Tips and Tricks for a Beach-Friendly Soiree

Port Aransas and Mustang Island offer a long stretch of sand to hold gatherings of all occasions. There's truly no better way to celebrate any accomplishment or milestone than on the beach with your loved ones. So, load up the car (or golf cart), purchase a beach parking permit, and seek out a spot to host your group!

While celebrating, remember to consider the wildlife that call the Gulf Coast home. There are plenty of sustainable materials to complement your gathering without using traditional party products that may cause harm to the ecosystem. There are also best practices to make sure you protect you and yours while you're enjoying your time on the beach. Please take a moment to read through this helpful list of dos and don’ts for visiting the island:

Dos

• Use Reusable Drinkware—From stay-cold tumblers to hard plastic wine glasses to cup holders that have a stake on the bottom perfect for sticking in the sand, there are plenty of cute reusable drinkware options that are a great alternative to glass or cans. Local shop Island Wine carries a variety for your perusal.
• Use Biodegradable Products—Where it's not possible to use reusable products, consider looking for biodegradable options. Biodegradable plates and flatware are much preferred to plastic.
• Rent Tents and Chairs—Local rental companies like 361 Blue will rent you gorgeous chair and umbrella set ups, while others like Party Tent Rentals #1 have the perfect tent for your big group party! The best part? You don't have to worry about battling the wind while breaking down or having to pack bulky equipment into your car, which means less "beach spiders," as broken tent skeletons are known, get left on the beach
• Hire Local Catering—Stop worrying about plastic bags of hot dogs getting blown into the water and hire a local beach caterer like Rollin' Tide Boil Co. to do your party cooking! They do it all for you, so you can kick back, relax, and not worry about messy cleanup!
• Reapply Sunscreen—The Texas sun demands a healthy application of sunscreen at the beginning of any beach day, but don't get too swept up in the celebration to reapply every couple hours. You want to be able to continue to have fun in the sun for days to come!
• Bring Your Dog (And Their Leashes)—Pets love the beach just as much as you do, but for their sake, and that of local wildlife species, always make sure they are on a leash. Remember, the leash is the law!

Dont's

• Use Confetti—As colorful and exciting as confetti is, the sea breeze is a hardy one and will surely blow it away, littering the beach with bits that can be confused for food and ultimately harm wildlife. 
• Bring Single Use Plastic Products—There are 269,000 metric tons of plastic in the ocean! Do your part in slowing down the trend by leaving the single-use plastic at home.
• Glass Bottles or Containers—Not only is it dangerous to bring glass to the Port Aransas beach, it's also illegal. Please be mindful of all beachgoers and leave the glass bottles behind.
• Release Balloons—Not only do balloons pop and end up in the ocean, but the strings that were attached become a threat to the turtles that come to local beaches to lay their eggs. 
• Abandon Tents and Popups—On particularly gusty days, small personal tents that are used for shade do not stand a chance against beach winds and can get damaged, which leads to a lot of abandoned popup skeletons, or "beach spiders." Consider using a Shibumi shade instead! 
• Feed the Wildlife—As noisy as the gulls may be, they really don't need that bite of leftover sandwich or half-empty bag of potato chips. Human's food is harmful, and if fed too often by visitors, they become conditioned to depending on humans for survival.