Magnolia Beach

We pulled onto the beach around noon and found a great spot smack dab in the middle of the stretch of beach between the bathrooms. The campers really bunch up at each end near the bathrooms, but there was a pretty wide area right in the middle without campers. that we pulled right into, leaving enough space so as not to be uncomfortably close to the camper next to us and leaving enough space for another camper or two next to us on the other side. The kids had a blast frolicking in the water and finding some neat in-tact seashells. You probably wouldn't want to walk barefoot on this beach as the shells are many and sharp.

It was a great experience camping so close to the beach and we'd absolutely recommend this spot to anyone.

We stayed here right after a storm so the water was high and we parked at one of the cute pink shelters with grassy area before the beach (because the sand was under water). We stayed 6 nights there and then moved over to park right on the sand for the rest of the stay. The sand is compact and all shell (great for the kids or kids at heart!) It was pretty windy but 85 degree days, it was perfect. Pretty secluded during the week with more campers on the weekends. We met a couple who had been here a month and heard of another that had been here 6 months. If you are looking for free beach camping, come this year. We have heard it will be changed next year to a 7 day limit. Great stop, would stay again. After Mother's Day there was a ton of trash, so please clean up after yourselves and keep these spots free for everyone.

Unfortunately rules have changed starting mid-april there will be from my last notification a $12 a day on the beach here. Also presently and since November for sure there is no showers, bathroom facilities are great and kept very clean but no showers that may change after they start charging. As far as a great place I'm sure if it's not a bad winter it's an awesome place to be.

This was our first beach camping experience. We had no problem finding the entrance to the beach and then finding a place to park. The sand has a lot of crushed shell in it, making it very easy to drive on.

We did not use the bathroom and shower facilities but we did take a look at them and I'm including pictures. There were plenty of trashcans distributed along the beach and near the bathhouse.

We enjoyed our stay, it was very peaceful.

We had seen reviews and watched a lot of YouTube videos on Magnolia Beach but was not sure if it would live up to expectations. We have had a very relaxing and nice stay here. The beach is clean, people have been very nice and it has not been crowded. The best part is that it is free camping. There are no hookups but they do have a clean restroom and plenty of places to leave your trash. The people that take care of this place do a good job. We will be leaving tomorrow and checkin* out Padre Island for a couple days. I just wish it would warm up a bit but we are from Maine and they have a couple feet of snow on the ground and temps below zero so I am not going to complain. We will definitely be back here again.

First of all I have to say we were here on Laborday weekend, a spur of the moment camping trip to christen our new truck. We arrived Saturday evening thinking the day time visitors would be leaving. We were right in that, but it brought a new crowd out. Our new beighbors came with a construction generator,flood lights and fishing poles- thankfully something was wrong with the generator and they gave up after about 2 hours. Further down the beach there was a bond fire.So be aware this place gets busy during summer weekends and holidays. I think, the rest of the year it will be a great free campsite. As in facilities they do have 4 showers and restrooms in one building. According to another beach goer they cleaned the facilities on Friday. On Sunday morning I watched a lady empty the trash bins. We met the fire chiefs wife, who was cruising in her husbands atv along the beach and picking up trash before going to church. There is one little store in town. So I suggest stocking up in Port Lavaca or somewhere on the way. They also do a have a row of gazebos along part of the beach. The beach itself is crushed shell and not sand! No sinking in here. The beach is on Matagorda Bay on the gulf of Mexico. The water in the bay is not as salty as the ocean (19% vs 35%) since the bay is fed by the Colorado river delta (yes, there are at least two and one flows through Texas) and the Lavaca river. All in all a nice piece of free beachfront property even if it is only temporary....

Great FREE dry-camping on the Matagorda Bay, a large Gulf of Mexico estuary bay on the Texas coast. Nice stretch of drivable packed surface beach just south of Port Lavaca. Showers available, but we didn't investigate. Several motorhomes and travel trailers the 3 days/2nights we stayed. Bring what you will need as there's no shopping nearby.

Nothing better than waking up to ocean front views 10 feet away. Great ocean breezes. Spacious. Lots of campsites. All primitive. Picnic tables at some w bbq grills. Be cautious of soft sand after beach “renourishment”. Totally worth the drive. Only one oil rig in site of our location, with no noise. Big rigs ok. ATT and Verizon ok. Able to pick up TV channels off of antenna. We highly recommend!!!