Palacios, Texas, the legendary Tres Palacios... and as the locals call it "Puh-LASH-us"

I first heard of this little coastal town when I answered a call at work from a young lady who needed to move truckloads of shrimp across the United States. Amanda works for Bowers Shrimp and Fish, one of the largest farm raised shrimp producers in the country. After working with the folks at Bowers for a couple of months I decided a visit was in order! Besides, who wouldn't want to enjoy a bit of beach time off the Gulf of Mexico!
Cadillac packed and reservations made at a historical bed and breakfast just 2 blocks from the "beach", we headed southbound anticipating the smell of salt mixed with coconut oil in the air, the melody of children splashing in the water, and the heat of the sand on our feet. The 6-hour drive seemed to pass in an instant and in no time we were following the directions into town given by Amanda, "you will see 3 flashing lights, we are just after the third light." Easy enough! We knew that something was off when we found ourselves right smack in front of the gulf. No crowded beach (no beach for that matter) and did we see flashing lights? To give you an idea just how small this jewel of a town is, check out the picture we took on Sunday mid-morning on Main Street!

I love surprises and this one surely did not disappoint! Coming into this adventure we expected the typical beach scene and found ourselves in the middle of a quaint and peaceful community by the sea. It is no wonder Palacios was named the shrimp capital of Texas; shrimp boats dotted the 11 miles of waterfront and every eating establishment proudly advertised their delicious gulf shrimp specialty... and believe me, we filled ourselves with shrimp this weekend!

"Live croaker and frozen shrimp or squid" signs were in every corner store, not to mention the little bait shacks that were nestled in every nook and cranny. The most remarkable thing about Palacios were the people... to use the word friendly is an understatement. They made eye contact with an immediate smile and a respectful "hello sir or ma'am," something that was lost long ago in the busy metro streets of DFW. We quickly learned the local merchant's names and they in turn learned ours... with a few giving us nicknames such as, "the Dallas couple, the lady with the pink hat," and one of our favorites, "the 2pm - 5pm couple." This nickname came from Wayne and Cheryl Dodd who own the nostalgic Outrigger, a restored 1906 lumber building turned into a fantastic restaurant and bar with an outdoor patio; they said if we visit three times they will learn our names.

It took all of about 30 minutes to scout the town and create a plan of action for our two day visit... of course every person we spoke with ended each conversation with "why don't you throw a line out and see what you can catch." I am certain that one of the requirements of Palacios, Texas is to own a tackle box and a few fishing poles. So we went to one of the corner stores and bought one fishing licence, a pole, some frozen squid, and a couple of bags of popcorn. Why popcorn? Well for the seagulls of course!
Our fishing exploit began at the 'Pavilion pier', a 400' historical fishing pier originally built in 1904.

At first we were the only two people on this gi-normous wooden structure. The wind was strong off the water so we had to anchor everything down and the block of frozen squid became quite useful in doing so. The bags of popcorn gained our popularity with the seagulls... first one, then two more, then five more, well you get the idea.

The locals seemed to follow suit with the seagulls... first one person arrived with gear in hand, then two, then five... well, you get the idea again.

By nightfall the pier was "packed," for Palacios that is. We enjoyed every minute that night; the sunset was a sight to behold and catching a shark and a stingray added an element of danger to our adventure.

Check out this shark!

Baby stingray

 

Bright and early the next day we headed west out of town (which took five minutes) and landed at the bait shack at the shipyard owned by Blackie and Debra. These folks win our vote for the nicest people in Palacios. Blackie is a shrimper, a true blue fishermen and his wife Debra is a women who didn't just talk the talk... she walked the walk! This lady visited Palacios almost a decade ago while on vacation from Oklahoma City and loved what she saw enough to go home, pack everything she owned, and became a seaside resident.  

We got the inside "skinny" from Blackie as to where to fish that morning, "Turtle Creek is a good place, just drive west until you see a bridge and an abandoned burned house..."
Abandoned was right... this old house was gutted, overgrown vegetation, a gravel boat ramp, and an acre of waterfront property.

Besides an occasional car that passed on the bridge, the only life we saw were an abundance of seagulls, brown pelicans dive-bombing the water for a snack, and dragonflies galore! We spent the entire day here catching croakers, catfish, and even did some crabbing... pulling up some pretty large blue crab with only a string, a seashell as a weight, and a piece of shrimp tied on the end.


We were in love with the place so much that we contemplated driving to Dallas, packing up everything we owned, and moving to the seaside town of Palacios. We sure can talk the talk!

 

We had such a good time that we pushed the repeat button and stayed an extra night. This time we decided to stay at the Luther Hotel... built in 1902 and rumored as haunted. Although we didn't spend much time in the hotel due to the fishing fever we seemed to catch this weekend, we did feel a bit like we were at the Overlook Hotel in the movie, The Shining. 
The next morning we packed up and headed north to the concrete jungle. There was a feeling of sadness leaving this quiet little place, almost like leaving a childhood home.

The drive back went quick... maybe because we found ourselves laughing and telling stories to each other about our experiences the last 48 hours as if we were talking to strangers who had not been there. The car which had arrived in Palacios in pristine condition had sand on the floorboards, seagull poo on the hood, and a hint of fish mixed with salt circulating in the air... what a great thing! We will certainly go back one day... and if I were you I would drop this spot in your bucket list!