A South Padre Saturday

This weekend I enjoyed a sunny Saturday with family in South Padre, a barrier island along the Texas Gulf Coast. Whenever I visit a beach town, I have my camera ready to snap photos of sea and surf, tropical accents, and of course, souvenirs of the neon variety. And speaking of souvenirs, we found ourselves at Bobz World in Los Fresnos (on the way to South Padre). It’s impossible to describe this retail outlet, which also features a jungle-style garden, an arcade, and black light mini golf and mini bowl opportunities. So I’ll paint a picture with photos. Rad-tastic photos!!!

Let’s start with a few from South Padre Island…

Pretty cool, right? But then we ended up at Bobz, and my head exploded. Maybe it was the army of life-size dolphin statues welcoming us in:

Or the giant conch shells that flanked the dinosaurs and shark’s mouth that guided us to the entrance…

Here’s a view from the inside of the shark’s jaw. It’s hard to tell, but a humongous coral reef in candy colors borders the highway. That way children can’t pass Bobz without begging their parents to pull over–stat! But I have a feeling that once I have kids, I’ll be the one insisting that we stop at Bobz whenever we hit the beach!

As if the shark’s mouth out front weren’t enough…

Okay, ready for the view inside Bobz? Brace yourselves, folks. For starters, the first thing you notice when you enter this giant souvenir shop and recreation center is the large number of hermit crabs for sale. Yes, there’s a hermit crab inside each shell you see below. You pick out the one you want…

…then pick out a home for it. Each plastic, gravel-filled container has a neon lid! Not sure how many of these hermit crabs find their forever homes when being purchased at the beach on a whim by a five-year-old, but the display itself was worth photographing! Kinda crazy, right?!

Here’s a close-up of a larger “tank”:

This same level of retail-fabulousness continues throughout the store, thanks to glass shelving. Lots of glass shelving. Check out the “snow globes” below:

Some of them were glass with embedded jellyfish figurines…

You didn’t think Bobz would skimp on flamingos, did you?! The one on the far left might be missing a head, but why dwell on little details when there’s a backdrop of neon lighting and blue walls?!

Seashells are definitely a major offering here at Bobz. From coral that’s in the $600 range to a little sea sponge I bought for $5, sea life is celebrated in full force. Blue tile and glass shelving frame the merchandise:

Neon bangles, anyone?!

And we can’t forget the neon mugs in South Padre’s signature colors. Yes, the official logo for this beach town features a blue background, as well as umbrellas in breezy shades of pink, yellow and teal. These mugs are manufactured in similar hues–amped up, of course!

Here’s my hubby outside the entrance to Bobz World. Saying goodbye to retail greatness is so hard…

But I can always close my eyes and dream of my next day at the beach!

Hope your week is off to a great start!