Like Carmel, on the Gulf
Ocean Springs: 48-Hour Escape from New Orleans
A Gulf Coast arts colony of Walter Anderson watercolors, Shearwater pottery, and a walkable beachfront downtown.
Ocean Springs: A Gulf Coast arts colony of Walter Anderson watercolors, Shearwater pottery, and a walkable beachfront downtown.
At a glance
Ocean Springs, Louisiana is a 1 hr 30 min drive from New Orleans, best visited March-May or October-November. Like Carmel, on the Gulf. Top things to do: Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Shearwater Pottery, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Davis Bayou. Where to eat: Greenhouse on Porter, Phoenicia Gourmet. Stay at The Inn at Ocean Springs or Beau Rivage Resort.
63
of 100
Escape score
Best paired with a second town
A good day and a half, with an evening to spare.
- Drive
- 1 hr 30 min from New Orleans
- Best window
- March-May or October-November
- Typical stay
- ~$197/night
Escape score: what there is to do and eat (40%), typical weekend lodging cost (30%), drive time (25%), rounding (5%). Computed from our own guide data, never from paid placement.
Why here
Ocean Springs is a town of 18,000 on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, 90 minutes east of New Orleans. It is the arts colony of the coast, built around Walter Anderson's watercolors of Gulf Coast wildlife and the Shearwater Pottery colony founded in 1928. The downtown is a walkable grid of galleries, cafes, and live oaks, and the Gulf Islands National Seashore runs right through it. The beach is a sand barrier island a short paddle away. No casino towers here, that is next door in Biloxi.
Ocean Springs is the arts town of the Gulf Coast, and Walter Anderson is the reason. Anderson, the reclusive watercolorist who rowed alone to Horn Island to paint the birds and the barrier islands, is the cultural anchor, and the Walter Anderson Museum of Art holds his work, the cosmic Little Room, and the Community Center murals he painted floor to ceiling. The Shearwater Pottery colony, founded by the Anderson family in 1928, is the other half, with artisans still throwing and glazing on Shearwater Drive. The downtown is a walkable grid of galleries, cafes, and live oaks, and the Gulf Islands National Seashore, in the Davis Bayou unit, runs right through town, which is why Ocean Springs has the beachfront without the Biloxi casino towers next door.
A weekend in Ocean Springs is an art-and-beach weekend. Tour the Walter Anderson Museum and Shearwater Pottery, walk the downtown galleries, walk the Davis Bayou boardwalks, and eat at Greenhouse on Porter. Come March through May or October through November, summer is hot. Two nights lets you add the Beau Rivage and the Biloxi lighthouse, 10 minutes west.
The plan
48 hours in Ocean Springs
Same town, two different weekends. Pick the arrival that matches your Friday.
Friday, on arrival
Check inThe Inn at Ocean Springs
From ~$210/night
Boutique rooms on Washington Avenue, walkable to every gallery and cafe. The rooftop terrace faces the bay. The central Gulf Coast base.
Leave New Orleans after work: the 1 hr 30 min drive lands you here in the evening.
Friday night
Dinner, then the main streetGreenhouse on Porter
Breakfast and lunch in a greenhouse. The biscuits, the toast flight, and the coffee are the moves. The line forms early, weekends. Walkable from downt...
Eat first and walk it off after. Most small-town kitchens stop seating by 9.
Saturday morning
First stopWalter Anderson Museum of Art
$15. Walter Anderson's watercolors of Gulf Coast wildlife, the cosmic Little Room, and the Community Center murals he painted floor to ceiling. The cu...
Saturday midday
LunchPhoenicia Gourmet
Mediterranean on Washington Avenue. The lamb, the mezze, and the wine list are the orders. Reservations for dinner. The patio is the best table.
Saturday afternoon
Second stopShearwater Pottery
Free. The 1928 pottery colony founded by the Anderson family. Watch artisans throw and glaze, then buy a piece. The storefront is on Shearwater Drive.
Sunday morning
Last stop, then homeGulf Islands National Seashore, Davis Bayou
Free. The Davis Bayou unit of the national seashore runs right through town. Boardwalks over the bayou, a fishing pier, and a short nature trail. The...
1 hr 30 min back to New Orleans still leaves you the afternoon.
Timings are a suggestion, not a schedule. Shift the whole plan by how late you leave.
The Basecamp
Where to stay in Ocean Springs
The Inn at Ocean Springs
Boutique rooms on Washington Avenue, walkable to every gallery and cafe. The rooftop terrace faces the bay. The central Gulf Coast base.
Beau Rivage Resort
In Biloxi, 10 minutes west across the bay. The MGM casino resort with a pool, spa, and the coast's biggest dining scene. The high-energy alternative to quiet Ocean Springs.
