City Highlights

• Location: Gulfport,Mississippi, USA

• Population (Metro): 416,259

• Known for: main port on the Gulf for Mississippi, the Mississippi Aquarium, sandy Gulf beaches perfect for fishing and swimming

• Weather during visit: Sunny, 28ºC (83ºF)

• Time in Place: 5 hours 56 minutes

The Magnolia State, Mississippi is as deeply rooted in its heritage and culture along the banks of its eponymous river as it is along the Gulf of Mexico. This rings true perhaps nowhere more than in the state’s largest city on the Gulf and second largest in the state overall, Gulfport. While much of the tourist traffic for the region is a few miles further east in Biloxi, there is still a good time to be had between Gulfport’s equally nice beaches, its aquarium, and a welcoming population that oozes Southern Hospitality that you just will not find in larger cities. For anyone looking for a more low-key way to experience the lovely Gulf Coast (with significantly less, but not no, gambling), Gulfport is a good option.

I visited Gulfport as part of my 50 states project in April 2025 for about as short of a day trip as I could manage. It would be misleading to say that I had high expectations for the city as it would imply that I really had much in the way of any expectation. I had never been to Mississippi before, though I did spend some time in Alabama on the Gulf Coast as a child and remember enjoying it, but this was fairly new territory for me. While it was not perfect, I did enjoy my time in Gulfport between some good food, good sun, and good people.

Arriving in Gulfport

Getting to Gulfport

As one would expect for the American South, it is fairly easy to drive to Gulfport. The city is very well appointed for cars with ample parking from what I could tell. Its location along I-10, US-49, and US-90 means that for many travellers driving is how they get there. As I’ll discuss later, even if you do end up coming a different way to Gulfport you will still most likely end up driving at some point during your visit. Despite the highway connection the nearest Greyhound stop is in Biloxi. Another way to get to Gulfport is Amtrak’s new Mardi Gras service between Mobile, AL and New Orleans, LA. This is a pretty decent way to get through the region if you need to, especially between smaller cities along the Gulf Coast thanks to the two daily roundtrips and even a cafe car.

For myself, and many other out-of-staters, you will most likely go through Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. Although usually associated with the neighboring city, the airport is officially in Gulfport, located about 15 minutes drive from downtown. There is not a lot of service to GPT, but there is enough to find yourself there with American, Breeze, Delta, Sun Country, and United all providing service. Flights are primarily concentrated on the southeast hubs for the airlines but there is also service as far west as Las Vegas.

The airport is small but charming. There are large windows overlooking the apron with plenty of seating facing out to watch the airport operations. Also inside security is a couple of small shops and a bar/restaurant. The staff from the airport, to the airlines, and even TSA were all incredibly friendly and helpful which is not always a guarantee so it was rather nice to see. I got through the airport quickly and didn’t have a bag checked, so I was out in front within minutes from stepping off the plane. Once outside I did something I almost never do when travelling, I ordered an Ride share since there is no transit available from the airport, not even provided by the city bus operator. My driver arrived after about a 5 minute wait, and then 15 minutes and $15 later I was standing in downtown Gulfport.

Getting Around Gulfport

This is going to be a pretty small section unfortunately. As I mentioned previously, the easiest way to get around is by far going to be driving. With the lack of transportation from the airport, most people are going to be ride sharing like I did or more likely renting a car. There is a small transit operator called Coast Transit with some surprisingly useful service in the region between the different cities, but getting around within an individual city is going to be mostly by walking.

I didn’t let my lack of a car deter me, however (at least once I reached the city) and was able to walk most places easily. It was a long walk sometimes, often without shade due to a noticeable lack of trees in much of the city, but it was doable on sidewalks which is a step up over some of the other cities I’ve visited. There was even some surprisingly nice pedestrian infrastructure at times such as a pedestrian and transit bridge leading from Jones Park on the coast across US-90 to the Mississippi Aquarium. I would not, however, recommend biking in Gulfport. There is next to no infrastructure for biking, and I do not even recall seeing many, if any, bike racks around. So is Gulfport walkable? Kind of, but at least enough for you to get around by walking even if it isn’t always the most comfortable.

Eating with the Fishes

Once in downtown I went straight to the highest rated area on TripAdvisor for Gulfport, Fishbone Alley. While I didn’t do much research for this trip, I did at least take a peek at its page on TripAdvisor to see what was possible there, and this was the spot. I was pretty immediately underwhelmed. Fishbone Alley is, unsurprisingly, and alleyway, but that’s about it. Sure there are some nice touches like the decorative sign above the entry way, and there is lots of fun street art but there isn’t much to do or see here. At least during a Tuesday afternoon in April. This general sentiment can basically sum up my entire thoughts surrounding the downtown area; it’s smaller than one might expect without a lot of attractions jumping out at you compared to other cities like Chicago (an unfair comparison perhaps) or even Astoria, Oregon (a more fair comparison). This area was at least home to the highest rated restaurants in the city, and as I had gotten to the area around noon without having eaten anything else that day, I figured it was time to change that.

I had asked my Ride share driver on the way into the city where I should get lunch, and their answer matched pretty resoundingly with TripAdvisor in that the Halfshell Oyster House is the best spot in town. I was greeted outside by a lovely neon sign. Inside, the restaurant is just as nice with a 1920s sort of feel and lots of wrought iron fixtures. I’m not the biggest oyster fan, so I was pleased to see a wide-ranging seafood-focused menu when I sat down. The menu is overwhelmingly fish, shellfish, and any other sort of seafood you can think of, but there are a few land-based options available too.

