Garie Beach

What are some nice Texas beaches within a couple of hours of Houston?

I live on the west side of Houston and I am looking for a NICE, CLEAN beach within a couple of hours drive from Houston. I've been to Galveston prior to Hurricane Ike and I thought that the beaches were AWFUL ... muddy water, lots of trash, and packed with RUDE and OBNOXIOUS day-trippers from Houston. I've been to Corpus Christi and really liked it there, but it is a 4 hour drive so you really have to go for an entire weekend. Is there any beach closer for a day-trip that is worth going to? Anything in Freeport? How about east of Houston?

Public Comments

1. East of Houston is just going to be muddier. The closer you get to the Mississippi River, the swampier and muddier the coast gets. They don't have much in the way of beaches in Louisiana. Freeport is going to be similar to Galveston beaches, minus the "obnoxious day-trippers from Houston." (BTW, thanks for acknowledging that it's not Galveston residents leaving the trash on the beach, it's the visitors from other cities. People tend to forget that part). Corpus and southward are going to have the better beaches, as far as water quality and sand color, but it's far away. Within a couple of hours of houston, you're stuck with "dirty" beaches. It's just our geography and proximity to the Mighty Mississipp. You might want to look into some lakes as an alternative.
2. You're not going to find a real nice beach in Texas unless you go all the way to South Padre Island. Everything else around here is a JOKE for a beach. You can always fly to Harlingen & rent a car to go to SPI & not have to drive 5 to 6 boring hours. I agree Galveston sucks! Texas is known for it's oil & rednecks not beaches. Sorry! Just an idea! Lol @ "Douchey"
3. Surfside is cleaner and a lot less douchey than Galveston's beaches.
4. i like banana bend beach but its crowded a lot