Free & Cheap Things to Do in Ocean Springs

Arts & Culture

A museum devoted to Walter Anderson, the reclusive Ocean Springs genius who covered notebooks, pottery, and entire rooms with vivid Gulf Coast nature. The collection includes his famous works and the recreated 'Little Room' he secretly painted; admission also covers the Community Center murals he created next door.

Address: 510 Washington Ave, Ocean Springs, MS 39564

Tip: Your ticket also gets you into the adjacent Ocean Springs Community Center to see Anderson's sweeping murals. It's right in walkable downtown. Allow 60-90 minutes.

Parks & Nature

The mainland Mississippi unit of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, free to enter just east of downtown. Boardwalks and short trails wind through coastal marsh and live oaks past the William M. Colmer Visitor Center, a fishing pier, and a boat launch, with ranger programs and abundant birdlife in a quiet bayou setting.

Address: 3500 Park Rd, Ocean Springs, MS 39564

Tip: Free; the area gate is open 8am-sunset, the visitor center 9am-4pm. The Nature's Way and CCC trails are easy and shaded. No swimming in the bayou — it's for wildlife and fishing.

History & Culture

A landmark of American architecture hidden on a quiet Ocean Springs beach: an 1890 cottage designed by Louis Sullivan with his young draftsman Frank Lloyd Wright, whose clean lines foreshadowed Wright's later Prairie style. Restored by the state after Hurricane Katrina, it's open for free self-guided tours.

Address: 509 East Beach Dr, Ocean Springs, MS 39564

Tip: Free self-guided tours Monday-Friday 9am-3pm — when the gate's open, walk in. A must for architecture fans. About 20-30 minutes; combine it with a drive along scenic East Beach.

Shops & Downtown

One of the Gulf Coast's most charming downtowns, where Government Street and Washington Avenue brim with independent galleries, boutiques, coffee shops, and acclaimed restaurants beneath enormous live oaks. Free to wander, it hosts year-round art, music, and food festivals — most famously the huge Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival each fall.

Address: Government St & Washington Ave, Ocean Springs, MS 39564

Tip: Free to explore on foot; park once and stroll. Time a visit for First Fridays or a festival weekend. The Walter Anderson Museum and Shearwater Pottery are both close by.

Parks & Nature

A free waterfront park on Front Beach commemorating the 1699 landing of French explorer d'Iberville, who founded the first permanent settlement on the Gulf Coast here. A bronze statue, a ship-shaped playground, a splash pad, and an outdoor stage front the calm Mississippi Sound, with the town's small beach alongside.

Address: 499 Front Beach Dr, Ocean Springs, MS 39564

Tip: Free; the splash pad and ship playground are a hit with kids in summer. The calm Sound water is good for paddleboarding. Sunset over the Biloxi Bay Bridge is the photo op.

Parks & Nature

A 15.5-mile round-trip on-street cycling route winding beneath Ocean Springs' famous live oaks, connecting the downtown L&N Train Depot to the Davis Bayou area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Free to ride, it's marked with green-and-white signs and links the town's beaches, parks, and nature trails.

Address: Ocean Springs, MS 39564

Tip: Free; pick up a route map at the Ocean Springs Chamber or the Gulf Islands visitor center. It follows city streets, so it suits casual riders comfortable with light traffic. Mostly flat and shaded.