Little by little, Scott Friedman has created a mini-vacation destination in Port Isabel that includes Texas’s longest fishing pier and the state’s only pirate ship. Without fanfare over 20 years, Friedman transformed a tiny restaurant and some weedy Laguna Madre frontage into the Pirate’s Landing complex. Investing his profits, he acquired buildings one by one on the square around the Port Isabel Lighthouse Historic Site and Lighthouse Keeper’s cottage. The destination now includes Pirate’s Landing restaurant, Sea Life Center (a hands-on aquarium), Davey Jones Ice Cream Locker, Black Jack’s Gallery and the 24-hour pier complete with a bait shop and pole rentals, Black Dragon Pirate Cruises, Thriller speed boat tours and dolphin watching trips plus shop tenants such as Yellow Petals and Mercado Faro.
“We have tried to develop Pirate’s Landing into a family destination. You go to the Lighthouse and museum and then have lunch, take ride on the pirate ship, get ice cream, go shopping, have dinner and go fishing. You can spend a pleasant day with your family,” Friedman said. “We’ve tried to provide a little of everything to appeal to everyone and make it into a semi-resort complex.”
The Black Dragon pirate ship, which has been featured in Texas Highways magazine, has become a beach vacation must-do. “It’s been a great addition and attraction,” Friedman said. Before the Black Dragon sets sail, magicians and comedians entertain the crowd in the deck area with antics that keep adults and kids laughing and shrieking. Nearby the Alchemaille artist crafts knots of stainless steel, and parrots engage passersby. The shows are free to the public: visitors don’t have to be restaurant or ship patrons to sit down and enjoy them.
“Our goal is all you can fit in in a perfect day. I think our area is an affordable destination,” Freidman said. While he believes the Valley has been protected from the recession, he’s noticed that people seem to be vacationing on South Padre Island for shorter periods than in previous years. And in the past, while 80 percent of Island and Port Isabel business came from outside the region, currently the visitor mix is 50:50 Valley and non-Valley.
July and February are the best months for tourism, although the visitors in those seasons are “really as different as night and day.” Winter Texans are out all day. Summer tourists are out and about in the afternoon and evening. Both groups enjoy the destination concept.
Read more of this story by Eileen Mattei in the September print edition of Valley Business Report, out now.
