The Valley’s top outdoor tourist attractions are simultaneously magnets for residents enjoying a staycation. In fact, three of the most popular Valley destinations rely on local clientele in the same way they count on local suppliers to keep them operational.
So it makes sense this summer, when you are ready for a break from the ordinary or a mini-vacation, to look no farther than Schlitterbahn Waterpark & Resort, Gladys Porter Zoo and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. These outside destinations offer shady walks or rides on the wet or wild side, along with lots of fun.
Wet and wild
After 13 years on South Padre Island, the 25-acre, family-friendly Schlitterbahn Waterpark is a must-go for kids of all ages from empty nesters and conference attendees to teens and young adults. The lushly landscaped indoor and outdoor parks offer a full mile of interconnected waterways where vacationers drift, splash and laugh. Fast-action segments such as Sea Blaster, Blackbeard’s Twister and Pirate’s Plunge, as well as the surfing ride Boogie Bahn, contrast with the five-story, interactive Sandcastle Cove and the Lily Pad for the younger tadpoles.
The opening of the resort’s beachfront hotel 18 months ago increased the attraction to stay and play on the island, according to Mike Bigelow, director of sales at Schlitterbahn. The waterpark has boosted overall island traffic. “Since we opened, conference attendees are more likely to bring families along so they can wrap the conference around a vacation experience. It helps pull up the whole island. It helps the employment base for everyone. The limited service hotels saw bumps in occupancy rates and increases in length of stay.”
Bigelow has personally observed the importance of the waterpark to small business owners, who count on the traffic surge to the waterpark. “The nicest thing is going to the local Stripes, and they ask me when will we open (for the season) because they need to hire more people then.” The waterpark allows guests to bring in food and beverages, although the resort has three restaurants — Shrimp Haus, Sea4Ever and Seaside Grill — and numerous snack bars.
Schlitterbahn is the island’s biggest employer, with a staff numbering around 500, with the majority being lifeguards. The park has its own lifeguard training as well as across the board training in guest safety, corporate values and how to talk to guests. Jobs include food service, float tube repair, and appliers of waterproof, temporary glitter tattoos.
“We’re so lucky. Our retention is extremely high at 50%,” Bigelow said. “We’ve started a mentor program, and the kids are so proud to move into that.”
One of Schlitterbahn’s newest adventures is Sea Trek, where guests wearing a forced-air diving helmet (snuba) walk on the bottom of a 12-foot deep tank surrounded by the fishes seen in local waters. “It’s a chance to walk beneath the sea and interact with marine life,” Bigelow explained. Divers can wear eyeglasses inside the helmet, too.
In contrast, the Soaring Eagle zip line presents views from 100 feet up in the air and at speeds of 30 mph. By next year, the park will have an underground water slide, too.
“We’re very blessed in how welcoming the Valley community has been,” Bigelow added. Valley visitors account for 70-75% of Schlitterbahn’s guests. “We could not be here without Valley support. Why go anyplace else? We have the most beautiful beaches in Texas, so people come stay and play for a few days,” taking advantage of season passes. The indoor, heated segment of the waterpark is responsible for increases in the island’s winter visitors. Year-round, guests at the beachfront resort hotel get reduced price admission to the waterpark and enjoy extended morning and evening hours.
Palapas, pools and lifeguards are surrounded by palms, hibiscus, banana trees and cooling shade. “We keep opening new areas, new rides. This is a work in progress,” said Samantha Kang, a waterpark employee. “I love the plants. They are overwhelmingly beautiful and just thrive here. The customers are happy; everybody’s happy.”
It’s happening at the zoo
To attract 375,000 visitors annually, Gladys Porter Zoo packs an entertaining and exciting collection of plants and animals onto 31 acres threaded by a resaca. With gorillas thumping chests and flamingos preening and scarlet ibises winging past you in the free flight aviary, there is always something happening at the zoo. Watch alligator gars swimming almost underfoot, listen to macaws screaming mayhem, and touch the sting rays at the Russell Aquatic Ecology Center. Watch adults and kids alike making animal faces and weird noises.
Lions and tigers and bears, of course, vie for the visitors’ attention, along with butterflies, kangaroos and lemurs. Feeding time draws crowds, particularly at Giraffe Landing where visitors can help feed the long-necked animals. While the zoo ranks as a botanical garden with giant silk floss trees, poincianas and hibiscus, its south Texas Botanical Gardens features native plants and refreshing water misters to run under.
Caravans of strollers roll past, heading to the kangaroos or the cool darkness inside the aquatic center and reptile house. Moon jellyfish, sea urchins and rattlesnakes are only a thickness of glass away from the families peering into the displays and the teenagers strolling hand in hand. An informal survey revealed families from Palmview, Weslaco, Harlingen and Matamoros were among those who came to spend a recent Saturday at the zoo.
Into the wilds
Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge welcomes about 150,000 visitors annually. In the winter, approximately 75% of the visitors and birders come from outside the Valley, often from northern states and Canada or Europe. Local school groups throng the refuge in the spring. Resident chachalacas tend to pose obligingly on top of the chachalaca interpretive sign.
“The canopy walk is a very popular attraction. It’s close to the Visitors Center,” said Laura de la Garza of Santa Ana NWR. Only 25 feet above the floodplain, the suspended walkway bounces as visitors get eye-level views of screech owls and spy on Altamira oriole nests. Try the walkway early in the morning when the fog makes you feel like you are adrift in a tropical forest instead of in the midst of a 2,088-acre refuge that is visited by more than 400 species of birds. The canopy walk was designed to blend in and it does. A 40-foot observation tower rises above the tree canopy for unmatched views of the riparian woodland.
Summertime and a Valley staycation sounds easy and fun. Why not try all three options?
For more information, see Schlitterbahn.com/south-padre-island; gpz.org; fws.gov/refuge/santa_ana/.
July 2014 cover story by Eileen Mattei