Think about it for a minute: What if you lived in Lincoln, Nebraska? You’d be freezing half the time, yes, but more important, you’d also be totally landlocked. In fact, one of your closest real beaches would be … Galveston, Texas, more than 900 miles away.

Such an existence is hard to imagine for Houstonians, who live a mere hour’s drive from land’s end, where, just about any time we want, we can dip our toes in the salty water whose insistent, mysterious pull we canno—don’t want to—resist.

With the beach so close, we can enjoy it to the fullest, as long as we have just one day to swim, fish, boat, eat, drink, and explore before heading back home happy, tired, and a little sandy. If, like us, you like to pack as much in as possible, read on for great day-trip itineraries to four fantastic—and, lucky us, nearby—Gulf Coast destinations.