Brownsville
69°
Nature Tourism
Boasting Gulf Breezes and sun year round, Brownsville is a great place for outdoor activities. Nested in the fascinating and bio-diverse banks of the once mighty Rio Grande, Brownsville offers visitors many ways to enjoy the sunshine with an excellent array of outdoor recreational opportunities.
Gladys Porter Zoo, one of the top rated zoos in the U.S., offers an array of wild life and rare plants from all over the world.
Brownsville is also home to hundreds of species of plants, birds, reptiles and mammals, many of them unique to the area, and also features a great diversity of landscapes, ranging from rivers to grasslands to open coastal wetlands.
Archaeological sites abound, as well as spectacular grassy flats, sand dunes, and a host of other natural attractions. Hikers, runners, cyclists, backpackers, campers and adventurers are sure to find something to enjoy in this magnificent corner of North America.
Gladys Porter Zoo
South Padres Island
Just 25 miles from Brownsville is the modern beach resort of South Padre Island. This barrier reef isle offers all the contemporary conveniences including gourmet restaurants, seaside attractions, and high-rise hotels. Along with tanning, beach combing, and playing in the surf, endless white sand beaches on the Gulf of Mexico offer plenty of activities.
Boca Chica Beach
Boca Chica is a pristine undeveloped beach bordered by the Brazos Santiago Pass jetties and the mouth of the Rio Grande. No paved streets, no hotels, no amenities just beautiful white sand where you can spend the day or camp overnight. Enjoy fun outdoor activities such as fishing, surfing, and bird-watching in one of the last virgin shores along the Texas coast.
Resaca De La Palma State Park
Brownsville’s Resaca de la Palma State Park boasts the largest tract of native habitat in the World Birding Center network. Etched by ancient curves of the Rio Grande, its 1200 semi- tropical acres provide a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of an international urban center only a few miles away.
Sabal Palm Audubon Center
For birders and nature-lovers, no visit to South Texas is complete without a stop at the Sabal Palm Audubon Center. The Center is home to many native species of plants and animals that reach the northernmost limit of their Mexican range here and do not occur elsewhere in the U.S.
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