Top Things to do in Mississippi Gulf Coast
Things to do in Mississippi Gulf Coast, Mississippi Gulf Coast: The Best Points of Interest & Landmarks
Discover the best top things to do in Mississippi Gulf Coast, United States including Pershing Square, Beauvoir, Chris LeDoux Trail Marker, Friendship Oak, Hurricane Katrina Memorial, Bay Saint Louis Beach, Grand Bay National National Refuge, Round Island Lighthouse, World's "Largest Rocker", Ruskin Oak.
Restaurants in Mississippi Gulf Coast
1. Pershing Square
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 6 reviews
Laser engraved bricks honoring veterans who served in WW I, WW II, Korea, Vietnam, and mid-East wars preserving our freedom.
2. Beauvoir
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,170 reviews
Home of Ex-Confederate President of the Confederate States of America where he lived his remaining 12 years of his life (post-war) and where he wrote "The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government." Golf Carts are now available to rent. Guided tour of the home showing how life was lived by the President and his family and self guided grounds (Varina's Garden, Cemetery, and nature trail), Museum, separated into 3 sections: Rotating Gallery, Soldier's Exhibit, and President Davis Exhibit. Research Library including reference books to accommodate most genealogy research focused on the Civil War.
Reviewed By interceptpubs - Columbus, United States
Built around 1850 by James Brown, a wealthy planter, as a summer home on the Gulf of Mexico, Brown called his new estate "Orange Grove." Brown died in 1866, but it wasn't until 1873 that the property was sold to pay back taxes and settle his estate. It quickly changed hands a couple of times, ending up in the possession of Sarah Ann Dorsey, the daughter of a wealthy planter in Natchez. She bought the house along with 600 hundred surrounding acres, renaming it "Beauvoir" or "beautiful view." Dorsey was a childhood friend of Varina Howell, Jefferson Davis' second wife, and herself had known the Davis family all her life, often visiting the Confederate president's elder brother Joseph's family at his home, Hurricane Plantation, near Vicksburg. When Jefferson Davis came to the Gulf Coast in 1877 seeking a place to write his memoirs, Dorsey offered him the use of one of the cabins on the estate. Two years later Dorsey died, leaving the entire estate to Davis. Davis, his wife, and their youngest daughter, known as Winnie, lived here until his death in 1889. The remaining two women moved to New York City in 1891, although they retained ownership of Beauvoir. The Davis family finally sold it in 1902 to the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans for use as a veterans home. It served in this role until 1953. The main house was turned into a shrine to the late Confederate president in 1941 with a museum honoring Confederate soldiers in the basement. With the closure of the veterans home, the home's hospital became the soldier's museum and a Davis' family museum took up the exhibit space in the main house's basement. In the late 90s, the Jefferson Davis Library and Museum were opened on the grounds. Unfortunately, just a few short years later, Katrina hit devastating the ocean front property. The main house survived, but has required extensive restoration that is only now in its final stages. A number of artifacts were also damaged, and the Library was effectively destroyed. Overall damage estimates exceeded $25 million dollars. Fortunately, much of the restoration is now complete, as we discovered in our recent visit to the estate. The first stop for visitors is the gift shop where tickets ($12.50 for adults) for the hourly house tours can be purchased. The tour itself last about 30 minutes and covers all the rooms in the house (although some rooms, such as Jefferson Davis' bedroom, are only looked at through the glass doors/windows). The rooms are mostly furnished with pieces from the Davis' family. The docent provides a fairly fast paced overview of the estate's history with a particular emphasis on the time that the Davis family lived here. After the house tour, we went back into the main building to look at the museum exhibits that take up much of the second floor. Items from Jefferson Davis, including correspondence, as well as an extensive collection of Civil War military material (edged weapons, rifles, flags, etc.) are on display. Some damaged items are shown to illustrate the havoc caused by Katrina. We then walked the 50 or so acres of grounds including out to the soldiers cemetery, where we found the grave of the Confederate unknown soldier, before finally hitting the gift shop to buy some interesting books on the history of the estate, the Civil War, and Mississippi. Overall, we spent about two hours here and enjoyed every minute of it.
3. Chris LeDoux Trail Marker
4. Friendship Oak
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 122 reviews
Over 500 years old, this oak tree is allegedly Mississippi's oldest and most beautiful tree.
Reviewed By rhondac396 - Memphis, United States
The Friendship Oak has chronicled the history of the Mississippi Gulf Coast for more than 500 years, sheltering generations through calm and storm. Located on the Gulf Park campus of the University of Southern Mississippi, it is a massive live oak tree with extraordinary girth and heavy branches that reach low and far. Take time to visit this tree and you will marvel at its age, its size, and its living history. Wow!
5. Hurricane Katrina Memorial
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 70 reviews
Reviewed By sherrywenta - Nashville, United States
This memorial is emotionally moving. The personal effects encased in the memorial pay tribute to the people whose families, homes and businesses were so devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
6. Bay Saint Louis Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 51 reviews
Reviewed By arlonf768
So many miles of beach and exceptional room to be away from anyone near you. The water felt great and the beach was clean. You can walk out a good ways - shallow. I love coming here and it is only 40 minutes from New Orleans.
7. Grand Bay National National Refuge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By Seasluggie
We were pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness of the visitor center, drinking fountains, bathrooms and outdoor picnic tables and seating area. The kid friendly informative visitors center has a station for people to pack a nature pack. The backpacks are returned at the end of the one mile hike.
8. Round Island Lighthouse
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 45 reviews
Reviewed By jweith
We are in the lighthouse society so we loved going to them whenever we can. This one is open only Fridays and Saturdays 10 to 5. You pay $2 and go up it on your own. Person is near by to take up the money and give you a brief run down of the lighthouse itself. We enjoyed this. Would be worth the stop if you enjoy lighthouses.
9. World's "Largest Rocker"
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 32 reviews
Reviewed By MNnola - Canby, United States
You can certainly stop by to see the sky-high rocker. You can also take some time to explore the showroom full of beautiful custom-made furniture. There are huge pieces, complete dining and bedroom sets and small items, rocking horses and magazine racks. Then take a few more minutes and visit the factory. You might catch them making one of their beautiful rockers. You can choose from many styles. We have one of their rockers and a custom designed bookcase that we enjoy every day. So stop for the novelty or order something hand made for lasting enjoyment!
10. Ruskin Oak
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By doublemdoublet - Clifton, United States
No one can pinpoint the exact age of the Ruskin Oak in Ocean Springs. But the live oak’s 28-foot circumference, measured in 1974, suggests the tree is over 350 years old. If that estimate is accurate, the evergreen tree sprouted from the sandy soil around 1692, before the original French settlers arrived in the region. Named for Englishman John Ruskin, a 19th century author and art critic who espoused painting from nature, the Ruskin Oak stands on private property in a quiet residential neighborhood next to Biloxi Bay. It is an historic and massive oak. One of the oldest recorded in MS and has dodged hurricanes, road building, residential development, climbing kids by the sign of one rope swing.
