Seascapes on the Secret Coast
Returning to Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, with a new appreciation for its watery wonders
For those of us becoming weary of the same old same old, hoping to dip our toes into the travel waters again, Mississippi’s Secret Coast makes for the perfect destination of solace and stimulation without having to venture too very far from home.
Yes, there are sandy beaches stretching the sixty-two miles of coastline along the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi Sound. But, not unlike the way the Florida Keys deliver different kinds of experiences, the twelve cities that make up Coastal Mississippi offer everything from small town charm to arts and culture and fab fine dining. After hearing a friend rave about her recent stay at Ocean Springs’ The Beatnik, which coincided with the opening of a brand spanking new aquarium in Gulfport, I hatched my own little micro-vacation to the coast.
Biophilic Style at The Beatnik
The Beatnik had me at outdoor shower. Always a transformative add-on, the experience of showering al fresco makes for something like a private spa treatment. It was just one of the many “wow” moments that happens at the Hotel Beatnik, the newest place to stay in the Creative District of Ocean Springs. Designed by New Orleans architect Charles Neyrey, the self-contained A-frame cabins are perfect for pandemic travel—although that was never part of the plan, said owner Roxy Condrey, a local real estate developer who with her husband Ted dreamed up the hotel, along with The Roost and the Inn at Ocean Springs. “We had started and then COVID hit—and we didn’t know if we should stop or what to do. But we pushed forward, and people seem to really like the concept.” Hinged on the biophilic design movement, the idea was to create harmonious natural elements within the space to give guests a sense of wellbeing. Three Mississippi artists have been commissioned to create murals in the coming months, and a local woodworker created accents designed to mimick the design patterns and textures found in nature.
The little chalets sleep two or four—two of the four units have bunk beds —with private outdoor space and screened porches rigged with rocking chairs. Their Danish modern-meets-mid-century-meets-Mother Nature vibe is reflected in details like a cypress ceiling, terracotta Morroccan tile, stone vessel sinks and floor-to-ceiling windows. A swank pour-over coffee service, wet bar, and disco-lit fridge add to the VIP treatment. Venture outside of your oasis and there’s a plunge pool and a fire pit, and lots to explore on foot—the beach and downtown are easy strolls.
"Hinged on the biophilic design movement, the idea was to create harmonious natural elements within the space to give guests a sense of wellbeing."
Next door, The Greenhouse is a breakfast and lunch spot that seems like it got lost on the way to the commune, with its friendly hippie aesthetic and garden setting, complete with kitty cats for company. On your way into town, pass by The Wilbur, the speakeasy cocktail bar at The Roost, with its craft cocktails and “secret” room behind a large portrait of Al Capone, who reportedly owned Del Castle, a home in town that may have fronted the mobster’s booze running during Prohibition.
Committed to raising the bar in her community, Condrey is working on a mixed-use artist, yoga, retail, and culinary space called The Collective across the street from the Beatnik, opening in about a year’s time. “Porter Street used to be the town’s Main Street, with all kinds of motels and businesses—which changed with the Interstate. We want to bring that hometown community back.”
Seafood Spots: White Pillars & Vestige
The dining scene in and about Ocean Springs is simply swell, a mix of casual spots like Government Street Grocery (get the burger) and chef-driven restaurants like Maison de Lu, where Chef Luann Ellis is known for crafting creative dishes with fresh local ingredients and a French accent, everything made in-house.
For fine dining, there are not one but two James Beard award nominees along the coast, Chef Austin Sumrall’s stunning White Pillars in Biloxi and the spectacular Vestige from Chef/owner Alex Perry (one of Country Roads’ three 2020 Small Town Chef Award-winners) downtown on Washington Avenue.
White Pillars is a showstopping space, restored to its original 1905 splendor after suffering significant damage during Hurricane Katrina. The large antebellum-style mansion lends beautiful backdrops for Sumrall’s unfussy mix of Cajun, Creole, and new Southern cuisine. Whether he’s serving briny oysters on the half-shell that were in the water just hours ago, having fun with shrimp corn dogs, adding fresh crabmeat and micro greens to avocado toast, or reinvigorating eggplant Josephine, an original menu item that layers eggplant with marinara, crabmeat, mozzarella, and hollandaise—Sumrall’s eye for detail and sense of flavor is spot on.
