Things to Do in Ocean Springs, Mississippi
The best things to do in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, are the Walter Anderson Museum of Art, the family-run Shearwater Pottery and the Davis Bayou area of Gulf Islands National Seashore. Ocean Springs is a city of 18,429 people in Jackson County, just across Biloxi Bay from Biloxi.
This is where French Louisiana began. Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville founded Fort Maurepas here in April 1699, the first permanent French outpost in the colony. The name Ocean Springs came later, in 1854, from a doctor who believed the local springs could heal.
Walter Anderson Museum of Art
Walter Inglis Anderson (1903-1965) painted the plants, birds and people of this coast, often after rowing out to Horn Island. The museum opened in 1991 on Washington Avenue and also covers his brothers, potter Peter and painter James McConnell Anderson. It links his largest public work, the 3,000-square-foot murals in the Ocean Springs Community Center, with the Little Room, a private space found after his death.
★ Good to know The Community Center is sometimes booked for private events, so check the museum’s closure dates if the murals are your main reason to go.
Shearwater Pottery
Peter Anderson founded this family pottery in 1928, and his brothers Walter and Mac decorated pieces and designed figurines. Hurricane Katrina badly damaged it in 2005, and the workshop was rebuilt. Anderson descendants still throw and decorate the pottery on the wooded family compound.
★ Good to know Admission is free, and the workshop keeps weekday hours while the showroom also opens on weekends.
Davis Bayou Area, Gulf Islands National Seashore
The Mississippi side of the national seashore has its mainland base about three miles east of downtown. The William M. Colmer Visitor Center has exhibits, a park film and an observation deck. Outside there are trails, boardwalks over the marsh, a fishing pier, a boat launch and a campground.
★ Good to know There are no concessions, so bring food, and note that swimming isn’t allowed anywhere in Davis Bayou.
Fort Maurepas Park and Front Beach
The city park at 499 Front Beach marks the site of the 1699 fort. It has a life-size bronze statue of d’Iberville, a low stone wall on the old fort’s footprint, a splash pad and a ship playground. Front Beach runs alongside, with white sand, fire pits and volleyball nets.
★ Good to know The park looks straight out at the Biloxi Bay Bridge, rebuilt after Katrina’s surge destroyed the old one in 2005.
Live Oaks Bicycle Route
This 15.5-mile round-trip route links the old L&N train depot downtown with the Davis Bayou area of the seashore. Green and white signs mark the way along city streets shaded by live oaks. The chamber also publishes a downtown and Front Beach loop map.
★ Good to know Pick up a route map at the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce before you ride.
The Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Arts Center
Locals call it the Mary C. It fills the 1927 Ocean Springs Public School building downtown with two art galleries, the History of Ocean Springs Museum and the Trent Lott theater. It runs classes and concerts through the year.
★ Good to know It’s a National Heritage Area passport stamp site, so bring your National Parks passport.
Also in town
Downtown’s live oak-lined Washington Avenue and Government Street hold galleries, shops and many of the town’s more than 100 restaurants and bars, and paddlers can explore Fort Bayou by kayak or paddleboard.
Who was Walter Anderson?
Walter Inglis Anderson (1903-1965) was an Ocean Springs painter and muralist known for his scenes of Gulf Coast nature. His museum and his Community Center murals are downtown, and his family’s Shearwater Pottery is still in business.
When is the Peter Anderson Festival in Ocean Springs?
It’s held in November each year and started in 1978. It runs for two days, rain or shine.
Is there a beach in Ocean Springs, Mississippi?
Yes. Front Beach sits next to Fort Maurepas Park, with white sand, fire pits and volleyball nets. Swimming isn’t allowed in the Davis Bayou area of the national seashore.
What other Gulf Coast towns are worth a visit near Ocean Springs?
Bay St. Louis is the other small town on Mississippi’s coast, with its Old Town, harbor and Second Saturday art walks; see things to do in Bay St. Louis. For more ideas, browse our small towns in Mississippi.
Where to find them
- Walter Anderson Museum of Art 510 Washington Ave., Ocean Springs, MS 39564 Website Directions
- Shearwater Pottery 102 Shearwater Dr., Ocean Springs, MS 39564 Website Directions
- Davis Bayou Area, Gulf Islands National Seashore 3500 Park Rd., Ocean Springs, MS 39564 Website Directions
- Fort Maurepas Park and Front Beach 499 Front Beach, Ocean Springs, MS 39564 Website Directions
- Live Oaks Bicycle Route Website Directions
- The Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Arts Center Ocean Springs, MS 39564 Website Directions
Plan your trip: for events and current visitor info in Ocean Springs, see Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce - Main Street - Tourism Bureau →
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