Gulf Coast
FEATURED - AQUARIUMS - MUSEUMS - LOCAL PARKS & NATURE - state parks - SIGHTS & LANDMARKS - WATER FUN - Indoor Fun - Outdoor fun - LIBRARIES - Toys & books - CLOTHING - SWEETS - RESTAURANTS - EVENTS
Museums
LYNN MEADOWS DISCOVERY CENTER - GULFPORT
Located in a 1915 schoolhouse, under the large live oaks, just blocks from the beach in Gulfport, MS, Lynn Meadows Discovery Center is a special place for children and their grown-ups. Inside, 15,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits encourage fun, learning and creativity. Discover different cultures at Celebrate the World We Share, board the train at Dolan Avenue Depot, and create a mini masterpiece at our art studio, Art Knows Anything Goes. Outside, oak-covered acres provide more space to let the imagination run wild. Play house in the trees, tap a tune in the outdoor musical garden, and explore the tiny town of Kids Street. Lynn Meadows Discovery Center is honored to be a recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Services, which recognizes exceptional contributions to the community.
Kid-friendly Features: Stroller-friendly, elevator, changing tables in bathrooms, nursing room located on second floor, outdoor patio area, picnic benches, large grounds, close to the beach
Indoor Exhibits: Super Colossal Climbing Structure, Art Studio, Bear Camp Bayou, Dolan Avenue Train Depot, The Little Pet Vet, The Port, History Hotel, Science Room, Grocery Store, WLMDC-TV News Station,
Outdoor Exhibits: Bear Creek, Kids Street, Pelican Porch & Bayou Bait Shop, Solar Sunflowers, Tree House Village, Little Free Library
Kid-friendly Programs: Engineering is Elementary, Kids Cooking Classes, Bear Cub Club, Summer Camps, (Click here to learn more)
Admission: Members – Free
0 to 12 months – Free
Children & Adults – $10
Military & Seniors 65+ – $8
Weekdays After 3pm – $3
Sundays – $6 for everyone
FREE FRIDAYS – Last Friday of Every Month, 5pm to 8pm
Hours:
Tuesday – Saturday: 10:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday: 12:00pm – 5:00pm
Monday: Closed
The museum is closed New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Address: 246 Dolan Avenue, Gulfport, MS 39507
Phone: (228) 897-6039
photos by Kid-Friendly Mississippi
Traintastic Interactive Model Railroad Museum
(Formerly: MISSISSIPPI COAST MODEL RAILROAD MUSEUM) - Gulfport
Traintastic is the world's largest and most interactive model railroad museum. It features over 50,000 square feet of model railroad exhibits, including a 15-foot-tall mountain range, a working airport, and a bustling cityscape. Visitors can control the trains, operate the switches, and even build their own model railroads.
Admission:
Adults: $15
Children (ages 2-17): $12
Seniors (ages 65+): $12
Active military: $10
Members: Free
Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-5pm
Sunday: 1-5pm
Also open Mondays Memorial Day-Labor Day
Address: 1000 Beach Boulevard, Gulfport, MS 39507
Phone number: (228) 868-7966
photos by Kid-Friendly Mississippi
OHR-O'KEEFE MUSEUM OF ART - BILOXI
The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art celebrates the innovative, independent and creative spirit of our namesake Mississippi master potter George Ohr (1857-1918).
In a fitting tribute to Ohr, artist and architect Frank Gehry designed an award-winning campus of bold, intriguing, self-sufficient structures. The four new buildings and the reconstructed home of Pleasant Reed offer visitors separate but not isolated experiences – together creating a single unified vision connected by the expansive brick plaza and the majestic Live Oaks. For our guests of all ages and interests, let the landscape be relaxing and the art inspiring, invigorating, and challenging.
Hours: Tuesday—Saturday, 10am to 5pm
Admission: Members: free
Adults (18+): $10
Seniors (60+): $8
Student (with ID): $5
Children (Under 5): Free
AAA & Military (with ID): $8
Address: 386 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 39530
Phone: (228) 374-5547
photo courtesy of Ohr-O’keefe Museum of Art
MARITIME AND SEAFOOD INDUSTRY MUSEUM — BILOXI
The Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum was established in 1986 to preserve and interpret the maritime history and heritage of Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It accomplishes this mission through an array of exhibits on shrimping, oystering, recreational fishing, wetlands, managing marine resources, charter boats, marine blacksmithing, wooden boat building, netmaking, catboats/Biloxi skiff, shrimp peeling machine and numerous historic photographs and objects. Recently completed is the Wade Guice Hurricane Museum within a museum, featuring 1400 square feet of exhibit space and a state of the art theatre. The Art gallery will feature regional and national maritime artists with exhibitions rotating throughout the year.
