gulf islands national seashore - mississippi district - davis bayou

This is a serene stop with a small visitor center, a nice camping area complete with resident alligator and easy beach access. You can also launch a boat (if you have one) or go fishing with a saltwater license. It was a pleasant stop on a Sunday afternoon except for the gnats.

We always try to check out any of the places designated as a National Park, National Seashore, or Historic site. While there are many disagreements on what the government should or should not be doing, I think most people find what they are doing in the National Park Service is worthwhile. This place is no exception. We were there in February, so did not go to the beach, but we did enjoy the visitor center and saw an alligator, the thing we wanted to see most. This alligator was very cooperative and just dozed (I think) the entire time we watched.

My granddaughter was taken on a tour by a park ranger with a small group of kids. They learned a lot and were sworn in as Junior Rangers. They were given a badge. How cool is that?

Few bugs, great spaces, friendly folks, clean, great staff from rangers, to office staff, maintenance techs to volunteers, enjoyed it a lot, close to town yet far away!

Beach was clean and family friendly. Since we toured many beaches along the gulf coast, this one was just average due to the more coarse, dark sand. We enjoyed our visit.

We have been to Ocean springs many times but never drove thru Gulf islands national seashore . It is beautiful with walking paths grills & fishing . I would love to go back during the summer .

We were not able to get out and walk and the views from the car were somewhat limited. However, I loved watching the gator, egret and turtles in the gator pond!

Just East of Ocean Springs off of Hwy 90. A quiet park on the gulf where you can walk, bike, fish etc. A nice visitors center which gives a brief history. Nice quiet place to spend time.

A nice quiet beautiful waterfront park area. You can launch your boat, have a picnic, fish, walk, ride your bike, camp, go to the visitors auditorium, look for the wildlife. You never know what you will see. If in the area a must stop.

Miles and miles of white sandy, clean beaches. It's so pristine and serene. Wonderful place to walk and think or just sit and enjoy the water.

There are tons of things for the kiddos to do. If you are on a road trip, then stop and give everyone a break. lol. It's a really special place for wildlife as well.

We liked best that it's very uncrowded in October, nice! Plenty id free parking, beautiful sand and waves, barely anyone present - we love the isolation and beauty!

The Davis Bayou section of the park is really quite small (and by the way, the picture on this location isn't part of the park; it's part of the mainland beach in Mississippi...Front Beach in Ocean Springs, I think, but it's kind of small to tell for sure. Davis Bayou has a visitor's center, campground, picnic areas, a boat ramp, a few short trails and a fishing pier (don't forget a fishing license). It's quite nice but the real jewels of the park are the barrier islands. In the Mississippi district there are parts of Cat Island, West Ship, East Ship, Horn, Petit Bois (pronounced Petty Boy locally) and Sand. Horn and Petit Bois are designated wilderness areas. All islands are accessible only by boat. The only commercial boat with regularly scheduled service is West Ship (where there is a Civil War era fort, swim beach and snack bar in season) which is accessible through Ship Island Excursions in Gulfport from March to October (for a fee). For all other islands you have to have your own boat or charter one. Be aware that other than at West Ship, there are no public docks so you'll have to anchor out and wade in. Plan take food and water and sunscreen and to pack out any trash you take in. Don't leave a mess for everyone else. The Florida district is also nice but completely different. The beaches are nice but all the islands are near enough to drive to so you don't get the wilderness experience.

You would never know there is a busy city and a noisy highway less than a mile away. This is a very nice park with walking trails and pavilions for picnics and camping. There is also bayous for kayaking and fishing and watching alligators! If you wish you can launch your motor boat and head out into Biloxi Bay from here. And if you want to get some culture thee is also a great nature museum. All of this in one park and you can walk, cycle or drive to all of it!

However,the Davis Bayou Visitors Center is well done and interesting but not much to see especially in summer with heat and bugs. Overall this National Park is great but there are much nicer sections in Florida and elsewhere in Mississippi. Certainly worth the few minutes it takes to get off main road and gather info if coming from the west or if headed west and want to find out about the attractions further west such as Ship Island! The staff was very friendly and helpful while we were here!