Port Aransas Beach
Port Aransas, TX
Port Aransas Beach runs along the Gulf side of Mustang Island's northern tip, with Horace Caldwell Pier as the town's central landmark and the stretch between the jetties and the pier as the one spot locals don't need a permit to park. It has a working beach town feel more than a resort one, golf carts on the sand, a bait shop at the pier, families set up for the whole day.
It's a genuine working beach town with real character, but the permit system and spring break crowds are the two things locals plan around.
How we score beachesPark for free between the jetties and Horace Caldwell Pier if you're just there for a few hours. Anywhere else on the beach requires the city's twelve dollar parking permit.
A twelve dollar beach parking permit is required except for the free zone between the jetties and Horace Caldwell Pier.
Access is a direct drive or walk onto packed sand from Beach Street, with restrooms and showers at the pier.
Dogs are allowed on leash, ten feet or shorter.
Spring break and summer bring the town's biggest crowds, with Gulf water warming into the low 80s by July. Hurricane season runs June through November.
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