Taking on New Adventures

Sometimes I need the reminder that you don’t have to hop on a plane to travel to a cool and interesting place.

Ever since Chuck and I started dating, the Mississippi Coast has been a frequent and favorite travel destination for us. From Bay St. Louis to Ocean Springs and every place in between, we love the quick trip from New Orleans for a weekend getaway.

This year, we’ve already been to the Coast for two really fun weekends. Both times, we’ve lucked out and experienced events and locations that were unexpected and new to us.

In March, we decided we needed a getaway, so found a great rate at a hotel in Gulfport. It had been a bit since we stayed in that area and we were looking forward to checking out some old favorites nearby and hopefully a new place or two.

We went there with no plan other than to try and have a good dinner. The first night, we ate at Rack House, a steakhouse and bourbon bar located in the downtown Gulfport area. We had been here on a random Sunday afternoon for some apps but had never had dinner here. We definitely will try to come back and sit in the upstairs Bourbon Bar area rather than the dining room. Although the service was very good, the area was loud due to two large parties in the dining room.

I found out there was an arts festival in downtown Ocean Springs so we made the drive on Saturday along the coastline to this quaint little town. The arts festival was absolutely huge. We walked around and checked out as much as we could before stopping for a drink at Mosaic, one of the cool bars and restaurants along Government Street. While there, we learned of a new(ish) brewery located behind the restaurant so decided to pop in.

If you are a beer lover, Lost Spring Brewery is definitely one you should check out. We tasted a few of their beers and had a really cool conversation with the head brewer. He told us about a festival he was doing in May so we immediately found a good rate at another hotel in Biloxi and booked it!

After the afternoon at the brewery, we made our way back to our hotel to plan out dinner. Next to the hotel, there is a seafood restaurant that constantly has great reviews. We decided to book a table on their front patio for dinner and just enjoy watching the fog roll in over the sound. Although the evening was a bit chillier than expected, we really enjoyed our dinner at The Chimneys. The food and service were both top knotch.

The May weekend came up quickly so we made our way to Biloxi and the Beau Rivage on Friday afternoon. We were able to get a little time at the pool before making our way to one of our favorite places to eat, Stalla.

Saturday morning, we did a long walk around the waterfront, then got ready to head over to Ocean Springs for Lost Fest. We happened upon a farmer’s market in the area so checked that out before grabbing a drink at a local restaurant and then hitting up the festival.

Being early to the festival, we got to check out a couple of bands and try a couple of the newer beers the brewery was releasing. We made a few purchases at their festival art market and then made our way to a very new cocktail bar for a quick drink and some air. We definitely look forward to coming back to the Red Apple Lounge on a future trip!

We decided to head back to the Beau for a little pool time since it was so hot that day. People watching at the Beau Rivage pool is always a good time! Plus, hopping into the pool to cool off was a great way to kind of kick off the Summer.

We always enjoy our time in Mississippi on the coast and were thrilled to spend a little more time in Ocean Springs on both trips. The town is really cute and has great restaurants and shops. Plus, we’ve lucked out by meeting some great locals who give us suggestions and some history of the area.

While we don’t have another Mississippi trip scheduled yet, I know we’ll make our way over for another weekend of adventure and exploration soon!