A 3-day Mississippi long weekend built around Biloxi’s beachfront casino strip, a ferry out to a barrier island inside Gulf Islands National Seashore, and Ocean Springs’ small-town art colony — with real stops and 2026 prices throughout.
Day 1Arrive & Biloxi Casino Row
Fly into Gulfport-Biloxi, settle onto the beachfront casino strip, and spend the evening at the oldest restaurant on the coast before the lights come on along the Strip.
🚗 Airport Arrival — Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport
~10–15 minutes to Biloxi casinos · Rental car recommended
A small regional airport a short drive inland from the beach — renting a car here is the easiest way to cover the three towns on this trip, none of which are more than 20 minutes apart.
🎰 Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Afternoon
Free to walk the casino floor and gardens · Gaming extra
The coast’s flagship casino resort, with a 32-story tower over the beach, an indoor Tuscan-style garden atrium, and a casino floor that anchors Biloxi’s whole Strip.
Beau Rivage Resort & Casino · www.beaurivage.com
🍽️ Dinner — Mary Mahoney’s Old French House
~1.5 hours · Est. $35–$55 USD / person
A Biloxi institution since 1964, set in a French colonial-era courtyard house dating to the 1730s, famous for a gumbo recipe that hasn’t changed in six decades.
Mary Mahoney’s Old French House · www.marymahoneys.com
🛎️ Overnight — Beau Rivage Resort & Casino
From $150–$220 USD / night, for 2 people
A beachfront tower room with Gulf views puts every stop on this trip within a short drive, with the casino’s restaurants and pools covering any downtime.
Beau Rivage Resort & Casino · www.beaurivage.com
Day 2Ship Island & the Gulf
A day trip out to a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico, then an afternoon back on the mainland at a hands-on marine research center.
⛴️ Ship Island Excursions — Ferry to West Ship Island
~1 hour each way · from $35 USD / adult round-trip
A passenger ferry out to a slender barrier island inside Gulf Islands National Seashore, with an 1860s brick fort, a snorkel-clear sandbar, and almost no development beyond a single snack bar.
Ship Island Excursions · www.msshipisland.com
🏖️ Fort Massachusetts & the Beach, West Ship Island
~3–4 hours on the island · Free with ferry ticket
A Civil War-era brick fort right at the ferry dock, and beyond it miles of undeveloped Gulf-side beach with some of the clearest water on the Mississippi coast.
🐬 Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, Gulfport
~1.5 hours · from $12 USD / adult
A working dolphin rescue and research facility that also runs public presentations — a chance to watch a rehabilitation pool session with resident bottlenose dolphins up close.
Institute for Marine Mammal Studies · www.imms.org
🛎️ Overnight — Beau Rivage Resort & Casino
From $150–$220 USD / night, for 2 people
Second night back at the same beachfront tower.
Day 3Ocean Springs & Home
A last morning in Ocean Springs’ walkable art-colony downtown before the short drive back to the airport.
🎨 Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Ocean Springs
~1 hour · from $10 USD / adult
A small museum built around the murals and watercolors of Walter Anderson, the reclusive Gulf Coast artist who rowed alone to Horn Island for weeks at a time to paint its birds and storms.
Walter Anderson Museum of Art · www.walterandersonmuseum.org
🏺 Shearwater Pottery, Ocean Springs
~30–45 minutes · Free to browse, pottery for sale
A working pottery studio founded by the Anderson family in 1928, still hand-throwing and selling glazed stoneware from the same shaded compound off the highway.
Shearwater Pottery · www.shearwaterpottery.com
☕ Lunch on your own — Downtown Ocean Springs
Est. $15–$25 USD / person
Washington Avenue’s few walkable blocks hold most of the town’s cafes and lunch counters, an easy last stop before the drive back to the airport.
✈️ Drive to Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport
~25 minutes from Ocean Springs
A short final run back down Highway 90 along the beach road closes out the loop.
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