Recreation
Recreation is an important aspect of quality of place, in that a good parks system contributes to the health of the residents of the city, provides an outlet for involvement by the young and old alike, and provides places to gather for special occasions. Parks are an extremely visible component of the city’s government at work and can, if adequately planned for, instill a strong sense of pride in the residents of a community.

Municipal Parks
The Area has more than 270 acre of developed parks, one municipal golf course, four swimming pools, 20 lighted tennis courts and 24 lighted baseball diamonds/soccer fields.

Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park
Birders from all over the United States come to this 588-acre park in the Rio Grande to observe its abundant and unusual variety of tropical resident and migrating northern birds. Lush and more densely wooded than much of the Valley, this state park is the site of the World Birding Center.

World Birding Center
A grand vision takes flight at the new World Birding Center, with headquarters at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, Mission. Texas Parks & Wildlife and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services join nine Valley communities dotted along 120 miles of river road from South Padre Island west to Roma to form this ecological treasure. Novices as well as advanced birders/naturalists are invited to enjoy viewing stations, watching towers, interpretive centers and programs.

NABA Butterfly Park
The North American Butterfly Association Butterfly Park at Mission is near the new World Birding Center and Bentsen Rio Grande State Park at Mission. It has walking trails with interpretive signs, gardens, and more butterflies than you can count

South Padre Island
Isla Blanca Park has two beachfront pavilions, a 1,000-foot sea walk, marina, restaurants, gift shops, volleyball nets and showers. Stroll or fish off huge granite jetties. And South Padre Island’s bottlenose dolphins are wild and free, enjoying the rich waters of the Laguna Madre Bay and the inshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It is against the law to feed, swim with or touch wild dolphins, but there are many dolphin watch boats on the island.