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Southeast Texas residents have a new hidden oasis to cool off and beat the summer heat with.

The long-awaited Bridge City Beach has finally opened to the public with limited hours. The project is a swimming spot surrounded by sand and amenities like a food truck, lounge chairs and more.

“I’m all about community development,” owner Ja Cee Stanley said. “We want people to want to come here. We have to have things to entice them and say, “We have activities here. We have things to do.””

The Bridge City Beach includes a large swimming area with a floating obstacle course, a food truck and an air-conditioned bathroom and changing area. Lounge chairs with umbrellas, resort-style cabanas, and floating cabanas are all available for rent. 

The project came about by chance. Stanley was developing a private beach for her wedding and posted a video to social media which gained traction. Soon after, she had the idea to create a location for the community.

Bridge City Beach sits 25 feet below sea level at 330 Jones St. While the entrance is unassuming, Stanley said visitors just have to follow the road past the Boren dirt pit’s guard shack to get to the beach. 

‘When people come here, they literally get out of their vehicles blown away at the solitude,” Stanley said.

The owner emphasized that they hired locals to staff the beach — around 15 Bridge City High School students are employed there. Stanley said the teenagers are learning real-world skills in the process.

For now, Stanley said the beach is welcoming a trickle of customers as the staff irons out the daily operations process. Her goal is to have an official grand opening sometime around mid-September. 

Community reaction to the long-awaited project appears to be a mixed bag thus far. 

Many people on social media are happy to see a unique development come to Bridge City and praise the beach’s aesthetics and offerings. Numerous comments say they think the location looks nice and they’ll be glad to visit with their kids and grandchildren.

However, some commenters have criticized the beach’s policy of not allowing outside food or drinks. A significant number of users also believe the prices are too high. An Aug. 18 post on the official Bridge City Beach Facebook said all-day adult tickets are $30; students ages 7-17 are $25; children 4-7 are $15; and children 3 and under get in free.

Stanley said the prices were determined by market research into the cost of waterparks and other similar offerings throughout the state. She also mentioned that insurance costs are high for such an establishment, which brings the pricing up a bit.

“This isn’t something you’re going to do every single day,” Stanley said. “This is something to come enjoy, and splurge and have a nice time.”

Bridge City Beach is open Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 3 to 8 p.m.