seaweed is the worst?!?!? Feeding gulls is fun...but let me warn you...full tummys equal poop!!! And they have very good aim!!!! grin We just got back from Port A and there had been an oil/tar/sludge problem. Something out in the Gulf leaked so it was coming in to the beaches all up and down the coast. The thrid day we were there we had to leave early...just too much gunk. Bring a bottle of "goo-gone" and a roll of paper towels to clean your feet before putting into your sandles or car. When you get out of your car, leave your sandles in the car...the sand is like glue and sticks to everything. We bring old water bottles filled with just tap water...put them in the ice chest...when we get back into our car to leave we take those bottles of water and rinse off our arms, legs, feet as we get into the car...cold, refreshing, clean!!!!!!! AND PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE PICK UP YOUR OWN TRASH!!!!!

Our family loved this beach. Under 10 bucks for our family to go and have fun. The park had showers and bathrooms. The building that had the nice bathrooms was shutdown / closed for some reason. That kind of sucked. So many crabs, clams, and waves for everyone. Relatively clean. Suggestion... Bring a tent type of shading for you and your family. Also bring some lawn chairs. A nice beach to have fun in the Sun.

If you are looking for a resort type of beach this is not for you. The beach was not cleaned of seaweed or whatever else the waves brought in . But with the seaweed, you got the birds and the animals that feed on it, crabs running around in the evenings, sea shells washing up, etc.. If you like the natural aspect this is a great place to sit back and watch. The waves crashing on the jetties were awsome. Sure there was trash on the beach, but mother nature did not put it there! The park rangers were very visable during the day, however they are friendly and do not bother you. It is a very relaxed aphmosphere. The facilities at the campground were less than desirable. The staff did a good job keeping the restrooms and showers clean - except on the weekends when there was a lot of usage from visitors at the day use beach area. These people trashed the bathrooms/showers. There definitely needs to be separate facilities for the campground guests, and there needs to be better privacy in the shower area. The camping spaces are close in the campground, but not many guests seem to spend much time in their campers. If the Texas State Park Dept. would invest money in making the facilities better - this park would be a great place! There is so much to do in the area. As a vacationer, visiting both Corpus Christi and Port Aranas is must!

We had an awesome time walking the beach. We feed the birds and collected sea shells.

My husband and I have visited this park for the past 20 years however this was our last visit here. The beach was awful. The dunes are taken over the picinic area, you cannot sit on the beach and look out across the area. The bathroom has been literally decayed which was taped up with yellow police tape and the porta potties were gross and not maintained. They charge $4 a person and I'm not sure what the charge is for because they are not using the money for upkeep on the beach. You are better off going to Port Aransas beach, which is free to enter. The shower houses are clean and so were the bathrooms. Another really nice beach to go to is Rockport, that's a nice beach. Don't waste your money and time on Mustang Island.