There’s no better place to enjoy retirement living than the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Apart from the gorgeous weather, towns like Biloxi, Gulfport, Ocean Springs, and Pass Christian also boast an abundance of fun, cost-friendly activities that residents and visitors of all ages can enjoy. In this blog post from Mandal Preferred, we discuss ten fun activities for retirees to enjoy on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
For even more information on Gulf Coast living, or to get started searching for your dream coastal home, get in touch with the Mandal Preferred team today. We have years of experience helping retirees and younger adults find and sell waterfront properties along the breathtaking Mississippi Gulf Coast. Read on to learn more about some of the fun activities you can look forward to in your new Gulf Coast home, then reach out to Mandal Preferred today!
Dig In
The Mississippi Gulf Coast is renowned worldwide for its unique cuisine, featuring mouth-watering seafood from the Gulf of Mexico. French, Cajun, and Creole influences abound, making the cuisine here similar in some ways to neighboring New Orleans, but with its own unique twists. Some of the dishes you can expect to enjoy include jambalaya, po’boys, fried green tomatoes, Mississippi mud pies, and the ever-popular crawfish étouffée — a stew featuring large Gulf crawfish prepared in a rich onion and roux-based sauce.
You’ll want to make sure to check out some of the most famous restaurants in the area, including Biloxi’s Old French House, famous for its own twist on the crawfish étouffée, Gulfport’s Blow Fly Inn Restaurant, serving six kinds of po’boys, and Long Beach’s Harbor View Cafe, known for its Crawfish Monica (creamy pasta paired with crawfish and a Cajun sauce). Finally, you’ll want to finish your meal with a slice of indulgent Mississippi mud pie topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream at The Chimneys in Gulfport. Bon appetit!
Take a Cooking Class
All those delicious dishes are likely to get you yearning to try your own hand at a crawfish étouffée, po’boy, or another one of our signature treats, and we have the cooking classes you need to make that goal a reality! All you have to do is head over to Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center of Arts & Education in Ocean Springs, which offers a year-round repertoire of programs and facilities for the arts, including professional-led cooking classes for adults and children alike. Both community and private classes are available.
Bring the Grandkids to the Lynn Meadows Children’s Discovery Center
The Lynn Meadows Children’s Discovery Center is an award-winning indoor wonderland located in an authentic 1915 schoolhouse in Gulfport. Teeming with 15,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits specifically meant to expand children’s imaginations, your grandkids will love to partake in such adventures as making a mini-masterpiece in the art studio, boarding the train at the Dole Avenue Depot, playing veterinarian in the discovery center’s simulated vet office, and learning about Mississippi history in a recreated 1890’s Mississippi City hotel.
Enjoy the Natural Scenery With an Eco-Tour
Many people choose to make the Mississippi Gulf Coast their second home due to the breathtaking flora and fauna. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, you can enjoy all that we have to offer via a number of professionally-led ecotours. Some of our favorites include the boat tours offered by the Pascagoula River Audubon Center in Moss Point — a gateway to the largest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states — and Eco-Tours of South Mississippi — offering two, four, and eight-hour interpretive tours of cypress swamps and salt marshes. Birders, naturalists, and photographists will especially love these opportunities to take in the great outdoors.
Take a Stroll Down Fishbone Alley
Fishbone Alley in Downtown Gulfport is a funky little passageway that leads to a number of trendy restaurants and bars. Artists from across the Mississippi Gulf Coast have chosen to beautify the alleyway with murals, panels, and painted shutters. The site is also known for its frequent music performance and social gatherings. It’s a great place to meet with similarly artistically-minded people and have a blast.
Take In Some Local Art at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art
The breathtaking scenery and hideaway-feel of the Mississippi Gulf Coast have led to it becoming the home of a number of artists, including the celebrated painter Walter Inglis Anderson (1903-1965) and his brothers, the potter Peter Anderson (1901-1984) and painter and ceramist James McConnel Anderson (1907-1998). Opened in 1991, the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs is the permanent home of many of the most famous works by the three Anderson brothers, as well as diverse visiting exhibits, which occur throughout the year.
Discover the Works of the “Mad Potter of Biloxi” at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art
You’ll also want to check out the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, designed by world-famous architect Frank O. Gehry. The exterior of the museum alone is worth the trip, but inside you can find all sorts of treasures as well, including the ceramics of George E. Ohr (1857-1918), the self-proclaimed “Mad Potter of Biloxi,” known for his innovative experimentation with modern clay forms. The museum also houses an impressive ceramic studio, where you can try your own hand at the art of pottery and sculpture, and a large store featuring one-of-a-kind works from Mississippi Gulf Coast artists.
Tour the Round Island Lighthouse
Built in 1859, the Round Island Lighthouse originally stood off the coast of Pascagoula on Round Island as a beacon for mariners. Although it was damaged by storms over the yeast, its hurricane-ravaged remnants were eventually rescued, relocated, and extensively restored on mainland Pascagoula in 2010. Now open to the public, the Round Island Lighthouse sits at the Western gateway to Pascagoula, welcoming residents and visitors alike. Tours of the historic lighthouse are available 10am to 5pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
Go Birding
Birders love the Mississippi Gulf Coast becoming home to a diverse collection of species, including the bald eagle, Prothonotary Warbler, the Mississippi Sandhill Crane, and many more. Opportunities for birding abound, with some of our favorites sites being Crosby Arboretum in Picayune, the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge in Gautier, the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Moss Point, and the Magnolia Birding Piet in Pascagoula. Whether you’re a long-time birdwatcher or an amateur ornithologist, you’re sure to enjoy the breathtaking array of species.
Take a Day Trip to Ship Island
The Mississippi Gulf Coast is home to a number of unspoiled barrier islands, with Ship Island being one of the most beautiful and most accessible of the bunch. Many Gulf Coasters love to take day trips out to the island to enjoy its secluded beaches and opportunities for shelling, snorkeling, birding, and more. The Ship Island ferry service offers daily 50-minute trips out to Ship Island from both Biloxi and Gulfport, and ferry-goers often get the opportunity to see bottlenose dolphins, which are known to swim and play alongside the boat. Once you arrive on the island, you can enjoy a full day in paradise.
Find Your Dream Beach House on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
In this blog post, we’ve touched on only a few of the many wonderful sites and activities that the Mississippi Gulf Coast has to offer to retirees. Check back on this blog for even more information about Biloxi, Gulfport, Ocean Springs, and other Gulf Coast towns, and get in touch with Mandal Preferred today to start searching for your perfect Gulf Coast home.