Location
Finding Gulf Gumbo Club
Surfside Beach is small — once you're in town, the house is a five-minute drive. Here's how to get there from wherever you're coming from.
From Houston / Sugar Land / Pearland (north)
Take Highway 288 South all the way down until it ends at Highway 332. Follow 332 East across the Intracoastal Bridge — that's when you'll see the water on your right and know you're close. Once you cross the bridge into Surfside Beach, keep going until 332 dead-ends at the Gulf. Take a left onto Bluewater Highway (FM 3005) and drive about 2 miles east, past the beach access points and beach houses on stilts. Turn left onto Stanek Drive. We're the last house on the right at the end of the cul-de-sac. 90 steps from there and your feet are in the sand.
Rough drive time from downtown Houston: 1 hour 15 minutes.
From Austin / San Antonio (west)
Your easiest route is Highway 71 East to Highway 36 South through West Columbia and Brazoria, which drops you onto Highway 288 South just north of Freeport. From there, follow the directions above from Highway 332.
Rough drive time from Austin: 3 hours 30 minutes.
From Galveston (east, via the ferry — the scenic way)
Take Highway 87 south out of Galveston to the Bolivar / Galveston Ferry (free, runs 24/7, about 20 minutes across — and yes, you'll probably see dolphins). On the Galveston side, follow Seawall Boulevard west until it becomes the San Luis Pass toll road ($2 cash). Keep going west on Bluewater Highway (FM 3005) for about 12 miles along the coast. You'll see Gulf Gumbo Club coming up on the left — turn right onto Stanek Drive and we're the last house in the cul-de-sac.
This route is longer but the drive along the water is beautiful and it's how the locals go.
Rough drive time from Galveston (with ferry): 1 hour 15 minutes.
Once You're in Surfside
Gulf Gumbo Club is on the Gulf side of Bluewater Highway, just past the last public beach access point in town.
Look for the gray beach house at the end of the cul-de-sac with covered parking underneath. The lockbox code and check-in instructions will be sent to you prior to your arrival — check your inbox or the Gulf Gumbo Club welcome email.
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Arrive
🛒 Stop for groceries before you hit the bridge. Once you're on the beach side, your options are limited to convenience stores (Surfside Food Mart and Ocean Supermarket are fine for the essentials, but more pricey — think gas station markup). Your best bet Lake Jackson (about 15-20 minutes north on 288) for HEB, Walmart Kroger. Stock up there.
🚗 Get a beach vehicle pass if you want to drive on the sand. $15/day or $30/year at Surfside Food Mart, City Hall, or Surfside Food Mart #2 on Bluewater Highway. You don't need one if you're just walking to the beach (which you can do from the house in 90 steps). If you rent our golf cart, a beach access pass is already included!
⛽ Fill up before 332 if you can. Gas is cheaper on the mainland side of the bridge than it is in town.
📱 Cell service is mostly solid but can get patchy in spots along Bluewater Highway. Download your map route before you lose signal just in case.
🌊 Check the tide and weather. Google "Surfside Beach, Texas tide tells you when the beach is widest. Low tide is prime time for crabbing, shell hunting, and the easiest walking.
Need Help Finding Us?
Plug our address into Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze and you're set. If GPS gets weird (it sometimes does out here), just get yourself to the corner of Bluewater Highway and Stanek Drive — we're 300 feet from that intersection, dead end at the Gulf.
Welcome to the club. 🦀