Ocean Springs Best

Field Guides

A Local's Guide to Ocean Springs

Long-form guides to the places, parks, and walks worth your time in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Each guide is written by someone who actually lives here, updated when things change, and visually heavy on real photos rather than stock.

Available Ocean Springs Best sponsorship
Linocut of a great blue heron in flight.

Field guide

Walter Anderson Museum of Art

The artist, the secret Community Center Room mural, the gift shop worth raiding, and how long to plan for an unhurried visit.

Read the guide →

Linocut of barrier island marsh.

Field guide

Gulf Islands National Seashore

The free Davis Bayou Unit, the barrier islands and Ship Island ferry, the campground reservations, and what to do when you arrive.

Read the guide →

Linocut of cypress in the bayou.

Field guide

Davis Bayou

Free trails through the maritime forest, the only developed campground in town, a calm-water kayak launch, and the fishing pier.

Read the guide →

Linocut of a beach with pier and gulls.

Field guide

The Beaches

Front Beach versus East Beach: where to crab from the pier, where to walk in quiet, and where the sunset over Biloxi Bay actually lands.

Read the guide →

Linocut of a tree-lined main street.

Field guide

Downtown Ocean Springs

Government Street, the Washington Avenue gallery corridor, the L&N depot, and how to walk the district without backtracking.

Read the guide →

Linocut of small shops along brick sidewalk.

Field guide

Shopping in Ocean Springs

Independent boutiques, working pottery, art galleries, antique dealers, and the Saturday farmers market at the depot.

Read the guide →

Linocut of a pelican on a piling.

The big list

23 Things to Do in Ocean Springs

The full catalog: museums, beaches, parks, food, festivals, and the under-the-radar stops most tourists skip.

Read the guide →

Linocut of a child on a beach with a kite.

Family guide

Ocean Springs with Kids

Pier crabbing, calm bay water, kid-sized trails, two splash pads, and which museums actually hold their attention.

Read the guide →

Linocut of an Adirondack chair on the sand.

Itinerary

The Perfect Weekend

A Friday-through-Sunday route that hits the museum, the beaches, downtown, and Davis Bayou in geographic order.

Read the guide →