re: Ship island

If you want to get in the water at all, i'd go to ship island. I took the kids this summer and the fort was closed due to standing water in it. I would imagine it is open again by now. The fort is free to walk through and they give guided tours frequently. You have to walk by it to get to the beach. You can rent a pair of chair and umbrella and there is a concession shop that has a few other things as well.