Thinking of Visiting the Mississippi Gulf Coast

We plan to visit the United States next autumn for an extended road trip and are trying to determine new spots we’ve never been too. One area we have a surprising interest in is the Gulf Coast.

Like a lot of people, I’ve been reluctant to visit any of the Gulf Coast beaches since the BP oil spill two years ago. It’s hard to get the images of tar balls and pelicans soaked in oil out of your mind whenever something like that happens.

I’ve been keeping one eye on the cleanup progress since then, and while it’s been a slow progress, I was amazed to discover that the Mississippi/Louisiana Gulf Coast area seems to be getting much better.

Besides, we may be more interested in volunteering to help or go on clean up tours. I started looking at what there is to do down there to start planning our trip. And since it’s still struggling to attract tourists, it seems like a good time to get bargains.

High on our list of priorities is finding charter boats to get a better sense of the coast.  My sons and I all enjoy fishing and although my wife isn't fond of it, she does enjoy just being out on the water.  There’s something very relaxing about being out there on a boat, close to the sea life and other creatures!

There are a lot of charter companies to choose from, offering a variety of trip lengths, from four to twelve hours. There are even some that will take you on a shrimping trip! We love trying new adventures and learning about new things so that is just the sort of activity we will plan on.

For the kids, there seems to be plenty to do as well with Barnacle Bill’s Water Park and Mini Golf and the Infinity Science Center. We’ll also check out the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, which is listed in the Top 50 Children’s Museums in the country. And of course, the guys are excited to see the classic car museum, the Busted Wrench Garage.


Another thing the kids are looking forward to is canoeing in Mississippi. There’s a great area in the DeSoto National Forest called the Black Creek Wilderness Trail that we are planning to visit during the trip. It’s said to be a beautiful, peaceful trip through the forest and maybe we can even squeeze in some camping, if I can convince my wife that is!

What do you think, is the Mississippi Gulf Coast a good place to visit? Do you still have any concerns about the impact of the oil spill?

Image credits: Wikimedia