The experience at Vestige is more intimate, a romantic date night spot with a menu that combines contemporary American cuisine with Japanese influences, thanks to Chef Perry’s wife Kumi Omori’s inspiration. Perry, an Ocean Springs native, delivers a farm- and Gulf-to-table experience, with just-caught seafood, museum-quality composed plates of greens and vegetables, proteins like perfectly cooked Black Hawk wagyu steak adorned with a sauté of seasonal fruit, butternut and delicata squash, and sweet potatoes. Chicken wings are salted, cooked, boned out, then grilled yakitori style with a soy-powered glacé, all topped with smoked fig miso and fermented figs. Seriously, each dish is perfection. The chef’s four-course tasting menu is $50 per person, an experience that would easily be twice the price in the big city. Make your reservation now.
Coastal Inspiration: The Walter Anderson Museum
The Walter Anderson Museum of Art is as much about a man as it is about his art. The New Orleans native was trained at the Parson’s School of Design and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, but his inspiration was always the natural world, most specifically the flora and fauna on Horn Island. Plagued by mental health demons and hospitalized several times, Anderson was often reclusive and spent weeks at a time alone on the island, where he’d paint and sketch in mediums including oil, watercolor, pen and ink, and pencil. Also a sculptor, furniture maker, potter, and printmaker, Anderson’s output was staggering, although fame was not his game—the one time he was featured in a show at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, he skipped the opening, rode his bike to New Orleans, and took a flight to China. He was a practical endurance athlete and both his time-worn bicycle and the rickety rowboat he’d take to Horn are on display at the museum. The murals he painted on the adjacent community center are heart-stopping renderings of the natural rhythms of the seasons, plants, flowers, and animals, especially birds, of which the pelican was his favorite. To visit his work, see the tiny room studio where he’d dreamed and worked and breathed, in the color and reverence he showed for nature, is a balm for these times.
Window the the Waters: The Mississippi Aquarium
Aquariums are always fun, but if you’ve been to a bunch, they often seem interchangeable. The brand-new Mississippi Aquarium breaks that mold. Although it’s still getting some of its residents situated—the dolphins are on the way, the African penguins awaiting a permanent home—this inviting attraction does a remarkable job of showcasing critters both local and not, with most of the emphasis placed the Gulf and its inhabitants. Dubbed “the window to the waters of Mississippi, the Gulf Coast, and beyond,” the aquarium focuses primarily on conservation and education. While most aquariums have a 180-degree tunnel on their ground levels, Mississippi Aquarium’s tunnel goes directly through the primary habitat, a 360-degree plexi walkway that allows you to literally walk on water and see the marine life and the humans viewing it from above, from every angle. Situated across from the beach, the aquarium includes a colorful bird aviary, touch tanks for the kiddos, an otter habitat, and more. Try to organize your visit so you can have lunch at the nearby District on the Alley in downtown Gulfport, a super spot for sandwiches and salads, all fresh and portioned for mammoth appetites. The restaurant backs up onto Fishbone Alley, a funky venue for public art, live music and eateries.
"While most aquariums have a 180-degree tunnel on their ground levels, Mississippi Aquarium’s tunnel goes directly through the primary habitat, a 360-degree plexi walkway that allows you to literally walk on water and see the marine life and the humans viewing it from above, from every angle."
On the Water: Biloxi Shrimping Trip
With seafood front of mind, get out on the water with the Biloxi Cruise Company’s Shrimping Trip, a favorite attraction of the area since 1954. Captain Mike Moore and his first mate David Graham will host you on a seventy-minute cruise around Biloxi’s Mississippi Sound that includes trawling for shrimp, tons of shrimp factoids (the species’ biggest threat is other shrimp, wily little cannibals), and interacting with all kinds of finny friends—all of which get returned to the water. The experience is great for families and for anybody curious about why that shrimp you had for lunch tasted so gosh darn good.
There’s so much to explore here, so close to home, that even if you think you’ve done the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the “Secret Coast” will surprise you and make you very glad you came.
If You Go:
The Hotel Beatnik
402 Porter Avenue
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
(228) 285-7424
White Pillars
1696 Beach Boulevard
Biloxi, MS 39531
(228) 207-0885
Vestige
715 Washington Avenue
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
(228) 818-9699
Walter Anderson Museum
510 Washington Avenue
Ocean Springs, MS 39564
(228) 872-3164
Mississippi Aquarium
2100 East Beach Boulevard
Gulfport, MS 39501
(228) 241-1300
Biloxi Shrimping Trip
693 Beach Boulevard
Biloxi, MS 39530
(228) 392-8645