Michael J. Ellis Beach and Seawall — Attraction in Corpus Christi

Sun, Sand, and a Great Time Near Corpus Christi! On a grand family vacation adventure in San Antonio, we decided a day trip to the beach was in order, and this gem near Corpus Christi hit the spot! The water here is ridiculously shallow for a long ways, which was a blessing, especially on a blustery day when the wind warnings basically screamed, "Stay where you can touch!" It meant endless splashing fun without anyone accidentally becoming a new part of the Gulf ecosystem.

The sand is like powdered sugar, perfect for serious sandcastle architecture (my 13-year-old was impressed, and so was I, a 51-year-old who still takes sand construction very seriously). Now, it's not the blindingly white, postcard-perfect stuff, and the water isn't that Caribbean turquoise – my guess is you'd need to charter a private yacht to find that around here. But what it lacked in magazine spread aesthetics, it more than made up for in pure, unadulterated joy. I channeled my inner aquatic beast and did a lot of body surfing. It wasn't exactly Pipeline, but my personal fun meter was redlined!

We loved that it wasn't too crowded, which, for a weekday, felt like a small miracle. You can drive right onto the beach! Parking was free – always a win for a family of seven! – and they had plenty of clean-ish bathrooms and outdoor showers that saved my car from becoming a mobile sand dune.

I've been to beaches that make you gasp with awe, and frankly, some that make you gasp for air (in a bad way). This one falls squarely in the "loved it, would definitely frequent if I lived here" category. It's the kind of beach that promises simple, delightful fun and delivers. We had a truly fantastic time, soaking up the Texas sun and...

We found this beach just by driving around. Lots of parking, restrooms, and outdoor shower/rinse area.

The beach has great space, smooth sand, and the water was pretty clean. There was no lifeguards, as well as no shade.

It wasn't crowded either, well not during the weekday we went on.

Beach is great for all ages, but be sure to pack some shade (umbrella, tent, etc) and chairs. We didn't notice any seating areas.

It looks like you can drive your car onto the sand, but from a separate beach entrance. So that's another option too.

Every part of this beach park was pretty well kept up. Didn't see litter! Showers and restrooms were clean as well! Parking lot has lots of spaces and kept clean too! Several trash cans available to keep trash off this beautiful place. So happy to see such clean places here! Great job to those who monitor the beaches and the locals / those who have pride in keeping it clean!

Also, nice area to play in side, fly kites and play in...

This is a great place to walk the beach just south of the Packery Channel. It's my go to place for early morning walks to watch the sunrise. The seawall is 3/4 mile long with ample space to walk or skate if you prefer to not get sandy. The restroom and shower area are cleaned daily. Sometimes I walk the jetty and see if people are having any luck catching fish. It's a very peaceful and serene place...