The Brazosport Area is a coastal community comprised of Clute, Freeport, Lake Jackson, Quintana and Surfside Beach just 50 miles south of Downtown Houston. Check out three ways you can make the most of your spring break this year!
1.The Beaches
Miles of sandy beaches with interesting seashells and marine life make Surfside Beach a perfect retreat for recreational sports, sun worshipers and nature lovers alike. Try to catch your dinner at the Surfside Jetties or Crabbing Pier or feast at one of the restaurants on the island. Visitors will find plenty of beach house rentals, and souvenir shops, as well as surfboard, jet-ski and kayak rentals to keep them busy.
Looking for a more secluded beach, try Quintana Beach County Park. It is a 51-acre beachfront park with day-use and overnight facilities. The pedestrian beach, lighted fishing pier, and access to the west jetty are the most popular attractions at the park. Other amenities include restrooms and showers, a meeting/party house complete with kitchen, an education center, covered pavilions, picnic tables, grills, playground, volleyball court, horseshoe pits, and paved trail.
2. Free Attractions
Sea Center Texas is an aquarium and fish hatchery in Lake Jackson that can produce 20 million fingerlings annually, primarily red drum and spotted sea trout, for release into Texas coastal waters. Visitors can drift lazily among the vast aquariums, visit the 20-foot touch pool and handle marine animals or explore the outdoor wetlands boardwalk. Hatchery tours must be scheduled in advance.
The Brazosport Museum of Natural Science is housed in the Center for the Arts and Sciences in Clute. It contains one of the largest seashell collections on display in the South along with fossils, including dinosaur and mammoth bones. Other exhibits feature Texas coastal wildlife and a mineral collection. Don’t miss the free Art Gallery there, too.
3.The Wildlife
The Brazosport Area is home to two national wildlife refuges, two bird sanctuaries, and numerous trails to explore.
The Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge has a self-guided auto tour, boardwalks, large ponds and discovery center make this site a favorite among explorers. Visitors can spot a variety of ducks, wading birds and hawks along with reptiles and alligators. The San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge also has a self-guided auto tour, large ponds and observation platforms for spying a variety of birds, reptiles and alligators. It is also home to the San Bernard Oak Trail that leads to the Texas Champion Live Oak. Both refuges are great for kayaking.
Other places to spot wildlife are the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, the Quintana Neotropic Bird Sanctuary, the Dow Centennial Trail, the Dow Woods and the Kelly Hamby Nature Trail. Check them all out here.