The White House Hotel
In Biloxi, 10 minutes west. A restored 1890s beachfront hotel on the Gulf, with a porch rocking-chair row and sunset views. The classic Gulf Coast stay.
What to do
Walter Anderson Museum of Art
$15. Walter Anderson's watercolors of Gulf Coast wildlife, the cosmic Little Room, and the Community Center murals he painted floor to ceiling. The cultural heart of the coast. 1-2 hours.
Learn more ↗
Shearwater Pottery
Free. The 1928 pottery colony founded by the Anderson family. Watch artisans throw and glaze, then buy a piece. The storefront is on Shearwater Drive.
Learn more ↗
Gulf Islands National Seashore, Davis Bayou
Free. The Davis Bayou unit of the national seashore runs right through town. Boardwalks over the bayou, a fishing pier, and a short nature trail. The beach is across the bridge.
Learn more ↗Pack for Ocean Springs
Beach & coast kit
Curated for sand, surf, and slow tide-pool afternoons in Ocean Springs.
Portable beach umbrella
Real shade that survives a Gulf breeze.
See price on Amazon →Low-sand beach chairs
The four-leg kind that do not slowly sink out from under you.
See price on Amazon →Waterproof dry bag
Keeps phones and keys dry from the car to the sand and back.
See price on Amazon →Reef-safe sunscreen
Mineral-based, reef-friendly, and reef-town appropriate.
See price on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, book2escape earns from qualifying purchases.
Where to eat
Greenhouse on Porter
Breakfast and lunch in a greenhouse. The biscuits, the toast flight, and the coffee are the moves. The line forms early, weekends. Walkable from downtown.
Phoenicia Gourmet
Mediterranean on Washington Avenue. The lamb, the mezze, and the wine list are the orders. Reservations for dinner. The patio is the best table.
Most reviewed on Yelp
The most-reviewed restaurants in Ocean Springs. A solid indicator of where locals actually eat.
Woody's Roadside - Ocean Springs
Barbeque, Seafood, Tacos
Phoenicia Gourmet
Mediterranean, Greek
The Greenhouse On Porter
Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch
Review counts and ratings are curated from Yelp and may change over time.
Go even deeper
Side trips near Ocean Springs
Once you've settled into Ocean Springs, these nearby towns are close enough to fold into the same weekend without moving your basecamp.
10 min from Ocean Springs
Biloxi
10 minutes west across the Biloxi Bay Bridge, the larger Gulf Coast city with casinos, the lighthouse, and the Biloxi shrimp schooner trips, the high-energy counterpoint to quiet Ocean Springs.
30 min from Ocean Springs
Bay St. Louis
30 minutes west, a walkable Gulf Coast arts and beach town rebuilt after Katrina, with a bookstore, galleries, and a sandy beach, a relaxed second stop on a coast weekend.
On the calendar
Coming up in Ocean Springs
Events happening in town, refreshed weekly.
Refreshed weekly
Nov 7 to 8
Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival
Ocean Springs · Downtown Ocean Springs
Mississippi's largest fine arts and crafts festival fills downtown with over 400 artisans, food vendors, and live entertainment. Visitors can plan a weekend to shop unique coastal artwork under the live oaks and sample Gulf Coast culinary treats.
Dec 16
Budweiser Clydesdales Parade
Ocean Springs · Downtown Ocean Springs
The world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales make a special holiday appearance marching through downtown Ocean Springs. Visitors will enjoy the festive spectacle alongside the town's holiday shopping and dining atmosphere.
Getting there
Drive logistics
From New Orleans, take I-10 east to exit 50 (Ocean Springs) or I-10 to US-90 east. ~95 miles, about 90 minutes. Cross the Biloxi Bay Bridge for the beachfront drive into town.
Drive time
1 hr 30 min
Best time
March-May or October-November
Questions & Answers
Ocean Springs weekend FAQ
Ocean Springs is about 95 miles east of New Orleans, roughly a 90-minute drive via I-10 east to exit 50.
Walter Anderson was a Gulf Coast watercolorist known for his wildlife paintings, rowing alone to Horn Island to paint, and the murals and cosmic Little Room at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs.
Yes. Front Beach is a sand beach on Biloxi Bay in town, and the Gulf Islands National Seashore runs through the Davis Bayou unit. The undeveloped barrier islands are a short boat or paddle away.
Yes. At 1.5 hours, Ocean Springs is the best Gulf Coast arts weekend from New Orleans, with the Walter Anderson Museum, Shearwater Pottery, the national seashore, and a walkable gallery downtown all in two days.
Yes. Ocean Springs is the quiet, gallery-and-cafe arts colony; Biloxi, 10 minutes west across the bay, is the casino-and-resort strip. They pair well as a single coast weekend.
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