Planning a trip to the Gulf Coast this summer? Don’t let the BP oil spill cancel your vacation. Many areas of the coast are unaffected by the oil and remain open to the public. Contact local campgrounds for current conditions and any special promotions they might be running. If you still have hesitations, there are plenty of other lovely attractions in the area to keep you entertained.
This One Tank Trip seen in the Woodall’s 2010 North American Campground Directory
Sponsored By:
Cajun RV Park
www.cajunrvpark.com
cajunrvpark@gmail.com
Mississippi has one of the richest histories in our nation, from hosting the most pitched battles of the Civil War to becoming a key player in the Civil Rights Movement. You’ll also find a wide range of activities in the Magnolia State. Looking to take a walk through history? The area is filled with museums and historic monuments that will take you on a trip back through time and give you a true sense of what life was like in periods past. If you’re looking for something a bit more current, you’ll find no shortage of jazz and blues clubs, casinos and happening nightspots. Mississippi is a featured destination for the lover of the outdoors, having some of the most beautiful landscapes you’ll ever find. There are a vast number of rivers – including the Mississippi River – as well as streams and lakes for your fishing, boating, and canoeing pleasure. This state also has more RV parks than you can shake a stick at, so you’ll have no trouble at all finding a place for some southern Mississippi Camping. If you are looking for taking a quick weekend getaway, you might want to stop along these historic locations and attractions on your one tank trips journey through Mississippi coast.
The city of Picayune is a good place to start a vacation, especially with a trip to the Crosby Arboretum. You can take a leisurely self-guided tour and stroll through more than 100 acres of preserve, which features three separate ecosystems that spotlight woodland plants, water-based flora, and plant life found in the savanna. Just a few miles away, you’ve got the Stennis Space Center, a fully-operational NASA facility with a visitors’ center called the StennisSphere, which takes you through the history of the facility, illustrates current mission goals and parameters, and gives you a peek at upcoming missions to the stars.
From Picayune, take the I-59-S for 12 miles to the I-10-E, which you’ll stay on for 9 miles until you come to the turn-off for Bay St. Louis. This town has a very casual and contemporary feel, due in large part to the number of artists from the fields of music, painting and writing who reside here. In fact, it’s considered one of the ten best small arts towns in the nation. Every second Saturday of the month, the city features an Art Walk, where local artists put their work on display. Who knows, you might find that special piece that you just can’t resist.
Another 16 miles east on the I-10 takes you into the aptly named Gulfport, which rests right on the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico. This is a popular tourist destination, with lots of sandy beaches and golfing opportunities, and makes a nice place to set up camp and have a barbecue right by the coast, true Mississippi Camping at its finest.
Biloxi’s just 13 miles farther east on the I-10, and in addition to being a superb spot to charter a fishing boat for a day trip, there are also casinos, which frequently feature Vegas-style shows with star entertainment. The Biloxi area features a 44,000 gallon Gulf of Mexico exhibit, a Mardi Gras museum, and is the location of Beauvoir, the home and library of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Badly damaged by Katrina, this facility has since been rebuilt and restored to spotless condition and is once again open for public tours.
Traveling east on the I-10 for four miles brings you to Ocean Springs, home of the Scott Aquarium and Marine Research Center, which is affiliated with the University of Southern Mississippi. You can tour the local lighthouse, or any one of the historic local churches that were built here in the late 19th century. This area is an artists’ haven, with a number of art shops that feature a wide variety of works.
The town of Gautier lies at the end of our trip, just 13 miles east of Ocean Springs on the I-10. If you want to get a look at local wildlife in their natural habitat, head over to the Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. Walking trails lead you through several different habitats in this massive 19,000-acre facility. You’ll see many different species of birds, small land mammals, and even carnivorous plants, but the most prominent of them all are the endangered Sandhill cranes for which this facility was named.
With so much history, culture, and opportunities for outdoors adventure, Mississippi truly has something to please even the most jaded vacation traveler.
This article was only one of many other exciting one tank trips also found in Woodall’s 2010 North American Campground Directory. Enjoy an eventful weekend getaway of Mississippi camping and experience it all on just one tank of gas.
Other Area Sponsors in Mississippi:
Baywood RV Park and Campground, Inc.
Indian Point RV Resort
Parker’s Landing RV Park
Mazalea Travel Park
EZ Daze RV Park
See a list of Woodall’s Recommended Mississippi RV Campgrounds.
Planning a Mississippi camping trip? Don’t miss these other great routes on one tank of fuel:
2009 Mississippi One Tank Trip
2008 Mississippi One Tank Trip
For a complete list of one tank trips visit Woodalls.com.