It makes me happy to find a town in my home state that is as charming as Ocean Springs. It’s one of those places that were on the to-do list, but just never have been able to make a trip happen. Actually, the Mississippi gulf coast in general was on the to-do list, but Ocean Springs happened to be where we landed for this trip.
The occasion was the annual Cruisin’ The Coast event that takes place every October. It has grown over the years to be one of the biggest car shows in the US. Basically, the entire Mississippi coast becomes a car show for an entire week. Every town has shows, events, vendors, music, etc. It’s awesome if you are a car enthusiast. Click Here for a link with more info on the event.
Visiting the town during this event did change the way we were able to experience the town and what places we were able to visit. Since the entire downtown was a car show, we couldn’t park there or get the usual feel of normal downtown vibes, but we saw enough to make us plan to revisit. The streets are lined with beautiful Live oaks, and historic buildings add charm. It’s also only a few blocks from the beach, which is where we chose to park and walk in. There were numerous shops to browse and a wide variety of restaurants, bars, etc to hop around between.
Here is a list of a few places we didn’t get to go into, but are planning to visit on our next trip :
Now, I won’t lie…. the beaches here do not have the same gorgeous blue/green water that we love in the Florida Panhandle, BUT they do have their own unique quality. First, they are not crowded. If you crave some quiet time to just put your feet in some sand, soak up some sun, and maybe even do some shore fishing, it is fantastic for that. The sand is nice and white. Another awesome option is a beach bonfire. There are permanent 10 ft fire rings built along the beach that can be reserved for $25! Click Here to visit the City permit site for more info and rules.
We also enjoyed the pier and walking along the marina area to see the boats. You can buy fresh gulf shrimp right off the boats. We didn’t think of bringing a cooler with us, or we would have taken some home.
Even though it was a short day trip, Ocean Springs did not disappoint. We will definitely be back to visit and explore more of the area and enjoy the downtown businesses on our to-do list. Maybe even cruise around on a golf cart. Oh yeah, there’s that… the area is golfcartable! Link to Rentals here.
Good post.