July has flown by, with America celebrating another birthday. And in the spirit of appreciating all parts of this wonderful country, J and I decided to take a chance and spend the 4th at a beach we had never been to. And so began our plans to see.... Mississippi beaches. Now, I must take a minute to give credit where credit is due - when it comes to researching a trip, J is the LeBron James, the Garth Brooks, the US Women's Soccer Team, the fill-in-the-blank-with-the-best-of-the-best-at-something... you get the idea. I will tire quickly at pouring over site after site, Google search after search trying to find the best places to go and things to do and deals to jump on that are off the beaten path. But J, he can do it for days, weeks even. He hones in with a focus I could only hope he would have when I'm
So, when I said "I don't care where, I just want to spend the day on the beach", he got to work and found Ship Island off the coast of Gulfport, MS. A short drive from Baton Rouge, and you will come to the Gulfport Small Craft Harbor and Ship Island Excursions where you can board - you guessed it- the Ship Island Ferry. One note on the ferry: the phrase "you snooze, you lose" definitely applies here. They had two options to get out to the island and the ferries can fill up fast. Since we were driving from Baton Rouge, we definitely could not "snooze" when the alarms went off. But the anticipation of a fun day and new things to see and experience made that fairly easy.
http://www.msshipisland.com/
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| Gulfport Small Craft Harbor in the morning |
On the ferry you can sit up top in the sun or down below near the snack bar, which offers concession stand nachos, popsicles, popcorn and pop-top cans of both carbonated and adult beverages. Due to the holiday, there were also plenty of American flag bathing suits to last you until the next Independence Day. On the short 50-minute ferry ride to the island, you may see dolphins (apparently the day we went they had also decided to go explore another part of coast), you will most likely see interesting birds, and you will most definitely see some interesting folks. Lucky for us, we met a great couple and bonded over being beer snobs.
The island appears out of nowhere it seems. Immediately after walking off the ferry, you're greeted by a long wooden pathway leading past Fort Massachusetts, and on to the other side of the island. And at this point in the story I must come clean: I know nothing about Fort Massachusetts. But, neither do our new friends who went on the tour, as their adorable elderly guide said he could show them around the fort, but he would do them a favor and let them sit on the bench at the front of the fort while he would tell them all about it...... and then they woke up.
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| Sorry, but the only picture I managed to get of the boardwalk was when this woman was bending over |
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| The scenery almost made me fee like we were at a Northern beach, or in the Anne of Green Gables movies |
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| J in front of Fort Massachusetts #Merica |
We spent the day with our new friends basically feeling like we were on a private island. We cooled off in the ocean, which was only about knee deep no matter how far out we went. I felt tall...no one asking "can you touch here?" all day long. (Yes, it happens to me all the time...)
We drank, threw a Frisbee, drank, flew kites, ate burgers from the little snack shack and relaxed on the beach until the rain came.
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| Finally getting some vitamin D in my life |
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| Our ocean view |
There is nothing that will bring strangers closer together than being stuck in a torrential downpour, complete with lightning strikes to the ground. And what else to do than sing "America" songs and pass around beers while we waited to board the ferry to go home?
The car ride to Baton Rouge from Gulfport did feel longer, but only because our energy was spent having a great time and our bellies were FULL of Shrimp Basket goodness. (...and possibly two orders of nachos on the ferry ride back to the mainland.)
Ship Island somehow made me feel like a kid again. It seemed almost like one of those places we visited when I was in summer camp growing up, and I never really saw them again or even knew how to get back once childhood and summer camp were just fond memories. The good news is, I do know how to find my way back to Ship Island and I would certainly go again. For a fun day at the beach, and a trip you can easily do in a day from Baton Rouge, you can't really beat it. It takes some planning, getting up early and getting home late, but it's really no different than a day spent in Atlanta from back home in Birmingham. (Except for the ocean / beach detail, of course) For those that don't feel like driving home in the same day, there are hotels in Gulfport that promise a good night's rest, and a ride home the next day could include a little stop to try your luck at the casinos. My advice? Put it all on black...
To end our just about perfect Fourth of July, we got back home just in time to see a beautiful fireworks show over our neighborhood. (Nevermind the "no fireworks" law....details.) The entire day left me proud to be American and feeling fortunate that I can move about and enjoy myself freely. It could be easy to take such things for granted. Now on to the next place!!!
If you ever get the chance, go see Ship Island. People watch, soak up the sun, and have the nachos.
Cheers,
Angela
