Travel to the Mississippi Gulf Coast – Episode 688

Hear about travel to the Mississippi Gulf Coast as the Amateur Traveler talks to Charles McCool from McCoolTravel.com about this tasty area with great beaches.

Charles says, “As a travel writer I have visited Coastal Mississippi a few times over the last few years. It is a unique destination in the United States. I love trips. I travel all over the world and love driving and there’s this sense of soul fulfillment when I drive on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It’s just different from anywhere else. You can drive for an hour and not see anything except for the sand and the water. It’s unobstructed by condos and buildings and restaurants.”

Charles recommends an itinerary that starts on the eastern part of the coast in  Pascagoula, where Jimmy Buffett was born. Pascagoula has the oldest house in Mississippi, swamp tours, as well as a Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. You can also visit the Audubon Center where you can take river trips on the Pascagoula River, the longest undammed river in the lower 48 states.

Ocean Springs may be Charles’s favorite community. It is an artistic community with majestic oak trees dripping with Spanish Moss. It is across the bridge from Biloxi and its casinos. You won’t find as many chain restaurants in Ocean Springs. The Roost in Ocean Springs was named the “best-designed hotel in the US South and most beautiful hotel in Mississippi” by the Architectural Digest. Or you can stay in the “Love Me Tender, Love Me Suite” at Gulf Hills where Elvis used to stay for the summer.

Ocean Springs is the headquarters of the Gulf Islands National Seashore which is on a series of barrier islands off the coast. One of the islands includes an old brick fort, Fort Massachusetts.

In Biloxi, you should tour the lighthouse, but you need to get there early as it is a metal lighthouse and will get hot in the heat of the day. You can also find the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum at his home Beauvoir. There is also a seafood museum that celebrates this city once known as the “Seafood Capital of the World”. There is an art museum designed by Frank Gehry and the world’s most expensive Waffle House.

Charles takes us through Gulfport but lingers in Pass Christian. All along the way, you will find miles of beautiful beaches, especially from Biloxi to the west.

Along the way, Charles gives us a lot of restaurant recommendations including good BBQ, biscuits, Poboys, and sushi. You certainly should not visit this part of the world without trying the seafood. 

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Show Notes

mccooltravel.com
U.S. Gulf Coast Travel
51+ Coastal Mississippi Hidden Gems on The Secret Coast
Fun Things To Do On The Mississippi Gulf Coast
Mississippi Gulf Coast Restaurants: Coastal Mississippi Dining Guide
Pascagoula Abduction
La Pointe-Krebs House & Museum
McCoy’s Swamp and River Tour
Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge
John James Audubon
Old Spanish Trail (auto trail)
Walter Inglis Anderson
The Roost Ocean Springs, Ocean Springs
Gulf Hills – “Love Me Tender, Love Me” Suite
The Inn at Ocean Springs
Walter Anderson Museum of Art
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Fort Massachusetts
Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum
Beauvoir (Biloxi, Mississippi)
Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum
Biloxi Shrimping Trip
Ohr-O’Keefe Museum Of Art
World’s Most Expensive Waffle House
Mary Mahoney’s
Mississippi Aquarium
Fishbone Alley Gulfport
Fatsumo
Bay Town Inn, Bay St Louis
Annual Dolly Should Festival

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