Top Things to do in Mississippi Gulf Coast
What to do and see in Mississippi Gulf Coast, Mississippi Gulf Coast: The Best Sights & Landmarks
Discover the best top things to do in Mississippi Gulf Coast, United States including Pershing Square, Saint Rose de Lima Catholic Church, Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church, Beauvoir, Harrison County Fairgrounds, St. Michael's Catholic Church, University of Southern Mississippi, Friendship Oak, Mississippi Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Biloxi Lighthouse.
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. Saint Rose de Lima Catholic Church
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 23 reviews
Reviewed By billbeck451 - Bay Saint Louis, United States
Beautiful and welcoming little catholic church with a fantastic gospel choir on Sunday late mass and a mural of Jesus behind the altar that is inspiring
3. Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 15 reviews
Reviewed By 299lucye
After the hurricane the Church needed a great deal of work. Finally the interior is finished. The paint job is wonderful and it really shines. We love all the services there particularly the Tuesday devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help and the Wednesday evening Traditional Latin Mass.
4. 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.
5. Harrison County Fairgrounds
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8 reviews
This beautiful multipurpose facility is situated on 640 acres. It is a comprehensive sports and entertainment complex offering a unique combination of events from leisure activities to world class events.
6. St. Michael's Catholic Church
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 76 reviews
This church has beautiful stained glass windows.
Reviewed By O1670HAjenniferw - Natchez, United States
We attended the 10 am service on Christmas day. The stained glass windows and architecture of the building are unique. Covid distancing and hand sanitizing was being observed, but communion was very risky, so we did not participate. It is well worth stopping to visit the church.
7. University of Southern Mississippi
8. 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!
9. Mississippi Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 70 reviews
Reviewed By 758betsym
I was very impressed with the whole memorial area. The pictures of the young men who gave their all for my country really brought it to mind what America lost in that war. Thank you Mississippi for honoring your sons in this beautiful setting.
10. Biloxi Lighthouse
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 497 reviews
The Biloxi Lighthouse was erected in 1848 and was one of the first cast-iron lighthouses in the South. It is the city's signature landmark and has become a post-Katrina symbol of the city's resolve and resilience. The light was civilian operated from 1848 to 1939, and is notable for its several female lightkeepers, including Maria Younghans, who tended the light for 53 years. In 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard assumed responsibility for the light's operation.After being declared surplus property in 1968, the Biloxi Lighthouse was deeded to the City of Biloxi, which eventually opened it to public tours.The lighthouse has withstood many storms over the years. Katrina's storm surge enveloped a third of the 64-foot tall lighthouse, and the constant pounding from the water and winds toppled many bricks that lined the interior of the cast iron tower. The storm’s winds also broke many of the windows in the light cupola and destroyed the structure's electrical systemIn March 2010, the city re-opened the lighthouse to public tours after a 14-month, $400,000 restoration that was funded by FEMA and MEMA and completed by Biloxi contractor J.O. Collins.
Reviewed By genoacowboy - Houston, United States
A very Historical Lighhouse, Can Be toured Visit the visitor center across from it and there you can buy tickets for a tour, Recommended
