Coastal Mississippi - Play
Table of Contents
Stories and photos by Lisa Evans (unless otherwise indicated)
Enjoy Our Beaches in Coastal Mississippi
Coastal Mississippi has 62 miles of scenic coastline. Within those 62 miles is the longest man-made beach in the United States, at 26 miles. Highway 90, or Beach Boulevard, is the scenic route through our Coast. It runs through Coastal Mississippi from the Louisiana state line to the Alabama state line. Driving along Highway 90 affords you beach pull-offs in all the Coastal cities. Folks pull off, unload their sunscreen and beach gear, and enjoy a relaxing day sprawled on the sand worshipping the sun and brilliance of the day. It is not unusual to see groups with BBQ grills or smokers cooking for their family and friends.
Several areas along the beach have volleyball nets, fire pits, and have beach chairs and umbrellas for your use. Our beach vendors stand at the ready to welcome you. They offer rentals of jet skis, paddleboards, or aqua cycles. One of the best scenes I have witnessed here is the parasailers who utilize the Gulf breezes for their adventure. Simply looking for a walk along the beach to see sensational sunrises or sunsets? Done! It is a great way to spend a day.
Enjoy Family Entertainment in Coastal Mississippi
While there certainly are many forms of adult fun to be had here in Coastal Mississippi in the form of luxury Casino resorts, there has also been a concerted effort to expand the multitude of family entertainment available as well.
When opened in 1998, Lynn Meadows was Mississippi’s first children’s museum. It is located just off the beach in Gulfport and sits under majestic live oaks. It is in a renovated elementary school and offers a multitude of learning programs, classes, and camps. They encourage the little ones to learn and explore by having interactive, hands-on exhibits that help expand the imagination of the children. Recently, Lynn Meadows was awarded the National Medal for Museum and Library Service.
Mississippi Coast Model Railroad Museum
Located in Gulfport, here you will find model trains of all manner, along with 200 years of train history. They have an enormous two-million-piece intricate Lego display. There are also outdoor trains where children (of all ages!) can ride for a fun trek around the property.
Our newest family attraction, the Aquarium opened in Fall 2020 and is located on the beach across from Jones Park in Gulfport. The Aquarium tells the story of all Mississippi’s aquatic resources in a manner that educates the visitors through engaging displays, programs, and daily shows. In addition to the multitudes of fish you can see, there are also dolphins, otters, sharks, stingrays, and manta rays, just to name a few. An outdoor aviary gives you a glimpse of several varieties of beautiful birds. It is truly an experience for everyone, while also serving the purpose of education and conservation of our aquatic friends.
Located in Biloxi, here you will find a place to keep you and your family entertained for hours. Big Play features a large arcade, bowling, laser tag, a laser maze, miniature golf, bumper cars, and Go-karts. You can also become a mining sleuth and pan for gold, fossils, arrowheads, and gemstones.
Enjoy Our Natural Beauty in Coastal Mississippi
A visit to our area would be incomplete without heading over to Ship Island. Ship Island is one of the Barrier Islands, located approximately 12 miles off the coast of Gulfport. It is part of the Gulf Islands Natural Seashore. Your trip begins with a ferry ride across the Mississippi Sound, where the water shimmers from the sunshine glinting off it. The pristine beauty of the Gulf of Mexico is accessible by the boardwalk once you arrive on the island.
Fort Massachusetts is located here and is well-deserving of a tour on your way to the beach. Find your chairs and umbrella and head to the refreshing water, a break from the sweltering heat of summer. When you swim in these waters, remember that you are a guest. When last I visited, I was lucky enough to swim with a school of minnows trying to avoid a larger fish behind, blue crabs underwater who were trying to burrow into the sand, stingrays gliding around, and even a small shark off in the distance. You will want to enjoy the water but know you are not alone. Walking along the shoreline allows you to see a myriad of shorebirds. For locals and visitors alike, this a perfect day trip to relax and commune with nature.
Davis Bayou
Another area in the Gulf Islands Natural Seashore, Davis Bayou is in Ocean Springs. Here you will experience the bayous of the area in all their glory. Birding is fabulous – you will see gulls of all kinds, great blue herons, ospreys, and even the occasional Bald eagle. Be sure to bring your binoculars!
There is a campground here as well as a boat launch, hiking trails, and picnic area. You will not want to miss the Gator Pond. Here lies an exceptionally large alligator that sometimes is sunning himself on the rocks. When last I visited, he was playing hide-and-seek, so I had to settle for the turtles and fish instead.