The Museum has brought life to local maritime history and heritage by replicating two 65′ two masted Biloxi Schooners. Examples of living maritime history, they sail the Mississippi Sound and waters of the north central Gulf of Mexico almost daily. The Museum also conducts year round educational programs and a summer Sea-n-Sail Adventure Camp which teaches youth about local maritime heritage. The Museum has an extraordinary collection of priceless photographs and artifacts which tell a story from the time of the first indian residents to the growth as a world renowned seafood processing center.
Admission: $10 Adults
$8 Seniors (60&up) /Military/AAA,
$6 Students (5-15)
Hours: Monday—Saturday: 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday: 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM (except Dec.-Feb.)
Address: 115 1st St, Biloxi, MS 39530
Phone: 228-435-6320
Photo courtesy of Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum
Biloxi Visitors Center - Biloxi
The Biloxi Visitors Center, which opened in July 2011 in the shadow of the Biloxi Lighthouse on U.S. 90, fuses the city’s architectural heritage with state-of-the-art technology and multi-media exhibits to give visitors and residents alike a feel for the Biloxi of yesterday and today.
Besides offering a wealth of information about visitor amenities in Biloxi, the visitors center is also a museum of sorts, housing nearly a dozen multi-media exhibits that tell the story of Biloxi, its people, its connection to the water and its cultural diversity. You’ll find a gift shop offering all sorts of Biloxi memorabilia, with many of the items created by local artists and craftsmen.
Among the attractions on the second floor is a 67-seat movie theater with continuous showings of the 10-minute film “We are Biloxi.” And stepping out onto the second-floor porch, you’ll be eye level with the beacon of the Biloxi Lighthouse, enjoying the cool breezes off the Gulf of Mexico, or soaking up the panoramic view of the Biloxi beach and Mississippi Sound.
The 24,000 square-foot center bears a striking resemblance to the Dantzler House, a two-story city-owned structure that stood on the site until Aug. 29, 2005, when it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Among the features inspired by the Dantzler: two-story porches, a grand staircase, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
The visitors center, which is open seven days a week and available for private parties or corporate functions, is also home to the Biloxi and Biloxi Bay chambers of commerce.
The city constructed the $11 million facility with federal and state funds and insurance proceeds.
Hours: Open daily, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Address: 1050 Beach Blvd. At U.S. 90 and Porter Avenue, Biloxi, MS
Phone: (228) 374-3105
Photo courtesy of Biloxi Visitors Center
Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum – Gulfport
Located adjacent to the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, the John C. Robinson Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum 52,000 SF structured building housing life size exhibits from many of Mississippi's historic aviators.
The likes of Apollo astronauts Fred Haise and Stu Roosa, Shuttle astronauts Donald Peterson and Richard Truly, and aviation's heroes and daredevils like the Key Brothers, Roscoe Turner, and Jesse Brown will accentuate the exhibits, sure to mesmerize young and old alike.
Hours: Thursday–Saturday: 10 AM–4 PM
Sunday 12:30 PM–4 PM
Admission: $14 for adults
$7 for children
Address: 429 Pass Rd, Gulfport, MS 39507
Phone: (601) 299-2816
photo courtesy of Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum
WALTER ANDERSON MUSEUM OF ART — OCEAN SPRINGS
WAMA is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of Walter Anderson, American master, and kindred artists. The Museum is located in historic downtown Ocean Springs, within walking distance of local eateries, shopping, and the water's edge. The visual poetry of Walter Anderson is reflected in this idyllic setting, echoing the artist's belief in societies in harmony with the natural world.
WAMA presents an ever-evolving installation of its permanent collection and changing exhibitions of contemporary artists. It also preserves and interprets Walter Anderson's murals - represented by the monumental 3,000 square-foot Ocean Springs Community Center murals; his 1930s WPA murals; and the immersive Little Room, Anderson's most personal artistic space, which was discovered following his death and moved to the Museum for the benefit of future generations.
Admission: Adults: $10
AAA / Military / Seniors / Students (with ID): $8
Children (5-15): $5
Free for members; free ages 5 and under; free to shop
Hours: Monday - Saturday: 10 AM - 5 PM;
Closed Sunday
Holiday closings: New Year's Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Address: 510 Washington Avenue, Ocean Springs, MS, 39564
Phone: 228-872-3164
photo courtesy of Walter Anderson Museum of Art
BILOXI FIRE MUSEUM - BILOXI
The museum is located at 1046 Howard Ave. in a historic 1937 fire house. The exhibits feature many historic photographs as well as antique fire equipment that documents the history of the Biloxi Fire Department, which dates back more than 120 years.
The museum is operated by volunteers under the direction of a board of directors with the assistance of the City of Biloxi museums office. The hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays or by appointment.
Admission: Free
Hours: Saturday 9 a.m – 2 p.m
or by appointment
Address: 1046 E Howard Ave, Biloxi, MS 39530
Phone: (228) 435-6119
photo courtesy of Biloxi Fire Department