I.B. Magee Beach Park offers camp amenities

I.B. Magee Beach Park headquarters, just north of Horace Caldwell Pier. If you’re looking for a site that gets you as close as possible to the Gulf of Mexico while still offering amenities for RVs, trailers and campers, look no farther than I.B. Magee Beach Park.

The Nueces County park sits right on the beach between Cotter Avenue and Beach Street. Besides camping spaces, it offers beachfront bathrooms and showers.

A $1.8-million headquarters building offers a breathtaking view of the beach and the Gulf of Mexico from a third-floor observation deck.

Camping in the campsite area of the park is available for $23 per night for RVs and $20 for tents, and includes a water and electric campsite with dump, water and shower for up to eight people, with a three-vehicle parking limit. There is also a weekly rate of $135 for RVs and $125 for tents, and a new monthly rate of $425 for RVs and tents from Oct. 1 to March 31. Monthly rates are not available from April through September.

Day parking on the beach from the south jetty to Horace Caldwell Pier is under county jurisdiction and is free (no beach access permit required). South from that point, a beach parking window sticker is required at a cost of $12 per year.

Primitive beach camping is available for $12 per night, with access to the beach shower house (four quarters for four minutes) and bathrooms on the beach.

The park office is open from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. seven days a week; shower facilities are available to registered campers 24 hours a day.

The park was named in memory of I.B. Magee Jr., a Port Aransas resident who was widely known for his community support.

Magee lived in a house near the park, where he could watch and enjoy the sight of visitors relaxing in a campground near the beach.

For more information on I.B. Magee Beach Park, call the park office at (361) 749-6117.