Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
) . Cotton Alley ( www.cottonalleycafe.com ; 208 Main St; mains $10-15;
11am-10pm Mon-
Sat) is a good place for lighter fare.
PADDLING THE MISSISSIPPI
According to Keith Benoist, a photographer, landscaper and co-founder of the
Phatwater Challenge ( www.kayakmississippi.com ) marathon kayak race, the Mississippi
has more navigable river miles than any other state in the union. Natchez-born
Benoist trains for his 42-mile race by paddling 10 miles of the Old River, an aban-
doned section of the Mississippi fringed with cypress and teeming with gators. If
you're lucky enough to meet him at Under the Hill, he may just take you with him.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Gulf Coast
In the backyard of New Orleans, the Gulf Coast's economy, traditionally based on the
seafood industry, got a shot of adrenaline in the 1990s when Vegas-style casinos muscled
in alongside sleepy fishing villages. And then a double whammy of disasters: just when
the casinos in Biloxi had been rebuilt following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Gulf's
Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 dealt the coast another unexpected blow. However,
Mississippi's barrier islands helped divert much of the oil problems toward New Orleans
and Alabama.
Through it all, Ocean Springs remains charming with a romantic line up of shrimp
boats in the harbor alongside recreational sailing yachts, a historic downtown core, and a
powdery fringe of white sand on the Gulf. The highlight is the Walter Anderson Mu-
seum ( www.walterandersonmuseum.org ; 510 Washington St; adult/child $10/5;
9:30am-4:30pm Mon-Sat, 12:30-4:30pm Sun) . A consummate artist and lover of Gulf Coast
nature, Anderson suffered from mental illness, which spurred his monastic existence and
fuelled his life's work. After he died, the beachside shack where he lived on Horn Island
was discovered to be painted in mind-blowing murals, which you'll see here.
Hotels line the highway as you approach downtown. Nice camping (and a visitor cen-
ter) can be found at Gulf Islands National Seashore Park ( www.nps.gov/guis ; camping
$16-20) , just out of town.
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search