Almost as soon as I was in my chair a waiter approached, filled my water glass, gave me a menu, and relayed the days specials in detail to me. Unsure exactly what to get I asked if they had any recommendations, and they launched into an in-depth explanation of what was on the with all of the different customizations available plus their personal favorites. After trying to match some of my tastes to the different menu items I eventually settled on the blackened redfish.This help was greatly appreciated given the large breadth of options available, like the six different types of oysters available alone. I thoroughly enjoyed my redfish when it expeditiously arrived thanks to its freshness and properly flaky texture with a savory but not too overly fishy taste. All in all an excellent meal for the seaside city.

After finishing my meal I walked a bit more around downtown. Kitty corner to the restaurant is the stunning post office building in a nice early-20the century Federalist revival style and palmettos flanking the exterior. The rest of the buildings in downtown, and indeed the businesses themselves, are pretty scattered in style and use, but there was not much for me to explore in any of them. It seemed like a pretty standard railroad town with a set of tracks running through the center of the central business district. Given the logging history of Gulfport and the town’s construction it would not have felt too out of place in Ohio or Iowa until you get closer to the waterfront. Instead of spending more of my limited time trying to find something around town I instead made my way to the ocean.

Seeing the Fishes

After waiting 5 minutes to cross US-90 with the light cycle, I first arrived at Jones Park. It is a pretty decent little park, located right by the main marina for the city with much more foot traffic here than elsewhere I went in the city. There were lots of boats and ships docked and plenty of fishing tours advertising trips. Amenity-wise the park was fairly well appointed. There were several pavilions around, though some, but not all, lacked benches and tables. The playground area was pretty large, and there were free public restrooms located at the Coast Transit stop. Located on the far end of the park and marina is a large open-air pavilion, the biggest of the park, standing open and free of anything inside. It was clearly meant to be a rented event space, made even more obvious by the signs mentioning no unauthorized gatherings and permit use only. With no paying permit holders that day it sat empty, at least providing a place to escape the sun for a bit. This is also the last major building before getting to the open, sandy beach with the ocean lying beyond that.

For anyone who has not been to the US Gulf Coast before, I’ll say that the beaches may seem underwhelming at first. They do not look like the tropical paradises one would expect to find in the Bahamas or Saint Lucia.Instead it is a strip of sand between not-very-blue water and pretty ordinary deciduous trees. Do not let this fool you. The beach is fantastic. Gulf beaches have some of the softest and finest sand out there, and the water is very warm, making it perfect for swimming. I ventured on the the beach to give the ocean a little touch before heading back, wanting to avoid getting too much sand in my shoes.

Next to the pavilion is a boardwalk and pier that leads out a small way into the Gulf. This was a great area for fishing, and I saw several groups catch fish while I was walking along. There is also a gentle sea breeze that prevented me from overheating despite all the walking, blazing sun, and warm temperatures. It was a wonderfully pleasant day, very sunny with the occasional passing cloud, and I was glad to have the experience. Even if the city itself was not particularly notable to me, I had mainly come to enjoy the beach (and say that I’ve been to Mississippi). I would say that I accomplished this mission.

Walking around in the sun without proper sun protection finally did sunburn me, however, and I decided to head back into town to see if there was anything to help with that. Along the way I stopped at Coast Transit’s operations base and the former library for the city. It was a splendid building in a mid-century modern style, though it was extremely bare inside. The transit agency only used the building for its offices and a very small waiting room that contained a few benches and TV showing departure times of varying accuracy. The current library is located a few blocks north along US-49. I was glad to get out of the heat and cool off for a bit, but there was not much to hold my attention. Next door is the impressive looking Mississippi Aquarium, but I did not have the time nor desire to spend $33 for a ticket to visit.

Following the train tracks back west to US-49 and then crossing the tracks into the north side of town, I was looking for something else to help cool off and found the perfect treat with Pop Brothers. The locally run popsicle shop had the largest menu of popsicles I have ever seen, with a menu ranging from the traditional fruit flavors to cream pops akin to fudge bars or even more unusual flavors. I got a Blue Raspberry Jolly Rancher pop and it was a spot-on flavor match along with being a refreshing way to cool down after walking all day in the hot sun. Polishing off the last of my popsicle on the shaded porch in front of the stand I noticed a coffee shop across the street that looked perfect for a quick cup before leaving.

Coast Roast did not look to be too different from most other local coffee shops I’ve visited along my travels with a sort of rustic-industrial vibe inside. The coffee was better than most places I’ve visited however, and way better than a typical Starbucks. The cafe roasts their own beans so they know they are getting the perfect roast every time. Between the popsicle and the coffee I was feeling much better and quite satisfied as I called an Ride share back to the airport.

Leaving Gulfport

Arriving back at the airport about an hour and a half before my flight boarded, I quickly determined that I had arrived too soon. Getting from the ride share drop off area through check in was literal steps. TSA was a breeze, easily under five minutes even with PreCheck being handled in the main checkpoint line with a card saying I didn’t have to take off my shoes or belt (easily the best part of PreCheck). I arrived at my gate with about an hour left before boarding and spent the extra time sat in front of the the large windows overlooking the field as a pair of Air Force Reserve aircraft did touch-and-go landings followed by my inbound aircraft.

All in all I enjoyed my time in Gulfport. Like I mentioned earlier I didn’t have much in the way of expectations for this trip, but I walked away with a good understanding of why I enjoy the Gulf Coast. The beaches are wonderful, the food is excellent all around, and the people are so friendly. I do not think that I had anything but a positive experience with anyone I interacted with in Mississippi, a refreshing change of pace compared to how it can be sometimes while travelling. The city itself was not quite for me, not having a lot of activity and being incredibly car dependent, but I am still glad to have visited all the same. While I do not think that I will be back in the near future, I do think the city, or at least Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coasts are well worth the visit. This is especially true for anyone looking for a relaxing beach vacation during the summer when it is too hot and humid in points further south.