Why This Is The Best Time to Be In Texas?

Why This Is The Best Time to Be In Texas?

  Let’s face it; when you think of Texas or any of the states on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico you think sunny days, a warm breeze and a proper margarita on a sandy beach with cool crisp waves crashing on the shore.  And that’s ok.  That is what everybody else thinks and I won’t hold that against you.  You are not wrong.  But your mindset is.

  Because everybody else thinks the same thing.  And this means that on our best, most beautiful days along the coast you not only are enjoying the warm air and cool waves at the beach… you are sharing it.  With a lot of people.  It is estimated that on Spring Break Padre Island will play host to over 100,000 visitors.  And don’t think that it ends with spring break; every holiday, every three-day weekend and every time a pressure-system moves through the area and leaves behind a wake of calm breezes and clear water the weekend warriors are close to follow. 

  But then something magical happens.  They leave.  Just as soon as they had arrived so many months before the droves of weekend warriors, the summer surfers and the fair-weather fishermen disappear.  Labor Day marks the end of the summer season for our favorite destinations and brings with it an amazing experience that few take the time to enjoy.  Fall and winter on the coast.

  If that sounds cold and miserable you are not alone.  Many people are unaware that warmed by the Gulf Stream the Gulf of Mexico typically maintains offshore temperatures in the 70’s which increases air temperatures in the area by over ten degrees.  This may not be enough to turn our winter days into a summery, South American vacation destination but it does offer some respite from the less-desperate of winter conditions.  And what is more important is that if you can adapt to the slightly cooler conditions you open yourself up for an experience that is nothing short of breathtaking; having the beach all to yourself. 

  Just a few miles drive down Padre Island or a short drive down Seawall Boulevard in Galveston and you can have your pick of the finest fishing and surfing spots along the Texas coast.  All of those great fishing spots that only two months ago were so packed you couldn’t even get close now belong solely to you.  No longer riddled with unbearable onshore winds you favorite surf spots will be pumping ground swells and dropping rideable barrels for you almost exclusively.

  While the weather conditions may not be the most premium you had ever witnessed along the Gulf Coast it is undeniable that this time of year is one worth experiencing if you haven’t and one worth appreciating if you have.  The magic of solitude and the serenity of solace comes not from the crowded summer days, but the lonely winter ones.