Pascagoula River Audubon Center
Located on the Pascagoula River in the unassuming city of Moss Point, here you will find nature at its finest. The Pascagoula River is the largest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states. The Conservatory has several indoor displays, all focused on education and conservation. The grounds have several nature trails, gardens featuring native plants, all united in the purpose of providing a bird and wildlife-friendly landscape.
Each year PRAC hosts a hummingbird festival where volunteers tag migrating hummingbirds. This helps gather important information from these amazing creatures. If you are so inclined, you can rent a kayak, or bring your own. It is an incredible way to journey on the water. You are almost guaranteed to see exceptional sightings of ospreys, snowy egrets, cormorants, turkey vultures, and eagles. Yet another way to appreciate the natural surroundings.
If you are wanting to see alligators in their natural surroundings, you will want to visit the Gator Ranch. Located in Moss Point, here you can have the adventure of an Airboat Swamp Tour. This tour takes you through the wilderness of the area which borders the Grand Bay Estuary. Here you will see alligators, birds, and other wildlife in their natural habitat. Taking a tour of the Gator Ranch affords you a close encounter viewing for some of the oldest and largest alligators in captivity. For those television fans of The Gator Boys, several episodes were filmed here at the Gator Ranch.
Enjoy Our History in Coastal Mississippi
Located in Bay St. Louis, here you will find a building steeped in African American and Blues Music history. Constructed in 1894, it was a gathering place for the black community for their life events. When incorporated, its purpose was to “assist its members when sick, bury its dead in a respectable manner and knit friendship”. It became a place for community music gatherings, hosting such musical greats as Etta James, BB King, Muddy Waters, and Fats Domino, just to name a few. Its walls hold vital history of our area, and 100 Men Hall is a designated stop along the Mississippi Blues Trail.
A testament to the enduring Confederate history in Coastal Mississippi, Beauvoir is the last home of Jefferson Davis. Davis was the first and only President of the Confederacy. This is an antebellum home, featuring resplendent gardens and a library with an array of books that date back before the Civil War. It is a fascinating place to visit for the history buff.
Erected in 1848, the Biloxi Lighthouse is the City of Biloxi’s signature landmark, and likely the most photographed sight along Coastal Mississippi. Standing at 65′ tall, it was one of the first cast-iron structures in the South. It is situated in the middle of Highway 90. Here you can climb up a spiral staircase and then climb further up another ladder to the lightroom, affording you spectacular views of the Sound.
The lighthouse has withstood the mighty forces of nature here on the Gulf, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Katrina’s storm surge enshrouded one-third of the lighthouse and her winds broke many windows, but it survived. The structure remains a beacon of hope for all it has seen and endured through the years.
Enjoy Our Festivals
Coastal Mississippi enjoys showing our visitors, and locals, a good time. This is evidenced by numerous celebrations and festivals each year. A few are mentioned below.
Crawfish Music Festival: held each year in April on the grounds of the MS Coast Coliseum and Convention Center in Biloxi, it brings together rides, crawfish cookoffs, and well-known musical artists for several days of fun.
Cruisin’ the Coast: A coastwide convergence of thousands of classic cars from all over the country. Cruisin’ showcases antique, classic, hot rods and custom cars. Each October for 10 days, you can experience sock hops, swap meets, auctions, and simply bathe in the beauty of viewing these cars as they cruise along Beach Boulevard. They will celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2021 and will likely prove to be even more spectacular.
Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival: Named after the famous master potter, this festival takes place each November on the streets of downtown Ocean Springs. It celebrates artists and crafters and their offerings, along with plenty of music and food for good measure. Festivalgoers will find oil paintings, pottery, handmade jewelry, metal works and so much more.
Gulfport Harbor Lights Festival: From Thanksgiving to the New Year, enjoy walking through over one million twinkling Christmas lights and displays. Set up in Jones Park, you have the unbelievable winter night sky of the Mississippi Sound as your backdrop. Stroll through Santa’s Village, ride the carousel or Ferris wheel, or walk along the paths as you are surrounded by the glimmering lights of the season.
Laissez le bon temps rouler - Let the Good Times Roll
Coastal Mississippi is also known for our wonderful St. Patrick’s Day parade in Biloxi, as well as numerous parades and celebrations in each of the Coastal cities for Mardi Gras. Do not forget!
Laissez le bon temps rouler – Let the Good Times Roll
Lisa Evans is a freelance travel writer and photographer. She has always enjoyed the outdoors and nature and includes them often in her writing and photography. History is another passion. Every place has a story to tell if only you find it.
Lisa is a member of TravMedia, IFWTWA, and Travel Writer’s Café. She maintains a website at http://writerlisa.com and is on Instagram @mygypsytravel