United States
Texas (TX)
Texas Gulf Coast
South Padre Island
Things to Do in South Padre Island
Largest Outdoor Sandcastle in the USA
See all things to do

Largest Outdoor Sandcastle in the USA

See all things to do
See all things to do
Largest Outdoor Sandcastle in the USA
4.5
282 reviews
#3 of 20 things to do in South Padre Island
Points of Interest & Landmarks
Read more
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Write a review
About
We Have finished rebuilding the largest Outdoor permanent sandcastle in the USA. Originally built in Oct 2013, it remains the oldest outdoor permanent sandcastle in the USA and has been featured on just about every show and publication there is.
Suggested duration
< 1 hour
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Full view

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

The area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
91 within 3 miles
Ceviche Ceviche
443
0.2 mi$ • Latin • Seafood • Healthy
Yummies Bistro
1,671
205 ft$$ - $$$ • American • Cafe • Healthy
Gabriella's Italian Grill & Pizzeria
2,451
280 ft$$ - $$$ • Italian • Pizza • Romana
Russos New York Pizzeria
366
0.1 mi$$ - $$$ • Italian • Pizza • Vegetarian Friendly
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
46
0.2 mi$ • Quick Bites • American • Cafe
Kohnami Restaurant
191
0.1 mi$$ - $$$ • Japanese • Sushi • Asian
Windjammer Beachfront Cafe
172
0.1 mi$$ - $$$ • American
La Copa Cabana
11
0.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Mexican • American
Umix
44
0.2 mi$ • Dessert • American
Johnny Rockets
71
0.2 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Fast Food • Diner
See all
Attractions
19 within 6 miles
Isla Blanca Park
397
0.7 miState Parks • Beaches
South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center
1,421
Nature & Wildlife Areas
Sea Turtle, Inc.
3,129
Nature & Wildlife Areas
Cristo de los Pescadores
12
0.8 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks
The Art Lounge
3
0.8 miArt Galleries
Art Business Incubator
3
1 miArt Galleries
University of Texas - Pan American Coastal Studies Lab
24
1.1 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks
Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site
288
2.8 miHistoric Sites • Lighthouses
Gravity Park
127
2.1 miAmusement & Theme Parks
Laguna Madre Nature Trail
152
Historic Walking Areas • Nature & Wildlife Areas
See all
See what other travelers are saying
  • Lars A
    Tucson, Arizona6 contributions
    Hand sculptured sand castles.
    I was absolutely blown away at how intricate these sand castle formations were. Obviously hours of work went into creating these sculptures. Due to inclement weather there was a tent/tarp over all the sculptured sand art. There is no charge for entry but a $1 donation is requested. Really worth seeing.
    Written January 28, 2023
  • LoriH from Colorado
    Fowler, Colorado8 contributions
    Excellent Sculptures!
    The area is small, but there are a high number of different sandcastle creations. It will take about 15-20 minutes to go through, and they only ask for a $1 donation. And they're not all sand castles! You'll see faces, animals, butterflies, etc. Amazing artwork!
    Written June 1, 2022
  • Scott Hanna
    Topeka, Kansas2 contributions
    Take lessons
    Seeing these sandcastles is neat but what's really cool is they will give you lessons on building them. Also, when you pay for lessons you get a castle building tool kit to keep. My kids love this and we do it every year at SPI!
    Traveled with family
    Written August 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
;
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
282 reviews
Excellent
164
Very good
65
Average
37
Poor
10
Terrible
6
Celeste R
San Antonio, TX52 contributions
Quick stop
Nov 2020
Definitely worth a stop to see but I agree with several of the other reviews that they're showing wear over time. These were probably fantastic when they were created. The fact that they've stood up this long is really impressive. We visited near sunset so it was easy to park and everything was well lit.
Written November 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
surfercharlie
Glendive, MT862 contributions
Utter waste of time!
Jan 2022 • Couples
We were pretty excited to see this, especially after reading it had been restored. What a huge disappointment! We drove 6 miles out of our way specifically to see the sand castle and when we got there, discovered it is not restored. It is actually almost completely eroded. It is not very large, at least not anymore. So sad. Please take my advice and do not waste a minute of time to seek out this attraction. It is free, but not even worth it at that price. A waste of time and fuel.
Written January 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bacons on the Road
64 contributions
Location is everything...
Feb 2020
Don't get us wrong - the sandcastle/artwork itself is cool, but the location is terrible. It is located in a small (busy) parking lot and on the other side is an extremely busy street. There are power lines hanging all over the place. We feel like it would have a lot more appeal if in a different location.
Written February 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JeffandDebplus4
Winfield, IL52 contributions
Needs a better location
May 2021
It's sort of in a parking lot on the main busy street. It would be better in a quiet park. Saw it right after a storm, and it looked damaged. It would have to be soaked in some kind of glue to stand up to the weather. I wonder if it requires regular repair.
Written May 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DJH2010
Saint Charles, MO713 contributions
Interesting but need to see when restored
Feb 2021
We have seen the sandcastle in past years. This time the sandcastle is in a crumbling state. It is still interesting to see but much more impressive when it is tip-top shape. Hopefully as spring is in full swing the sandcastle will be restored. Amazing to see when restored.
Written April 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helen S
5 contributions
crumbling
Mar 2021
we were excited to see this site. unfortunately, the sandcastle showed bad wear and tear. large areas were crumbling and there were some anthills on them. It would have been an amazing site when it was just built. time spent at the site, 10 minutes.
Written March 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MSNN2004
Austin, TX77 contributions
Largest SandCastle by Visitor Centre, South Padre
Dec 2018 • Family
Its amazing to see this beautiful Sandcastle standing by the main road amidst traffic and weather condition. Art is truly appreciable
Written January 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JuanCarlosRG
Houston52 contributions
Not really much to see
Jun 2016 • Couples
The pictures you see online make it look as if this is a huge sandcastle that stands many feet high. Not the case, the castle is, at most, three feet high by 9 or 10 wide. It is beautiful, and if you're bored then you'll have a good 10 minutes to invest looking at it. But that's it. If they charged for this, this would easily qualify as a tourist trap.
Written July 14, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Oc3anM0m
Frisco, TX124 contributions
Easy to find and cool to see
Mar 2016 • Family
When we drove up to see the sand castles, Andy (the artist) was there with his dog Diego to make some repairs. Unfortunately, some drunk college jerks broke off some areas of the sand castle. Luckily it was caught on video and the police were on a good lead. Andy's details in these sand castles were amazing. There is also a sand castle "trail" all around the island. If you go into the visitor's center, they have a map of the trail with other sand castles of Andy's to see.
Written March 9, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lynn Berg
Naples, FL889 contributions
Beautiful sandcastles that are preserved
Nov 2020 • Friends
We drove at night to see the sandcastles. They are nicely lit. Plenty of parking. Free.

Beautiful works of art. As they were done in 2018, there is some weather wearing on the castles.
Written November 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2
…
Showing results 1-10 of 275
Anything missing or inaccurate?
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing

Largest Outdoor Sandcastle in the USA (South Padre Island) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Largest Outdoor Sandcastle in the USA
Largest Outdoor Sandcastle in the USA is open:
  • Sun - Sat 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM