Thinking about taking the wife (no pics) and 3 boys 9 and under for 4-5 nights to a beach in early August. We live in Houston so Port A is an easier drive than FL and I don’t want to pay god knows how much flying to FL.

Port A is 4-5 hrs drive from us, but I haven’t been in 20 years.

How’s the sand / water there?

What’s the vibe - trashy or nice?

Is it kid friendly or more of a party spot?

Are there good prices for beach front (or a short walk from the beach) houses?

What is there to do there with the kids other than the beach?

Is Cinnamon Shore the spot or is that overpriced and we should look at a house to rent?

3 ...

Report Post

Posted by RTN

Member since Oct 2016

876 posts

Posted on 6/11/25 at 8:05 am to PenguinNinja

quote:
How’s the sand / water there?

Nice big, flat beaches. Sand isn't as nice as FL gulf coast... more comparable to east coast beaches (Jacksonville beaches, St Simons Island)

quote:
What’s the vibe - trashy or nice?

I'd say its a tasteful level of trashy, we are in our 30s and it hasn't turned me off yet. My in laws have a house near the pier so we can get to any of the restaurants or bars on a golf cart.

There are two developments you might want to look into renting in... Palmilla and Cinnamon Shore. Definitely modeled after 30A, great for kids, not trashy at all...

quote:
Is it kid friendly or more of a party spot?

Fourth of July weekend it will be a zoo on the beach in Port A proper. Not necessarily spring break type debauchery but lots of trashy people if that bothers you. In Port A, you can drive your car or RV right up to the beach so it makes accessibility easy for riff raff. With that being said, we will be out there.

On non-holiday weekends you should be able to find a stretch of beach that is more private.

quote:
Are there good prices for beach front (or a short walk from the beach) houses?

Can't help you there but beach access is somewhat trickier than my experience in Florida... people do not have walkways over the dune. So if your house is "on the beach" you still may have to walk a bit to the nearest access.

quote:
What is there to do there with the kids other than the beach?

Palmilla/Cinnamon Shore might have programming for kids, but we don't have kids yet so I'm not sure. There are little concerts where kids run around and there is fishing if they like that.

quote:
Is Cinnamon Shore the spot or is that overpriced and we should look at a house to rent?

The answer is probably yes and yes... Feels more kid friendly and clean. If you are looking for the 30A vibe then this is the way to go. But if you don't want to pay for that, I wouldn't let renting somewhere in town run you away from Port A completely.

This post was edited on 6/11/25 at 8:17 am

0 ...

Report Post

Posted by MAROON

Houston

Member since Jul 2012

2323 posts

Posted on 6/11/25 at 11:50 am to PenguinNinja

quote:
What is there to do there with the kids other than the beach?

You could head to Corpus one day and take in the Aquarium and the USS Lexington. That could include a ferry ride if you go the Aransas Path route.

0 ...

Report Post

Posted by Badmug

Houston

Member since Feb 2007

239 posts

Posted on 6/12/25 at 1:23 pm to PenguinNinja

My only experience is with Palmilla Beach, but I don't know how you could want anything more out of a Texas beach trip. There are lots of rental options on their website. Most rentals are through Vacasa making it very simple.

Like Cinnamon Shore, the development is located a safe distance from the crowds of people "in town". They have large, resort-style pools with waitresses delivering drinks and grill food. Palmilla offers six-seater golf carts for rent with a private boardwalk for crossing the dunes to the beach. The beach in front of Palmilla has chairs and umbrellas setup for Palmilla guests as well as an air-conditioned restroom trailer.

The restaurants at Palmilla can be good but better food is often found in town. If your children get tired of swimming, the Texas State Aquarium is right up the street in Corpus.

Page 1