Just a few miles northeast of Surfside Beach, you will find Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge. We actually visited this location twice because we enjoyed the auto tour so much, and had some extra time our last day at Surfside Beach.

There were a lot of birds, and we found a slew of alligators! Definitely worth the visit. There are other hiking areas outside the main area, but we had a hard time finding them, and when we did, two of them were gated closed. I highly recommend checking with the Discovery Center or Field Office first, if possible.