Planning a Visit to Coastal Mississippi

This trip was hosted by Coastal Mississippi however all opinions are my own.

I just might have fallen in love with the coast of Mississippi. With three coastal counties (Jackson, Hancock, and Harrison), we were amazed at the beauty and the 12 cities that makeup all the tourist fun.

If you’re looking for a place to put your toes in the sand and have fun, you can’t go wrong with the 62 miles of coastal Mississippi. Stellar views of the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi Sound.

Not to mention, TONS of amazing fresh local ingredients and seafood options to enjoy. After reading this post, I think you’ll agree that coastal Mississippi is the place to be.

I’ve basically broken it down for you in a way that you can easily book your stay and fill your days!

Things to Do in Coastal Mississippi

Below you’ll find just a few recommendations on fun things to do while in Mississippi.

Book a Stay at Hotel Legends

Located in Biloxi, it’s in a great location with nice, clean rooms. We were able to check-in and get started exploring the town without any issues! One of the things that I loved about this hotel was how close it was to dining and entertainment, I also loved how spacious the suites were we stayed in a two-bedroom suite that had a total of three beds. It also had a full kitchen and two full bathrooms, downstairs in the lobby they had a mini cafe for you to buy coffee and an array of small meals for breakfast.

Lastly, you need to check out the fully decked out infinity pool which faces the gulf, imagine having your own private cabana, and looking at the wonderful view.

The hotel also offers dining and has a full bar, when you check-in you will get some poker chips that you can trade-in for a drink or coffee. Enjoy the hotel as it lives up to having different legends pictured throughout the hotel and the rooms themselves.

Explore Downtown Biloxi

This location used to be known as the “seafood capital of the world”, so with that in mind, put your eating pants on! From great shopping to dining, you can’t go wrong.

Speaking of dining…

Eat Dinner at Shaggy’s Biloxi Beach

Pick one of their amazing food items and listen to the Mississippi Sound while having stellar views of the beach. Let me tell you Shaggy’s has a very ample menu and one that is great for the whole family. I really enjoyed the variety of drinks that they had, and loved their beach balls! Trust me you need to order them, the stuffed avocado with Ahi Tuna is also delicious and I am super bummed I could not try it due to my seafood allergy.

Shaggy’s is also expanding its boardwalk and they have a lot of specials going on, make sure you visit them on Instagram for all of the new things they have coming.

Eat Breakfast at Greenhouse on Porter

You have to start the day with their sweet and savory biscuits. Paired with a cup of coffee is HEAVEN. They also have a wonderful array of local coffee and honey for sale!

Visit Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art

This is a lovely museum full of amazing art. Make certain to take your time and look at all the exhibits and artwork. The exhibits are always changing so it is great to keep revisiting as they have different exhibits with different artists. While it is a smaller museum it also offers a great view of the bay and has a whole building dedicated to ceramics.

Visit Walter Anderson Museum of Art

You’re going to love seeing the beautiful works of art inspired by the beauty of the region and area! Featuring pieces from Walter Anderson himself the museum is a tribute to Mississippi history and culture.

Fun fact in the museum there is a room that was part of Anderson’s actual house that they found after he had passed as he kept it locked.

Eat Lunch at Eat Drink Love

I had an amazing salad that was packed full of fresh ingredients. Gave me just the right amount of energy to power through the day!

Explore Downtown Ocean Springs + Front Beach

More shopping anyone? Put on your walking shoes and see what this little area is all about. It’s adorable and perfect for strolling! Make sure you visit Pop brothers while you explore, you may find a rooster or two and a variety of different flavors to choose from. Downtown is also the perfect place to take pictures for Instagram as they have some pretty epic murals.

Betsy Ann Riverboat Sunset & Hibachi Cruise

This just might be one of the most fun activities, ever. Enjoy great food and a glorious sunset on the stern of a paddleboat! You heard me Hibachi on a paddleboat! I know it sounds crazy but trust me when I tell you this is a must-do when you visit Coastal Mississippi. The sunset cruise was one that was beautiful with live music, the Betsy Ann also has a variety of other cruises to choose from so make sure to visit them at https://betsyannriverboat.com/

Grab a coffee at Jacked Up Coffee Bar

Delicious coffee flavor and a trust me on this one – don’t miss out on their monkey bread!

Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum

A lovely museum that talks and shows all about the maritime history of the area. What I loved about this museum was the history that it had about Mississippi Shrimping, coastal Mississippi is a huge shrimping area. This museum covers the history of how shrimping began and even some of the tools that they use to peel and devein shrimp. You can also find a full-blown sailboat located inside the museum!

Biloxi Shrimping Trip

This is a fun-filled 70-minute cruise on the Mississippi Sound! This trip was so fun and educational at the same time. Our tour guide David was super knowledgeable, we were able to learn about how Shrimp migrate to the coastal Mississippi. During the tour, we also learned how to throw down the net, and we actually had the chance to catch some shrimp along with some other sea creatures you can find in the area. This tour is great for the whole family they also have other cruises you can do as well https://www.biloxishrimpingtrip.com/

Enjoy Lunch at White Pillars

This is a farm-to-gulf table menu with fresh and unique flavors. So good! Get ready to indulge in some amazing local cuisine. White pillars has an amazing history, Austin Sumrall, the chef-owner of White Pillars has been working in restaurants for many years and has had a passion for cooking most of his life. Austin grew up in McComb, Mississippi, and went on to graduate from the University of Mississippi with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. He received classical training at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and has worked for three different James Beard award winners with the title of “Best Chef: South”.

Everything located in White Pillars is from locals from the art to the dishes you eat on you will not be disappointed visiting this fancy mansion!

Tour of Mississippi Aquarium

Get a few miles under your belt on the highway and take a tour here. It’s the perfect place to see all sorts of marine life! The aquarium opened in 2020 and this aquarium is the perfect addition to Coastal Mississippi. One of the highlights of my time visiting was getting to know Stella’s story, Stella is a tiger shark that has scoliosis and the vets at the aquarium were able to team up with vets from all over the country to perform a life-saving operation that saved Stella’s life.

You can also check out an array of different fish and sharks, or visit the tide pool to pet some stingrays or some baby Hammerhead sharks. They even have dolphins and an aviary! The aquarium is still expanding and they have a lot of new things coming, but one perk is you can actually do Yoga early in the morning with some sea life.

Book a stay at Hotel Pass Christian

Staying here is the perfect place to put up your feet and relax. I was pretty much obsessed with the location and it was such a nice and clean room. It isn’t every day you get to stay in a hotel with a balcony overlooking the gulf, I personally tend to like boutique hotels as they give you that sense of home.

Explore Downtown Bay St. Louis

A lot of great shopping here and some really fun photo ops!

Eat Dinner at Thorny Oyster

The gulf-fresh seafood here is like none other. Totally amazing and highly recommended. I can not rave enough about the Thorny Oyster, the service was amazing one of the things that I was very impressed with was how knowledgeable our servers were of the menu, and of what each dish had. I was traveling with two other friends including myself who have different food allergies, and they were able to accommodate everyone.

If you are in Bat St.Louis this is definitely a spot to visit for dinner.

Eat Breakfast at Fill-Up With Billups

Situated in an old gas station, you’re going to love the ambiance and the food!

As you can see, there is so much to do here in this area that you can’t pass it up!

Find itineraries, lodging options, attraction information, and more by visiting coastalmississippi.com or call Coastal Mississippi toll-free: 1-888-467-4853