Surfside (Texas)

Surfside is about 60 miles (100 km) south of Houston. Take SH-288 South all the way through Lake Jackson. On the south edge of Lake Jackson you'll cross Main Street and a few hundred yards later, on the right, turn right on SH-332 East, across the intercoastal waterway bridge to Surfside Beach.
From Galveston, head south to the toll bridge ($2 either direction) and follow the Bluewater Highway to town.

The beach makes for excellent walking, but the few services in town are spread out enough to make a car or bike a necessity.
Horses are allowed on the beach May 15 - Sept 15.

• BeachesThe pedestrian beach is between Welk St. and Thunder St., with free parking at both edges. The rest of the beach, from Welk St. north, allows cars with beach permits. Beach permits are $12 annually. There are picnic tables and BBQ grills at Jetty and Stahlman parks. Water quality signs are posted at beach entrances.

• Jetty Park

  phone: +1 979-233-3000
  address: 301 Parkview Rd

• Stahlman Park

• SurfingSee below for surfboard and boogeyboard rentals.

• CrabbingThere's a crabbing pier over a small estuary at the north end of town, just across from Stalman Beach Park. The end of the pier is in disrepair and the last few yards have collapsed, but the rest is stable enough for crabbing, fishing, and birdwatching.

• WatersportsJetskis and boats of all sizes are popular. Kayaks can also be rented.

Fishing

• Easy Going Charters

  phone: +1 979-233-2947
  Easy Going takes up to 6 people on their 35-ft boat for 6- or 12-hour fishing trips. They even clean and wrap your fish.

• Johnston's Sportfishing

  phone: +1 979-233-8513

• Bingo's Boards

  phone: +1 979 230-9000
  T-shirts, swimsuits, assorted beach accessories, boards for rent and sale.

Surfside has a small convenience store for groceries, for extensive shopping you'll need to head over the bridge to Clute or Lake Jackson. Fresh fish and shrimp can be purchased at the small fish market on the other side of the bridge. Ten restaurants offer a range of food, including seafood, Greek, American, and Italian.

Budget

• Kitty's Purple Cow

  address: 323 Ocean Ave, Freeport

• Landshark's Pizza and Grill

  phone: +1 979-233-4355
  address: 409 E SH-332, Freeport
  Laidback pizza, salads, grilled meat, and fish. Take out and delivery available. Landshark is closed now.

• Castaways Bar and Grill

  address: 110 Fort Velasco, Surfside Beach
  Burgers, steaks and daily grill specials.

Mid-range

• Red Snapper Inn

  address: 402 Blue Water Hwy, Freeport
  Greek and Italian influenced seafood. House specialties include Red Snapper a La Grec and crab stuffed jalapenos. Children's menu available. A small selection of beer and wine, including some Greek options.

• Surfside Liquor

  phone: +1 979-233-3382
  Has beer, wine, and hard alcohol (neither Clute nor Lake Jackson offers anything but beer.

• Castaways Club and Grill

  phone: +1 979-239-3737
  address: 110 Ft Velasco Dr
  Dim locals' bar with a couple of video gambling machines and $2 beers. The grill part seems to have closed.

• Surfside Jetty ShackA great local find - just to the right of the jetty. Not very large but big on atmosphere and company. Sandwiches and burgers are tasty and the beer is always cold. Rebuilt after Hurricane Ike.. has a pool table, dart board and a few video gaming machines.

Most visitors to Surfside take advantage of the numerous and affordable vacation homes ranging from tiny one-bedroom A-frames, to muti-story houses big enough for family reunions. Always do your homework before choosing your vacation rental home or rental management company.

• Cedar Sands Motel

  phone: +1 979-233-1942
  address: 343 North Beachfront
  Tired budget motel a block off the beach.

• Surfside Motel

  phone: +1 979 233-4948
  address: 330 Coral Ct

• Austin's Landing RV Park and Resort

  phone: +1 979-239-1923

• Surfside Beach RV Park

  phone: +1 979-233-6919
  address: 102 Fort Velesco Dr

• Beach CampingFires are permitted as long as they are small and under control. Any cars on the beach, outside of the free parking areas, must have a permit.

• Beach House Associates

  phone: +1 979-239-1073
  address: 140 Bluewater Highway
  Beach House Associates has a Selection of Premier Front Row Beach Houses in Surfside Beach, from 2 - 6 bedrooms with sleeping space for 2 - 30 per house.

The closest public internet connections are at the Lake Jackson Public library and in Galveston. If you're in town for a week or more, you can arrange wireless access through Surfside.net (owned and operated by the mayor!).
Note that many vacation rentals do not have telephones, but there is decent cell phone coverage for the area.

• Tap water is affected by "trihalomethanes", a byproduct of over-chlorination. It's also not very tasty. According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, there's no health danger for short term visitors, but you'll probably want to buy bottled water for drinking and cooking.
• Jellyfish are common in Gulf waters especially the Portuguese Man-of-War. Counteract the painful poison with a towel zapped in the microwave for 1 minute or a mix of vinegar and meat tenderizer.
• Hurricanes affect the area. Evacuation route signs are posted along main roads.

Seaweed - a significant amount can sometimes be heaped up on the beach, especially after a storm. It can sometimes accumulate in large rafts that are too thick to comfortably navigate

• Houston
• Galveston
• Lake Jackson
• San Luis Pass
• Jamaica Beach
• Brazoria