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Padre Island National Seashore - Facilities Malaquite Beach Open Open All Year Labor Day to Memorial Day 8:30am to 4:30pm Memorial Day to Labor Day 9:00am to 5:00pm Phone 361-949-8068 Location The physical address is 20420 Park Road 22, Corpus Christi, 78418. From Interstate Highway 37 turn onto highway 358. The highway changes its name from 358 to South Padre Island Drive then crosses over the Laguna Madre on the JFK causeway and becomes Park Road 22. At the end of Park Road 22 is the National Seashore. Following it through the park takes one to the Visitors Center and a half mile farther the road ends on the beach. The total driving distance from I-37 to the beach is 37 miles. Closures Christmas Day, December 25 Special Programs Educational and interpretive programs are held year-round depending on staffing and weather. Deck talks and beach walks are held almost every day. Deck talks last 30 minutes and are an in-depth discussion of objects including shells, sea beans, and man-made items to be found along the shoreline. Beach walks last 45 mins. and are guided walks along the beach in which a ranger talks about the natural history of the island and discusses anything seen along the shore including shells, birds, flotsam, and plants while touching upon environmental issues of importance to the park. Evening programs may be offered at the Malaquite Beach campground in summer and winter. These normally last 45 minutes and may be on a variety of topics from wildlife to history to astronomical topics such as meteor showers, comets, and the constellations. Forty-five minute bird-watching walks may be offered at Bird Island Basin during migration. The National Seashore also offers environmental education programs for school groups of all ages. These professionally-presented programs teach children about such topics as habitat and migration while providing direct contact with nature. Contact the park environmental education specialist at (361) 949-8068 for more information. Other programs may be offered depending upon season and demand. An orientation video provides insight into the wonders of the park. It is available upon request year-round at the information desk. Exhibits Wayside exhibits detailing the park"s natural history and environmental issues facing the park are placed along the edge of the main deck. Adjacent the information desk is a small museum of the island"s human and natural history. Available Facilities The Visitors Center has an information desk, small museum, bookstore, concession stand, observation decks, restrooms and showers (open 24 hours), a small auditorium for 20 people, and picnic tables. Information on beach conditions, weather, sea turtle releases, the latest wildlife/bird sightings, and the local area can be found here as well as information on all other aspects of the park. Safety and orientation materials are available. The visitor center is fully wheelchair accessible with ramps to the main deck and an elevator to the main observation deck. Specially-designed wheelchairs for use on the beach are available at no charge. Some printed materials are available in Spanish. All exhibits are in both Spanish and English. A three minute video on sea turtles is available in either Spanish or English. |
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Padre Island National Seashore - Facilities
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