Never heard of Ocean Springs, Mississippi? Neither had we! But it caught our eye on round-ups like Southern Living’s 15 Most Adorable Small Towns and USA Today’s 10 Best Coastal Small Towns where it ranked #1. So a few months ago our family decided to check it out for ourselves. It did NOT disappoint! We actually considered detouring through Ocean Springs on our weekend trip to New Orleans two years ago. But now we’re glad we didn’t shortchange it with a quick pitstop and gave it a full trip of its own.
Ocean Springs lived up to the hype of being an adorable, small, historic town with lots to explore. In fact it reminded us A LOT of Cape Charles, the little Virginia beach town where we renovated two homes. Both places are super walkable, have a bunch of fun shops and restaurants, and sit on a quiet bay with shallow water for kids to play in.
We visited Ocean Springs in late November during our kids’ Thanksgiving break, so we didn’t spend time on the beach (although it did get into the low 70s each day). But even without enjoying the water, we found plenty to do in Ocean Springs.
Where is Ocean Springs, Mississippi?
Ocean Springs is located on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, right across the Biloxi Bay from, well, Biloxi. It’s about 3 hours west of our home in Northwest Florida and just about 90 mins east of New Orleans.
We spent most of our Ocean Springs visit walking around and exploring the historic downtown and beachfront. We literally didn’t get in our car once thanks to renting an Airbnb in a super walkable area! We hit up parks, shops, restaurants, toy & candy stores, and – of course – poked around some charming neighborhoods too. It was the perfect laid-back, slow-paced family getaway.
Where to Stay In Ocean Springs
Ocean Springs has lots of short-term rentals as well as boutique hotels and B&Bs, so there are a lot of lodging options – including trendy ones like the modern cabins at the Beatnik Motel.
We stayed at a dog-friendly Airbnb right off of one of the main downtown streets, which was clean and well-stocked, but after walking around many areas there, we wouldn’t recommend that specific spot, so I’m not going to link it here. It was a little loud from some adjacent restaurants, but there were some very charming areas south of Government Street that we would pick to stay in next time. This one called Gaslamp House is a little pricey, but it always catches my eye!
But again, there’s also no shortage of cool hotels. We walked by The Roost Boutique Hotel, which looked like an updated old farmhouse. The pool area looks awesome on the website too!
Slightly closer to downtown is The Springs Hotel, which also houses a cool floral and gift shop called Palmette (more on that later). That’s why Sherry is marching so determinedly into the hotel below!
I stayed outside with the dog, but Sherry got to sneak some peaks of the inside of the hotel while shopping. It was super well designed!
I mean, just look at the bathroom!
We were definitely pleasantly surprised by the level of lodging options in Ocean Springs.
Where To Eat in Ocean Springs
We wouldn’t call ourselves foodies (zero refined palates here), but somehow our vacations always revolve around food! Ocean Springs had tons of great restaurant options that are both kid & dog-friendly. In our 48 hours there, we had 2 breakfasts, 2 brunches, and 2 dinners… plus some desserts! Here’s a list of where we went, with more info and pics below:
- Bright Eyed Brew Co
- The TatoNut Shop (donuts)
- Fat Spoon Cafe
- Lady May
- Glory Bound Gyro Co
- Pop Brothers (popsicles)
- Candy Cottage
We also ate a great brunch at the Fat Spoon Cafe, but didn’t take any photos!
Lady May
We loved Lady May so much that we ate there twice – once for dinner and then the next morning for brunch. They had a great patio and the menu had crowdpleasers from flatbread pizzas and burgers to omelets and waffles.
Glory Bound Gyro Co
Our first dinner was at Glory Bound Gryo Co which, we later learned, is a sister restaurant to Lady May. It also had burgers, salads, and pizzas but also tons of gyros with different topping and sauce combinations. It wasn’t fancy, but it was SO GOOD we almost ate there the second night (but ended up at Lady May instead).
Pop Brothers
After a long walk, we treated ourselves to some gourmet popsicles at Pop Brothers. It’s located in “Cash Alley” which is adorned with colorful umbrellas overhead and graphic sidewalk art below. There are dozens of artisan popsicle flavors to choose from (I did Vietnamese Coffee and Sherry did chocolate peanut butter). We highly recommend paying the extra dollar to have it dipped in chocolate!
Sadly we missed getting a New Orleans-style snow cone at nearby Caboose Cones, which had closed for the winter season. But I imagine it’s an iconic place to cool off in the summer.
We also enjoyed some novelty candy at the Candy Cottage, which is right next door to Lady May. It had TONS of custom chocolate creations, plus the usual favs.
What To Do in Oceans Springs
The beach is certainly a big draw for Ocean Springs, but even in November we found plenty to keep us busy out of the water. Mostly it involved walking around, exploring, dropping into shops, and taking in the beautiful neighborhoods.
A lot of Historic Downtown Ocean Springs looks like the streets pictured above and below. Cozy sidewalks, massive oak trees, and fun little shops, parks, and homes along the way.
Ocean Springs seems to have a vibrant art scene too, with one popular stop downtown being the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. A lot of people also talk about Shearwater Pottery, but we unfortunately didn’t make it there during open hours.
The next block down is the aforementioned Springs Hotel, which is also home to a floral and art shop called Palmette.
I stayed outside with Penny while Sherry and the kids shopped. Based on the amount of time spent, I could tell it was one of their favorite stops!
Sherry bought this brass tiger pendant there and loves it endlessly.
I don’t remember the name of every little store we stopped into, but that was kind of the fun of it. There was always something interesting to see.
My only wish is that Ocean Springs had a local bookshop (we love checking out independent bookstores on vacation). We did come across several Little Free Libraries, so I guess that was a close second!
It was also fun being downtown as things were starting to get decked out for the holidays. We even got to see the toy store actively hanging theirs!
In addition to shopping the downtown, we also enjoyed walking down some of the neighborhood streets to admire the homes. I’ve never thought much about what a “quintessential coastal Mississippi” neighborhood might look like, but somehow Ocean Springs is exactly that. It definitely had a lot of New Orleans vibes, with beautiful old homes, local shops, and tree-lined streets.
There were lots of sprawling porches, picket fences, and huge mossy oaks.
Possibly the best part about our visit to Ocean Springs is that we left wanting to come back. While I think we hit a lot of highlights in our short visit, it feels like we could use more time to soak it in, fully relax into its laid-back vibe, and maybe bike around town or hang out at the beach on a summer day.
Oh, and I really want one of those snow cones from the train caboose.
Ocean Springs, Mississippi: A Recap
If you’re looking for all the things we mentioned in one spot, here ya go!
Where to Stay:
Where to Eat
Where to Shop & Browse
More Family Trips We’ve Taken
If you’re interested in our take on other destinations or are in search of family-friendly trips, you might also enjoy these posts: