Nestled on beautiful South Padre Island is a unique collection of sandcastles known as the Sandcastle Trail, where locals and visitors alike can enjoy sand sculpture exhibits winding around the island.
The sculptures carry different themes, with some being more traditional castle structures and others representing various companies and organizations, and the City of South Padre Island has invested considerable efforts in maintaining and rebuilding the iconic Sandcastle Trail.
For more information on visiting the Sandcastle Trail, or how to see the approximately 30 gorgeous sand sculptures it features, visit http://www.sandsculpturetrail.com or call 956-459-2928. Since different exhibits along the trail are located at different addresses, be sure to find the complete list of all the sand sculptures you hope to see at https://www.myspi.org/egov/apps/document/center.egov?view=item;id=2463 to explore the trail on your own!
One of the professional artists whose work is featured along the trail, Andy Hancock, was born in Melbourne, Australia and has traveled all over the world for the past 30 years.
“I specialize in delivering unusual ‘larger than life’ artwork which now focuses on sand, while at the start of my career in art it was wood – carving standing trees,” he said.
Some of his sandcastles featured along the trail include The Largest Outdoor Permanent Sandcastle in the USA, sculpted in 2013 out of 150 tons of sand, and the Ramada Castle, which he crafted in 2012 with 75 tons of river sand.
“I am the designer and builder of the largest outdoor permanent sandcastle in the USA, which has been a major tourist attraction on South Padre Island since 2013 and was the first permanent sand exhibit of this nature in the USA,” Hancock said.
He is a former American Champion Sand Sculptor (Fort Myers, Florida in 2012), and won people’s awards as well as making a few competition appearances. But Hancock says he enjoys teaching these days more than competing.
Many competitions, he said, don’t use actual beach sand on their beaches, so results seen by the public may not be repeatable by fellow artists. And, he said, “while entertaining for the crowd, this doesn’t represent what we are able to teach families.”
That’s why today, Hancock prefers teaching lessons to families, owning and operating the most successful family sandcastle lessons operation in the country – one that has been featured numerous times on TV shows and in other media.
“Our lessons are designed to teach families how to use the unique qualities of the sand on South Padre Island using science as the base for teaching rather than just turning a bucket upside down,” Hancock explained. “We consider our lessons an experience, and offer two, three and four-hour lessons as well as a VIP lesson for larger groups.”
Lessons can be booked at: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g56691-d1382688-Reviews-Sandcastle_Lessons-South_Padre_Island_Texas.html.
Currently, Hancock is working on the first-ever Family World Sandcastle Championship on South Padre Island, running from April 5 to May 26. Its major focus is showing families how to build large sandcastles and compete while having fun together.
That, said Hancock, is “something that is more important now during these strange times.”
He added that is mantra is We Don’t Do Boring®. “That is what I try to deliver every day,” he said.
For more information or to register your family for the World Sandcastle Championship – and qualify for free lessons if you stay for three nights or more! – is www.wedontdoboring.com.
Entrants will be entitled to free use of all equipment during both instruction and competition, and entry to win the Family World Sandcastle title.
Or – to browse jaw-dropping South Padre Island sandcastles – search hashtags #thingstodoinsouthpadre or #howtobuildasandcastle.
When the championship is over, regular private sandcastle lessons will resume. Hancock noted that it’s very important to book lessons in advance since they tend to fill up quickly.
Other fun sandcastle activities on South Padre Island taking place later in the year include the 32nd Annual Sandcastle Days, which is helmed by the City of South Padre Island as well as South Padre Island master sand sculptors Walter McDonald and Lucinda Wierenga.
It will take place Sept. 27 to Oct. 3, and be hosted by Clayton’s, the biggest beach bar in Texas. This free family fun event has grown by leaps and bounds over the years and is now a qualifying event for the World Championships of Sand Sculpting. It will feature delicious food, live music, and art booths.
For more information on Sandcastle Days, visit http://www.sandcastledays.com.
Full credits to the owner of this article and photo.
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