Ocean Springs, MS

Went a few weeks ago and everything was open. We hung out mostly downtown Ocean Springs. They have a nice little beer bar with outdoor seating so family friendly and they had a live band playing.

Can't say anything about the beach because we didn't go, but restaurants were all open and serving.

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How is the beach?

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Take the ferry to Ship Island from Biloxi. You can watch dolphins breach along the way.

If you like BBQ, go to The Shed ... it's set up kind of strange (my teens were apalled, my little kids loved it) ... it's like a dirt floor with picnic tables

BBQ was good, though. My 5 year old keeps asking to go back.

McElroys is a great place to have breakfast. It’s on the right on Hwy 90 before you get to the bridge. Great breakfast the first time I ate there was in 1968 and my wife always have breakfast there when we visit the casinos.

Murky Waters can be hit or miss, I've had great BBQ from them and I've had some that was cold, dry, and rubbery

4 nights in Ocean Springs is too long especially with young kids. Maybe spend one night then head over to dauphin island

Pro tip:

Order your Shed meal "to go" by phone then head over.

Walk past the line, pick up your meal, and sit down.

It's not the type of place where that sort of thing matters.

Lynn Meadows Discovery Center might be a fun outing for your boys. There is also Mississippi Coast Railroad Museum that is "hands on" for the kids.

Edited to add NASA Space Center near Bay St. Louis.

4 nights in Ocean Springs? Seriously?

The Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau should give you an award.

Let me try and help you out.

First of all, the "beach" at Ocean Springs is just a little sandy area on Biloxi Bay, not on the open Gulf. The water will be green-brown (mostly brown), very shallow, and there will be essentially no waves.



The beaches between Biloxi and Pass Christian are a little better, mainly just bigger/deeper and longer, all along the Hwy 90 frontage.

The REAL Mississippi Gulf beaches are on the barrier islands some miles off the mainland. Without your own boat, your only way to get there is to take the passenger ferry out to Ship Island. There you get clearer water and nice surf. As other posters mention, you will almost always see dolphins and there is also an old Civil War era fort there to see.



But that's just one day. I really don't know what else you could do there. I mean, you can go see some museums and historic stuff (Beauvoir- last home of Jefferson Davis, the George Ohr Museum in Biloxi, and I highly recommend the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs, which you can probably walk to from your lodging). All of those can be seen in a day, too.

I'd suggest you play some golf or hit the casinos, but you say you are going with the wife and 2 toddler boys.

Gulf Islands Waterpark north of Gulfport is open; that may be a fun family outing.

Good luck.